A Chinese Impression of Singapore

A Chinese who had migrated to Canada wrote a book titled 苦乐移民路 (The Bittersweet Path to Immigration, 1999). In it were trials and tribulations of the lives of both himself and other Chinese immigrants after they had migrated to Canada.

Recounting the experiences of a fellow immigrant who had once lived in Singapore, Wang Qijun (王其钧) had this to say about the island state:

"In terms of geography, Singapore is half the size of Hong Kong, and has only half of Hong Kong's population. Apart from a zoo, there is nothing fun to do. My friend had visited the zoo with other friends a couple of times, such that the birds living there already recognize him."

Hmm, not sure if Mr. Wang's friend had confused the Jurong Bird Park with the Singapore Zoological Garden. But well, it is indeed true that Singapore is not generally associated with being a "fun" place.

Wang also added: "Singapore's model of management is a combination of authoritarian control and free economy. Even China's political climate is much freer than Singapore's."

Wang also noted that Singapore is not suitable for those who prefer to live in large countries where "taking the train requires a few days, and where taking a plane for a few hours does not necessarily mean that you have to get out of the country."