Tag:Singapore River
As I mentioned yesterday, about a month after I took this photo, the restoration order was published in the paper and over the next several years they set about restoring this row of former warehouses and stores into cafes, bars and shops. If you were to look at the same view today, you’d notice many of the rook lines remain the same but there’s a degree more homogenization and cleanliness about the place. No more bushes growing in the gutters.
About a month before I took this photo this area was gazetted for preservation and transformation to new business. Now the area looks well maintained, the roofs all made of a consistent red clay material replacing the rusted corrugated iron and other tile roofs and the area is a hive of restaurants, bars and shops.
The Merlion was created in 1964 for the Singapore Tourism Board. With the head of a lion and the body of a fish resting on a crest of waves, it symbolizes the founding of Singapore. In the 11th century A.D., a Javanese prince thought he saw a lion on the island so he named the island Lion City – Singa Pura. The fish body of the Merlion symbolizes the city’s origins as a fishing village. This is one of five Merlions in Singapore today.
