Traveling to Singapore's most famous Sentosa Island, the Merlion Tower in the middle of the island is sure to check-in. This 37-meter-high statue is almost equivalent to a 13-storey Merlion statue. After its completion in 1995, it has accompanied the growth of a generation. It is a pity that this Merlion Tower is the last open day of the 20th of this month. Starting on the 21st, the Merlion Tower will be demolished.
The Merlion is a symbol of the country of Singapore and represents a beautiful legend. In Singapore, you can see many cute and beautiful Merlion. Its image is the fluffy hair above the head, the scales on the body layer, and then open the lion's mouth. The entire Merlion is standing on the ground against the curved fishtail.
The head of the Merlion statue represents Singapore, and the fish tail represents Singapore’s origin “Singapore”. Single horse is an island that was invaded by the Siamese at the end of the fourth century and then disappeared into the sea. In the 11th century, when people once again discovered the island, they suddenly found a lion on the island. Later, the island was named "Singapura." "Singapura" means San Francisco in Sanskrit.
Singapore's most authentic image of the Merlion is located in Merlion Park, the smallest park in Singapore. There are two different kinds of Merlion in the park, which was made of concrete by Singapore's famous craftsman Lin Langxin. The largest Merlion was only 8 meters high and was completed in May 1972. There is another word on the top of the statue: the Merlion is a symbol of Singapore hospitality.
The Merlion on Sentosa Island is the tallest of all Merlions in Singapore. It was designed and engraved in 1995 by an Australian artist, James Martin, who spent a total of 8 million Singapore dollars. It is said that the 8-meter lion in the Merlion Park is a lioness, so when the Merlion was built in Sentosa, it was specially carved into a male lion to accompany the lioness.
The body of the male lion has 320 fish scales, all made of optical fiber. At night, through the computer control, the body of the Merlion can be transformed into a variety of bright colors. Just one month before the end of the Merlion, Sentosa Island specially held a light farewell party for the Lions. Every night, colorful patterns were displayed on the lions, attracting countless visitors who came to bid farewell to the Merlion.
This 13-storey Merlion has a sightseeing elevator inside, and the open mouth of the lion is an observation deck. After purchasing the tickets, visitors can take the elevator to the observation deck on the 9th or 12th floor, from the heights to Sentosa Island and the Singapore Island, which is separated from Sentosa by a bay.
Behind the Merlion Tower, there is a ramp of 120 meters in length, which is a collection of various versions of the Merlion legend. In the center of the ramp, there is an underground corridor like a python. Children can drill through the holes in the python to play and play. In the summer, the python will also spray water.
According to the Sentosa tourism renovation plan, a new “Sentosa Heart Sound” landscape will be built on the island. It covers an area of 30,000 square meters. After the completion, there will be water parks, viewing areas, golden beaches, bars and other entertainment projects. The renovation will cost 90 million Singapore dollars. The first project, which was newly started, was built in the Lion Tower. Therefore, this accompanying tourist has passed through the 24 Spring and Autumn Merlion statues and must be completely dismantled.
Many Singaporean locals and some tourists from around the world have launched a petition on the Internet, hoping to retain the Singapore's largest Merlion image, or relocate offsite. In fact, this Merlion statue is not an ordinary building. It also contains mechanical facilities such as elevators. It is difficult to relocate and costly, so it was decided to dismantle it.
If you haven't been to Sentosa Island yet, you won't see this tall Merlion again. Perhaps in the future Sentosa, a Merlion Tower will be rebuilt, just a mark of a generation, and it will disappear overnight, which will inevitably make people feel sad.