Lanterns. Lights. Lots of flowers. Rats. (what even!)
Yes, there was an entire showcase dedicated to rats lit up as lantern installations at the entrance of Gardens by the Bay. Being the main entrance leading visitors to the Gardens from the Bayfront train station to the main grounds, it was surely a sight to take in. Lined up adjacent to one another (much like the 1-metre distance imposed by the government as a social distancing rule, tsk tsk) facing Marina Bay Sands, the rats were chosen purely because it is the Year of the Rat (鼠'shu) in the chinese Zodiac, or 生肖('sheng'xiao)。
My significant other and I had arrived at the Gardens this evening by walking from the South entrance (entering by cutting underneath the Helix Bridge and directly into the park). We were first captivated by what would turn out to be both our favourite exhibit of the night - the Apricot Grove (杏林送暖'xing'lin'song'nuan)! Rows of brightly LED-powered pinkish flowers of a standard size beckoned us to snap many shots until we got the perfect one. The rows of sakura arcs, which were just the right degree of concave to fit comfortably about eight persons, seemed short from our view in the queue to go in, but endless when you actually step in!
^ This was nearing the end of the sakura flowers exhibit. Wow at the crowd! considering COVID-19 measures.
Another exhibit we found worthy of mentioning is the Korean exhibit of the Royal Family and palace officials titled Royal Family's Walk (皇室出巡'huang'shi'chu'xun). Both colourful and intricate, there was a large crowd surrounding this 360-degree showcase going at it to try to capture their best photographs. From the dad attending to his two daughters playfully craning their necks to peek at their father's phone, to the professional (or semi-pros) photographers with their tripods, there were room for everyone. It is surely a treat for all eyes.
^ These figurines made of lantern paper were brought in from Korea, in partnership between the Gardens (represented by the embassy of Singapore) and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
All in, we enjoyed ourselves very much. It was a much-needed respite from the work week and had been a while since we had a date night. Thank you Gardens by the Bay for organising this to lift our spirits! Till next year.
P.s. there aren't any photos of the Rats left in our cameras as we found them unaesthetic.
^ All photos taken with Huawei. Credits to yours truly
This weekend is the last two days of this annual event, so if you don't want to miss it, do head down to the Gardens! Be prepared for the last-minute crowd-goers and remember to wear your masks (even during photo-taking).
"...We planted millions of trees, palms and shrubs. Greening raised the morale of people and gave them pride in their surroundings. We taught them to care for and not vandalise the trees." - Lee Kuan Yew, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, 1965-2000, Volume 2 (2000)