A fountain of wealth sounds like somewhere you want to visit, right? But this fountain, which is in one of Singapore’s largest shopping malls, is more than just a spectacle to greet visitors.
The Suntec City Mall took five years to build – from 1992 to 1997. It is more than just a shopping mall, there are offices with foreign diplomats, embassies and trade centres which make up part of Singapore’s bustling economy.
Sitting right in the middle of this stunning development is the Fountain of Wealth. Architects Tsao $ Mckown designed the entire building to be shaped like a hand. And the bronze fountain sits like a ring on the palm of this gigantic hand.
Record Breaking Design
The Fountain of Wealth is recorded by the Guinness Book as the biggest fountain in the world.
It is made of bronze silicon material and the huge 66-metre ring is held up by four pillars. At nearly 14 metres tall, the bronze structure was actually made in Australia.
It has jets of water coming from the ring itself as well as the ability to play laser shows and spurts of water can jump into the air.
There are also small water spouts that appear to “jump” around the outside of the pool which go alongside a musical performance every evening.
Visiting the Fountain of Wealth
Suntec City mall is in the Marine Centre which is within the Downtown Core. It has an incredible 888,000 square feet of retail space - suitable for every shopaholic!
The fountain is inside the mall and while it’s actually based in the basement, the top of the fountain can be seen from ground level.
Around the outside of the fountain itself is the Fountain Terrace. This is circle of food and drink places with flavours from all over the world. Diners can enjoy a meal or just a drink while looking down at the incredible fountain.
Why the Link to Wealth?
There are a few reasons why this fountain was named the Fountain of Wealth. In the beautiful Chinese culture, flowing water is known as a symbol of prosperity and vitality.
It’s bronze ring design is actually a symbol of riches, although not wealth in a monetary sense. The design is based on the Mandala which is a representation of unity and is meant to represent the cultural tolerance and togetherness that Singapore has.
The Suntec fountain is actually switched off during set times in the day and visitors to the shopping center can actually get into the fountain itself and walk around picking up coins for luck.
And there is a superstition that if you visit the mall and walk all the way around the Suntec fountain’s base three times while touching the water the whole time, it will bring you some good luck. Maybe you’re not superstitious but if you’re in Singapore it might just be worth visiting this amazing fountain and trying it out for yourself. You may just love it enough to get an outdoor fountain of your own!