Brief Encounters | What to do on a Singapore city break, as celebrations begin for 200th anniversary
- The shimmering metropolis prepares to mark two centuries since the arrival of British colonialist, Sir Stamford Raffles
- Even if history and heritage do not excite, you’ll find plenty that does, from fine food to indie boutiques
Rather bravely, what nobody except guidebook and brochure writers calls the Lion City is marking the 200th anniversary of the Caribbean-born quasi-pirate’s advent on its shores. Love Sir Stamford or point to his not insignificant failings as a human being, there’s no escaping that he was instrumental in shaping the city as it is today. Starting next month, as part of the general bicentennial knees-up, Fort Canning is hosting what used to be called an exhibition but is more usually pumped up into “a multimedia sensory experience”, looking back beyond 1819 to the island’s earliest recorded history.
This being Singapore, there’s a food village attached.
Don’t give a hoot for heritage? No matter, there is much else to enjoy in this shimmering metropolis that frequently drops not too subtle hints that it’s high time Hong Kong sharpened up its act. Read on for an especially stellar example.
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