Singapore: Oriental Reveries in Time
The renowned Singaporean poet Alvin Pang once described the half-fish half-lion national mascot, Merlion in the following way: “Even though there are more websites on you than verses, even though you evoke cameras more than pride, postcards more than praise, still you seem to have a face poets love to woo”. The same could easily have been written about the city’s paragon of a luxury hotel, the Mandarin Oriental. Designed by John Portman, this local variation of the lady’s fan is a virtual theatre where Singapore itself takes center stage.
