The vibrant diversity of this tiny city-state is embodied in its colorful restaurants, food stalls, and markets as much as its sleek banks, office buildings, and bridges. The fragrance of piquant curries floats through Little India, while the smells of dim sum and ginseng tea waft through Chinatown. On Arab Street, Malaysian dishes like tofu topped with peanut sauce and Thai delectables like beef simmered in coconut milk are eaten at street stands. And in the Colonial District there's fine dining with ocean-fresh lobster and fresh pastas direct from Italy.
The seasonings of Singapore's neighborhoods, in their culinary indulgences as well as their multi-ethnic constitutions, are part of what makes a holiday in this city a gustatory and visual celebration.
The origins of this diversity date back to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who designed Singapore a British colony in 1819 and devised the framework for an ethnically segregated state. However, this initial vision has resulted in a preservation of the island's Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Indonesian heritages amid its rapid modernization.
After a reign of British control, a Japanese invasion in 1942, and an unceremonious discharge from its union with Malaysia after only 23 months, Singapore began its bittersweet independence as a republic on August 9, 1965. Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew wasn't going to let the island's lack of natural resources and reputation as an economic failure damper his determination to renew economic vigor. Strengthening his authoritarian muscle and vigorously revamping political, economic, and industrial structure was a project on which he worked tirelessly, then turned over to his predecessor, prime minister Goh Chok Tong, in 1990.
Singapore, "The Lion City," now possesses the world's busiest port and has been voted the number one business city in the world, and has one of the world's highest gross domestic products per capita. In recent years, efforts to preserve open space and traditional architecture have been stepped up. Local institutions such as Raffles Hotel and Empress Place have been renovated; old red-light districts have been cleaned up; Chinatown shophouses (living area upstairs/shop downstairs) are being restored; waterfront areas are being refined; and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and other smaller city parks have received facelifts--even as the amount of glossy malls and office buildings continue to grow.
Visitors will be fascinated by the sleek modern architecture and the fast-paced urban life of Singapore denizens, but they will also be thankful for the diverse traditions that make this city colorful and unique.
