Merlion Statue : Half fish and half lion, Merlion is the image of Singapore. An image that you will find throughout the city. It was designed in 1964 by the Singapore Ministry of Tourism. The lion’s head represents the lion that Prince Sang Nila Utama discovered when he re-discovered Singapore in the eleventh century. The fishtail represents the fishing past of the city, when it was still known as Temasek.