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Singapore, Singapura: From Miracle to Complacency
Modern Singapore is a miracle. Half a century ago it unwillingly became an independent nation, after it was thrown out of the Malay Federation. It was tiny, poor, almost devoid of resources, and in a hostile neighborhood. Now, this unlikely country is at the top of almost every global national index, from high wealth and low crime to superb education and much-envied stability. But have these achievements bred a dangerous sense of complacency among Singapore's people?
Nicholas Walton walked across the entire country in one day, to grasp what it was that made Singapore tick, and to understand the challenges that it now faces. Singapore, Singapura teases out the island's story, from mercantilist Raffles and British colonial rule, through the war years, to independence and the building of the current miracle.
There are challenges ahead, from public complacency and the constraints of authoritarian democracy to changing geographic realities and the difficulties of balancing migration in such a tiny state. Singapore's second half-century will be just as exacting as the one since independence--as Walton warns, talk of a "Singapore model" for our hyper-globalized world must face these realities.
Nicholas Walton walked across the entire country in one day, to grasp what it was that made Singapore tick, and to understand the challenges that it now faces. Singapore, Singapura teases out the island's story, from mercantilist Raffles and British colonial rule, through the war years, to independence and the building of the current miracle.
There are challenges ahead, from public complacency and the constraints of authoritarian democracy to changing geographic realities and the difficulties of balancing migration in such a tiny state. Singapore's second half-century will be just as exacting as the one since independence--as Walton warns, talk of a "Singapore model" for our hyper-globalized world must face these realities.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryTravel
224 pages, Hardcover
Published April 5, 2019
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157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 20, 2022
作者试图通过一次横穿新加坡的徒步这种形式，来串联起对于新加坡历史、文化、现状以及未来的叙述。想法虽然有意思，可问题是这个徒步本身并无多大的亮点。（何况作者在总共53公里的徒步中，还不到40公里时就已经走得血肉模糊、肌肉抽筋了，确实还是有点实力不济且经验不足了……）所以它的存在虽然起到了一种穿针引线的作用，但对全书的核心内容反而构成了一定程度的干扰。
而且限于篇幅，本书各个章节涉及的主题只能浅浅地掠过，缺乏更深入的剖析和思考。但即便是这种浅浅的介绍，也已包含了一些颇有分量的内容：“新加坡政府的合法性很大程度上依赖于有效提供公共服务并且增加国民收入……在过去50年中，新加坡人沦为了不断追求经济增长的附属品……奇迹本身太重要也太脆弱了，容不得任何来自内部的重大阻力……一举一动的背后都蕴含着冷酷的算计，似乎每一克能量都必须用于实现更高的经济目的。”
这样的描述对于中国人来说，简直是再熟悉不过了。但出于体量上的巨大差异，可以想见，中国想要全盘复制新加坡这种程度的精密控制，几乎是不可能的。当一小部分新加坡的有识之士也开始忧心忡忡地怀疑，这样的模式能否继续帮助新加坡应对未来的挑战，并在第二个50年中保持繁荣时，所有中国人就更应该未雨绸缪、扪心自问一番了。
而且限于篇幅，本书各个章节涉及的主题只能浅浅地掠过，缺乏更深入的剖析和思考。但即便是这种浅浅的介绍，也已包含了一些颇有分量的内容：“新加坡政府的合法性很大程度上依赖于有效提供公共服务并且增加国民收入……在过去50年中，新加坡人沦为了不断追求经济增长的附属品……奇迹本身太重要也太脆弱了，容不得任何来自内部的重大阻力……一举一动的背后都蕴含着冷酷的算计，似乎每一克能量都必须用于实现更高的经济目的。”
这样的描述对于中国人来说，简直是再熟悉不过了。但出于体量上的巨大差异，可以想见，中国想要全盘复制新加坡这种程度的精密控制，几乎是不可能的。当一小部分新加坡的有识之士也开始忧心忡忡地怀疑，这样的模式能否继续帮助新加坡应对未来的挑战，并在第二个50年中保持繁荣时，所有中国人就更应该未雨绸缪、扪心自问一番了。
October 19, 2018
[Full Review to Come]
The premise is a bit contrived but the book as a whole is certainly a very readable and engaging introduction to many of the issues and topics of conversation in Singapore and would be a great choice for anybody wanting a broad brush introduction to the culture and zeitgeist. A journalist by both training and inclination he peppers the book with brief descriptions of many current topics including the Oxley Road saga, Anton Casey, Amos Yee, not to mention many of his own anecdotes
and conversations. There is a broad introduction to local concerns including education (excessive focus on grades and attainment), healthcare, inequality, and politics (he's rather sympathetic, almost an apologist for the PAP). Ostensibly, this is a book trumpeting how Singapore risks becoming complacent but that wasn't analyzed in any depth beyond the usual cliches about the younger generation not being hungry enough. If anything he credits the government and civil service for not being complacent, but with being faced with a confluence of structural challenges in ensuring Singapore stays relevant, and continues to have economic success.
The premise is a bit contrived but the book as a whole is certainly a very readable and engaging introduction to many of the issues and topics of conversation in Singapore and would be a great choice for anybody wanting a broad brush introduction to the culture and zeitgeist. A journalist by both training and inclination he peppers the book with brief descriptions of many current topics including the Oxley Road saga, Anton Casey, Amos Yee, not to mention many of his own anecdotes
and conversations. There is a broad introduction to local concerns including education (excessive focus on grades and attainment), healthcare, inequality, and politics (he's rather sympathetic, almost an apologist for the PAP). Ostensibly, this is a book trumpeting how Singapore risks becoming complacent but that wasn't analyzed in any depth beyond the usual cliches about the younger generation not being hungry enough. If anything he credits the government and civil service for not being complacent, but with being faced with a confluence of structural challenges in ensuring Singapore stays relevant, and continues to have economic success.
November 23, 2024
这本书是我大概两年半前第一次去新加坡出差前找出来看的，一直放在我的在读列表里面，一种食之无味弃之可惜的感觉，没想到终于还是读完了。新加坡奇迹，无疑是对“天时地利人和”的完美诠释，但是在国际形势复杂多变的今天，无论内部还是外部，新加坡都面临着巨大的挑战。这本书其实内容还是挺丰富的，结尾一长串的reference就能看出作者确实花了不少功夫，但是阅读体验只能说差强人意吧。
首先，用一次徒步把新加坡的各个地标和各种主题串联起来，本身是一个很好的想法，可是内容过于零散，缺乏连贯性。其次，我觉得一个好的作家应该懂得取舍，与其广而不精地罗列每个主题，不如挑选出几个最重要的主题精细地进行叙述和探讨。我经常读着读着，感觉自己读到了一堆事实，而不是对事实的延展和提炼。最后，翻译也有一些问题，特别是对英文的长句子的直译，很不符合中文的语言表达习惯。
总之，这本书对初步了解新加坡这个国家还是挺有价值的，但是离一部好的作品，我觉得还是有相当大的差距。
首先，用一次徒步把新加坡的各个地标和各种主题串联起来，本身是一个很好的想法，可是内容过于零散，缺乏连贯性。其次，我觉得一个好的作家应该懂得取舍，与其广而不精地罗列每个主题，不如挑选出几个最重要的主题精细地进行叙述和探讨。我经常读着读着，感觉自己读到了一堆事实，而不是对事实的延展和提炼。最后，翻译也有一些问题，特别是对英文的长句子的直译，很不符合中文的语言表达习惯。
总之，这本书对初步了解新加坡这个国家还是挺有价值的，但是离一部好的作品，我觉得还是有相当大的差距。
November 25, 2018
Good high level overview of Singaporean history + current political/social/economic environment. Walton literally walks from one end of the the country to the other, covering a variety of topics including Singapore’s “miracle” rise from swampy trading connection between Asia and Europe to world class financial hub, domestic feelings about race, and the secret to its successful educational system. It’s true that Singapore is a modern wonder, though it pays a hefty price by way of curtailment of individual liberties and conformity amongst its citizens. The author worries that Singapore’s growth trajectory will slow without making changes, especially as new headwinds face the country (backlash against expats, political instability in the broader APAC region, security threats, emergence of new global hubs like Dubai, and global climate change). Recommended read for anyone looking to start up a new country / franchise out the SG miracle.
November 5, 2019
I was a little skeptical whether one man's jalan-jalan about the Little Red Dot could actually be turned into anything analytically appealing. Surprisingly, Walton used the points he passed on his day-long island walk as springboards for stories of Singapore's history and development. Part memoir, part non-fiction, his book is accessible and packs a lot into a relatively small number of pages.
August 6, 2019
so i have my own walking Tuas/Jurong tale--when my daughter and i first moved to Singapore in Jan 2003 i decided we should walk from our apartment in the NTU ex-pat housing to the Jurong Bird Park (app 1 mi). We did this very early on a sunday morning. LOL what a mistake. I swear it took us hours of walking through an urban/chemical wasteland. It was Sunday morning so there were no buses, no cars, no one around except various old men sleeping in the bus shelters. The smell was terrible! We got to the Bird Park around 10AM and immediately took a taxi home. The driver looked at us like we were insane, which I'm sure was how we appeared. The next day I told my wide-eyed graduate students about this. One said 'you are lucky you weren't robbed!' Another: 'you should have called the police about the vagrants!' LOL First Singapore lessons for a naive ex-pat lol.
Anyhow I liked this book a great deal and I was so glad he started out in Tuas and Jurong. It was interesting to hear someone else's perspective on neighborhoods I spent so much time in. I thought the technique of using a walk across SG as a way to talk in turn about the various issues of Singapore (historically and culturally/politically) was pretty inspired. My biggest quibble with the author would be that by sticking to such a southern route he missed many of the most interesting 'neighborhoods'. If rather than walking East Coast Park he had walked East Coast Rd he would have walked through some pretty funky Malay communities and if he had walked Boon Lay Way or Commonwealth he would have walked through some old Chinese areas much more interesting than Chinatown.
Anyhow I liked this book a great deal and I was so glad he started out in Tuas and Jurong. It was interesting to hear someone else's perspective on neighborhoods I spent so much time in. I thought the technique of using a walk across SG as a way to talk in turn about the various issues of Singapore (historically and culturally/politically) was pretty inspired. My biggest quibble with the author would be that by sticking to such a southern route he missed many of the most interesting 'neighborhoods'. If rather than walking East Coast Park he had walked East Coast Rd he would have walked through some pretty funky Malay communities and if he had walked Boon Lay Way or Commonwealth he would have walked through some old Chinese areas much more interesting than Chinatown.
April 23, 2021
Liked this honest and straightforward and engaging take on modern Singapore by a newsjournalist with varied interests and a humorous outlook on life.
The structure, where he crosses various precincts and talks about their history, geography, economic and social and cultural distinctions as he walks across the entire island in one day, hangs quite well together. Better than I thought it would.
It reads like an authentic, sympathetic, readable travelogue and even for a resident it brings new appreciation about the underlying drivers behind the phenomena we observe and the news we read everyday.
A sensitivity to the way place plays an important role in human experience; making of geographic boundaries; settlement history; cultural aspects; journalistic news interviews; an engaging way he has of make cross-cultural anecdotes because of the varied friends he has made; and a non-judgemental approach yet unafraid to look the thing in its eye, warts and all, and make suggestions- make this book unique.
The structure, where he crosses various precincts and talks about their history, geography, economic and social and cultural distinctions as he walks across the entire island in one day, hangs quite well together. Better than I thought it would.
It reads like an authentic, sympathetic, readable travelogue and even for a resident it brings new appreciation about the underlying drivers behind the phenomena we observe and the news we read everyday.
A sensitivity to the way place plays an important role in human experience; making of geographic boundaries; settlement history; cultural aspects; journalistic news interviews; an engaging way he has of make cross-cultural anecdotes because of the varied friends he has made; and a non-judgemental approach yet unafraid to look the thing in its eye, warts and all, and make suggestions- make this book unique.
June 24, 2020
I'm happy I read this book to learn more about Singapore, and it was a solid book overall. However, the setup- man walks across an entire country in a day- had me expecting more of a travel memoir, with all the requisite adventures and characters the author meets along the way. Sadly this book wasn't too strong in this area, and it seemed more like a history book/modern cultural studies book that is guided by the author's walk. That's fine, but since it wasn't what I expected, I was a bit disappointed. Overall though the book is quite interesting, especially since Singapore is a very interesting little place in the world.
December 7, 2025
One of the book's strengths was its short segmented chapters that allow readers to continue reading over a period of days/weeks/months. The short chapters allow readers to pause at different points of the book, and pick it back up several weeks later without the pain of having to reorient oneself with the narrative. The book's use of the narrator walking across Singapore and using different landmarks or districts to talk about different parts of Singapore's history, economy and social dynamics was a nice, creative idea. The book may have benefited the reader more if it had maps within its pages to show the reader the various locations of the city-state that the narrator talks about.
August 21, 2021
I find it ironic that one of the best books of Singapore was written by a foreigner. There was something amazing about how he captured the essence of what it means to be Singaporean and beautifully echoed the concerns facing Singapore. The analysis is not too special, but the language used in this book is truly fantastic.
October 28, 2018
As a Singaporean overseas it's a nice piece of nostalgia and an easy read while on PT. It jumps around historically and weaves in cultural references in an unusual and almost disconnected way but somehow it works in this world of short attention spans.
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August 25, 2023An unusual walk undertaken, I wouldn't do it because there are far better walks, but various basic observations that any recent arrival in Singapore might find interesting if they haven't done any other reading about the city
March 17, 2023
Good book. It condenses history, culture, customs. Quite objective. Shows but does not judge
July 14, 2023
Interesting and good.
October 27, 2023
英國記者寫的獅城隨筆，當然為了更添話題，於是多耍了“徒步橫越”這手花槍，整體來說對新加坡建國這幾十年來的歷史、管理、奇蹟、問題與未來輕輕鬆鬆地談了一遍，只能說人家不只是夾縫中求生存，更是背水一戰退無死所，這種小鋼炮精神才能讓他們發光發熱直到現在，對新加坡有興趣的朋友可以找來一看，尤其是最後一章看到人家政府怎麼不斷思考對未來社會、發展、環境等問題，怎麼不讓我們整天搞選戰的這些政客汗顏…
February 17, 2020
A man walks across Singapore in one day and describes his experiences while linking his journey with the history and culture of Singapore. Interesting idea but it felt a little rambling to me.
November 12, 2024
A lovely walk through Singapore's history, ongoing successes and challenges. A quick primer on this island, told through the geography of walking from west to east.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews