5. Melting pot of diverse cultures
We’ve already touched on this with Singapore’s delightful mix of culinary flavours, but Singapore is (apologies for the cliché) a cultural melting point. The city’s architecture is a physical reminder of this; for example, the Old Supreme Court of Singapore is a triumph of classical architecture that looks to be straight out of Europe. The mixture of old and new buildings (and by new we mean very new, high-tech feats of design) is a reminder of this city-state’s interesting history. When the British were extending their imperialist aims in India and with increasing trade relations with China, they saw the need for a port of call in Asia, thus establishing posts in Singapore. Around the same time, the man who is heralded for being the founder of modern Singapore, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles recognised Singapore’s immense potential, establishing Singapore as a trading station which attracted immigrants from China, India, Malaysia and beyond. Today the impressive mix of cultures in Singapore live in relative harmony, a lesson the rest of the world could learn from.
