The Merlion Park houses Singapore’s national mascot, a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The striking Merlion statue measures 8m in height and stands prominently at the waterfront park as a reminder of Singapore’s beginnings.

Formerly called Singapura (which means ‘lion city’ in Malay) in the 13th century, the lion head represents its discovery and its body symbolizes Singapore’s beginnings as a small fishing village when it was called Temasek (meaning ‘sea town’ in Javanese). Rightly so, this popular statue is like a guardian that overlooks the Singapore River as it faces east, an auspicious direction for the Chinese. Besides this prominent statue, the park also houses a Merlion cub that is 2m tall, and both statues spout seawater from its mouth continuously (perhaps as another auspicious act!).

If you are up for the challenge, try spotting the three other Merlion statues as you explore Singapore. There are two 3m Merlion statues at Tourism Court near Grange Road and Mount Faber, and the tallest one is a 37m tower in Sentosa.