<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Shopping - comparing S'pore with HK, Shanghai and Taipei
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SHOPPING and eating are among the favourite pastimes of Singaporeans. I went to the newest shopping centre, Ion Orchard, last night, and was amazed at the crowd of enthusiastic customers queuing for food and in search of empty tables.
Further down Orchard Road, it was Orchard Central which opened its doors to more shops a couple of months ago.
It is all taking shape to make Singapore a shopping paradise and a preferred tourist destination. Singapore's strategy to jazz up its attractions and nightlife is coming together nicely.
In the past four weeks, I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei over a couple of trips. I could not help but compare their shopping and eating scenes, their characteristics, their vibrancy and soundbites. These three cities strike a common chord. My recognition and recollection of their similarities and differences are vivid and impactful as these visits were made close to each other.
What makes the shopping scenes of these places different from Singapore's? There are common components.
First, shops, cafes and noodle houses line every street and corner of the city. Wherever one walks, one comes across shops of different sizes, different department stores, different types of eating houses. There is never a dull moment. Activities are out there in the street. All these bring buzz to the place.
Second, there are hawkers who are always on the lookout for police, ready to pack up and run. However, they add to the character of the place.
Third, there are signature night markets. These provide continuity to satisfy all kinds of visitors and shoppers. Whethone is a morning bird or a night owl, everyone can have his share of the city, adding to the liveliness of the place.
Fourth, there are speciality shops, such as hat shops, umbrella shops, pyjama shops, chopstick shops, art and craft shops, antique shops, galleries, tea and coffee dens which offer local desserts, local magazines and quaint bathrooms to freshen up.
Fifth, there are as many local shops as there are Western chains, if not more. It is not just Gap, Body Shop, Levi's, Aldo's and Zara's. As a result, the range of merchandise is more diverse, and, more important, there are abundant opportunities for entrepreneurship in these cities.
By contrast, Singapore is an orderly and well-planned city. Shops are organised mainly in shopping centres or housing estates. The shopping scene in the main shopping districts is like suburban shopping malls in the West. It is mostly shopping centres with similar shops and set-ups.
Even if the shops in the shopping centres were open until late at night, it would be difficult for them to contribute to the vibrancy of the city. They operate indoors and in isolation from other shopping centres, and so do not bring about overspill and interplay among crowds.
The centre of these activities is 'hidden'. To know where to go, visitors need to find out. Even if the destination is within walking distance, it is not worthwhile to walk there as there is nothing to see or to do on the way. It is not visitor-friendly.
A friend once commented to me: 'Have you noticed that Singapore people dress in the 'same' fashion?' I never paid attention, but now I must agree she had a point.
Sylvia Lee (Mrs)
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SHOPPING and eating are among the favourite pastimes of Singaporeans. I went to the newest shopping centre, Ion Orchard, last night, and was amazed at the crowd of enthusiastic customers queuing for food and in search of empty tables.
Further down Orchard Road, it was Orchard Central which opened its doors to more shops a couple of months ago.
It is all taking shape to make Singapore a shopping paradise and a preferred tourist destination. Singapore's strategy to jazz up its attractions and nightlife is coming together nicely.
In the past four weeks, I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei over a couple of trips. I could not help but compare their shopping and eating scenes, their characteristics, their vibrancy and soundbites. These three cities strike a common chord. My recognition and recollection of their similarities and differences are vivid and impactful as these visits were made close to each other.
What makes the shopping scenes of these places different from Singapore's? There are common components.
First, shops, cafes and noodle houses line every street and corner of the city. Wherever one walks, one comes across shops of different sizes, different department stores, different types of eating houses. There is never a dull moment. Activities are out there in the street. All these bring buzz to the place.
Second, there are hawkers who are always on the lookout for police, ready to pack up and run. However, they add to the character of the place.
Third, there are signature night markets. These provide continuity to satisfy all kinds of visitors and shoppers. Whethone is a morning bird or a night owl, everyone can have his share of the city, adding to the liveliness of the place.
Fourth, there are speciality shops, such as hat shops, umbrella shops, pyjama shops, chopstick shops, art and craft shops, antique shops, galleries, tea and coffee dens which offer local desserts, local magazines and quaint bathrooms to freshen up.
Fifth, there are as many local shops as there are Western chains, if not more. It is not just Gap, Body Shop, Levi's, Aldo's and Zara's. As a result, the range of merchandise is more diverse, and, more important, there are abundant opportunities for entrepreneurship in these cities.
By contrast, Singapore is an orderly and well-planned city. Shops are organised mainly in shopping centres or housing estates. The shopping scene in the main shopping districts is like suburban shopping malls in the West. It is mostly shopping centres with similar shops and set-ups.
Even if the shops in the shopping centres were open until late at night, it would be difficult for them to contribute to the vibrancy of the city. They operate indoors and in isolation from other shopping centres, and so do not bring about overspill and interplay among crowds.
The centre of these activities is 'hidden'. To know where to go, visitors need to find out. Even if the destination is within walking distance, it is not worthwhile to walk there as there is nothing to see or to do on the way. It is not visitor-friendly.
A friend once commented to me: 'Have you noticed that Singapore people dress in the 'same' fashion?' I never paid attention, but now I must agree she had a point.
Sylvia Lee (Mrs)
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