Syrinx
The Merlion is not an actual animal but a fictional creature with a fish body and a lion's head. It was designed by Singaporean Chinese artist Lin Mingxin as a tourist attraction. It is a famous fountain sculpture in the heart of Singapore and has been a city landmark since 1997.
Designed by the director of the Van Kleef Aquarium, Brunner, in 1964, the Merlion was registered as a trademark by the Singapore Tourism Board in 1966. In 1971, the famous sculptor Lin Langxin was commissioned to create a sculpture of a lion's head, fish body, and fish tail. The sculpture is 8.4 meters high, with a lion's head measuring 2.3 meters long and 1.7 meters wide, and weighs 40 tons. The sculpture is now located in the Merlion Park in the heart of Singapore.
The design inspiration for the Merlion's head comes from the records in "Malay Annals." In the 14th century, a prince named Sultan Iskandar Syah from the "Sultanate of Samudera Pasai" was traveling to Malacca when he arrived in Singapore. As soon as he stepped ashore, he saw a magical beast, and his attendants told him it was a lion. He then named the island "Singapura," which means "lion city" in Sanskrit.
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"狮城"可以翻译为 "Lion City"。"」" means "fish tail" and the fish tail symbolizes the beauty of crossing the ocean in the past.
The Singapore Sentosa Development Corporation held a press conference on September 20, 2019, to announce that it will re-plan and develop the tourist hotspot Sentosa Island and the nearby Pulau Brani, and will demolish the iconic Merlion on Sentosa Island to make way for the new planning.
The Sentosa Development Corporation has also announced that the last day of public access to the Merlion on the island will be this year's 20th October, after which it will be demolished to make way for new developments.
