Mario Lee Blog

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After a fortifying breakfast, my eighth day began with a discovery that perfectly combines history and modern chic: the Fullerton Bay Hotel. Anyone who sees only a luxury hotel here misses the best part, because the hotel was built right on the historic Clifford Pier.

Maritime soul and nostalgia

This place used to be known as the “Red Lantern Pier” – the first point of contact for almost all immigrants who came to Singapore by sea.

My personal highlights at Clifford Pier:

• Architecture: The tall white arched trusses inside give the hall an incredible sense of space, almost like a cathedral.

• Nostalgia: A red rickshaw at the entrance recalls the time before skyscrapers and fast cars.

• Festive mood: The many red lanterns for Chinese New Year make a wonderful contrast to the historic white architecture.

On the water and in the world of art

Afterwards we enjoyed a 40-minute boat ride, admiring the futuristic skyline with Marina Bay Sands and the floating Apple Store from the water.

Back on land, we walked past the statues of Sir Stamford Raffles straight to the National Gallery.

A great tip: thanks to our disability ID cards, we got our tickets for free.

We explored the gallery all the way up to the sixth floor and discovered fascinating works that tell Singapore’s social history:

• Georgette Chen – “Family Portrait” (1954–1955): an impressive oil painting showing a close-knit family in everyday life.

• Chua Mia Tee – “National Language Class” (1959): this painting shows students in a Malay lesson and symbolises the search for an identity of its own after colonial times.

• Chua Mia Tee – “Epic Poem of Malaya” (1955): a politically charged work showing a young man reciting poetry in front of a stormy sky.

• Chen Wen Hsi – “Gibbons”: a beautiful mural with the artist’s famous monkey motifs.

• Scenes of working life: other paintings show very realistically the living conditions of the working class in the post-war period.

A special experience were the sound installations: we could feel the tones so intensely that our whole body vibrated.

Ending the day in community

After a detour to the neo-Gothic St Andrew’s Cathedral with its gleaming white facade and a stroll through City Hall Shoppes, we went home.

We spent the evening in a very traditional way: together with my parents-in-law we visited an aunt and ended the day with a cosy dinner.

That’s it for today!