Hi everyone, today I’m going to tell about Singapore’s national animal-Merlion.
The Merlion is a fictional animal with the body of a fish and the head of a lion. It was designed in 1964 by Mr Fraser Brunner. It was adopted as a symbol by the Singapore Tourism Board two years later and was used until 1997. During this period, the Merlion became a representative of Singapore, much like the Eiffel Tower is to France or the Statue of Liberty is to the United States. The design of the Merlion Lion Head is inspired by a legend about the history of Singapore.
The name of this country pays homage to these starting points: the roots of “Singapore” can be traced back to Sanskrit, namely “Singa” for “lion” and “Pura” for “city” – which also explains Singapore’s nickname. More importantly, the lion’s head also symbolizes courage and strength, and its chimerical elements reflect the passion for moving forward, all qualities highly valued by Singaporeans.
That’s all I wanted to say, thank you for attention.