Wait… are you telling me that there are so many Merlions in Singapore?
Yes that’s right. There are 7 Merlions at 5 different locations. Want to know where they are? Read this article to find out!
Symbol of the Merlion
The body symbolises Singapore’s humble beginnings as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, meaning ‘sea town’ in Old Javanese. Its head represents Singapore’s original name, Singapura, or ‘lion city’ in Malay.
Of course, the Merlion is not a real creature. It is just a fictional half-lion, half-fish hybrid and was created by a local authority – the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) – in 1964 as a mascot for the city.
Here are the 5 locations where you can find the 7 Merlions:
1. Ang Mo Kio housing estate
Built in 1998, a pair of Merlions stand guard at the car park entrance of Blocks 216 to 220 at Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, opposite Bishan park. Constructed by the Residential Committee, for the residents.
2. Mount Faber
This Merlion is situated at the highest point of Mount Faber before enjoying the long descent back down. Made out of polymarble, expect this white beauty to be plastered with tourists.
3. Merlion Park
Built in 1972, this is the first official Merlion statue that was erected. It stands at 8.6m tall.
There is also a smaller, 2-metre-tall Merlion cub situated facing away from its larger sibling. Both statues are made with cement and inlaid with porcelain plates, and the larger one has red teacups for eyes.
4. Tourism Court
Not commonly known to Singaporeans, and the hardest one to find, this oddly-shaped Merlion is situated in Singapore Tourism Board (STB) at Tanglin. There is a sculpture inside the HQ but that doesn’t count.
This 3-metre-tall polymarble statue was made in the Philippines. Possibly the weirdest and skinniest one among all of the Merlions.
5. Sentosa
The largest of them all, you can find this mega huge 37-metre-tall Merlion over at Sentosa’s Imbiah Station.
Did you know… the 320 scales of this cement tower are moulded into bagua (an eight-sided feng shui motif used to direct ‘energy’). In case that wasn’t enough for the gods of qi, the statue is also built on an octagonal base.
If you are keen to go for a Merlion Hunt, this might help you:
Happy riding!
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