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Progress and Advancement Sculpture
27 May 2023
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Standing at 4-metre tall and towering impressively at Raffles Place, the Progress & Advancement Sculpture was sculpted by Taiwanese Sculptor Yang-Ying Feng and commissioned by George Lien, founder of Overseas Union Bank (OUB).
At the centre of the monolith is a beautifully crafted sculpture of Singapore’s CBD and financial centre. The skyscrapers clearly form the focal point, surrounded by engravings of more buildings sculpted into the sweeping arc of metal -- representing a busy, industrious, and productive city, and aptly so, with this sculpture standing in the heart of our CBD.
Yet the sculpture also pays homage to our past as an entrepot of bustling trade and economic activity during our colonial days. On the external facade, both Western and Eastern trading ships from the 17th-19th century are crafted in great detail -- with even mini figurines of bumboats, sailors, traders, and coolies all seen going about various activities.
This larger than life sculpture is, as its name suggests, symbolic of the progress that our small island nation has made from a bustling colonial trading port, to a modern, advanced financial centre that is deeply plugged into the world economy.
Indeed, onward Singapore -- or as we so often sing, Majulah Singapura!
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