Merlion is not a real animal, but a fictional animal with a lion's head. As a tourist sign, the image designed by Singaporean Chinese Lin Langxin is a famous water-jet sculpture in downtown Singapore, which has been used since 1997.

Merlion was designed by Brenner, curator of Van Cleef Aquarium in 1964. It was registered as its trademark by Singapore Tourism Board in 1966, and entrusted the famous sculptor Lin Lang Xin to create lion head, fish body and fishtail sculptures in 197 1. The elephant is 8.4 meters high, the lion's head is 2.3 meters long, the width is 1.7 meters, and it weighs 40 tons. This sculpture is now located in Merlion Park in Singapore.

The design concept of Merlion;

The design of Merlion's head is inspired by a legend in Singapore's history. According to the Malay Chronicle, in the 4th century A.D./KLOC-0, a prince named Sanfo Qi was caught in a storm while sailing at sea, and his boat drifted to this island. As soon as he landed, he saw a magical beast, and his entourage told him that it was a lion.

He named Singapore "Singapura" (Sanskrit means "Lion City"). As for the fishtail shape of the Merlion statue, it floats between layers of waves, which not only represents the characteristics of Singapore from fishing port to commercial port, but also symbolizes the ancestors who traveled across the ocean to make a living in the south.