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SINGAPORE – The tallest Merlion statue in Singapore will make way for a themed linkway between the north and south shores of Sentosa, as part of plans to give the resort island and its adjacent Pulau Brani a facelift.
Members of the public will be able to visit the Merlion until Oct 20.
Here are six things to know about one of Singapore’s most famous icons:
1. A HOMAGE TO MYTHS
With a lion’s head and a fish’s body, the Merlion was designed in 1964 by British zoologist Alec Fraser-Brunner to be the logo of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, which is now the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
The fish is supposed to allude to the country’s beginnings as a “fishing village” – a narrative since debunked by historical records which show Singapore was a thriving harbour as early as the 14th century.
The lion is a reference to Sang Nila Utama, the Srivijaya prince who claimed he named the island Singapura, or “lion city” in Sanskrit, after spotting the animal. Lions, however, have never been native to this region.
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