The God of Wealth statue is re-located at the River Hongbao at Marine Bay in 2018.

In 2017 at River Hongbao, the statue was positioned in the middle of the road from the main entrance.  The God of Wealth statue appears to be slimmer, cheerful with outstretched hands to embrace everyone to bless them with good luck in the Year of the Dog.

An Endearing Home for One and All

More than 500 lanterns are featured at this year’s River Hongbao.

About 35 craftsmen from Sichuan, China took about three months to handcraft and assemble the lanterns here into more than 60 display sets.

The largest display set at 50m long and 15m tall is called Prosperous Nation, Flourishing People, and is inspired by Singapore’s skyline.

Based on the theme 繁荣兴旺 (Prosperous Nation, Flourishing People),  this display bears our well wishes for Singapore our nation to continue to flourish as a prosperous nation and our people enjoying the fruits of the prosperity.

In the centre of the display is a happy 6.5 m tall giant dog running out from a time tunnel with LED lighting effects.  The time tunnel represents the zodiac cycle and the dogs exiting from the tunnel symbolises the arrival of Year of the Dog.

The Chinese characters on the four windows are 国旺 (a thriving nation) 家旺 (a happy family), 身体旺 (a healthy body) and 财富旺 (a prosperous wealth) respectively.  They represent our aspirations an d well wishes for Singapore, all families and individuals to thrive, prosper, and enjoy good health and wealth in the New Year.

The bundles of mandarin oranges and pineapples in the foreground are icons of great fortune and good luck for the Chinese New Year.

入口拱门
Main Entrance Arch

Welcome to River Hongbao 2018! You are greeting by the Main Entrance Arch inspired by Singapore’s iconic shophouses.

Standing at a height of 15m, measuring 26m across, the arch features facades of shophouses in Art Deco and Straits-Chinese architectural styles with a fusion of modern and traditional elements.

The open windows signifying us looking forward to the New Year with full confidence anticipating good fortunes and opportunities. Meanwhile, the lead character in this year’s didplay, Man’s best friend, welcomes you from the open windows with warm smiles.

You are also greeted with our New Year message [犬吠汪旺迎新春] which means welcoming the New Year with joyous and auspicious barks. With this message, we wish you prosperity, wealth and success in the Year of the Dog.

On the entrance pillars are a set of spring couplets or 春联 (chunlian) that expresses our joy in the festive celebrations and our aspirations for a better future.  It is a tradition for Chinese families to put a set of couplets on their door frames during Chinese New Year.

We hope you and your family enjoy your visit at River Hongbao 2018.

For the security and safety of the visitors, the check-points are stationed at the entrance to the River Hongbao at Marina Bay.

长廊
Entrance Walkway

Be dazzled at the start of your magical journey in River Hongbao 2018!

The entrance walkway is a 30m stretch of stunning stylised light columns representing growth and good fortune. The character on some of the columns signifies success and prosperity . This character is also a homonym with the character which means a dog’s bark. The overhead canopy of fairy lights with sweeping ribbons projects a festive and celebratory atmosphere.

Walking along this entrance signify embarking on a bright and prosperous year ahead of us. We hope you enjoy this festive and celebratory atmosphere.

Take a photo with your family and friends and tag us @RiverHongbao2018 or hashtag #RiverHongbao2018!

好彩头
Hao Cai Tou

Inspired by the phrase 好彩头 (good omen or good luck), this lantern depicts a joyful family celebrating a bountiful harvest of carrots. It is based on a Chinese nursery rhyme where a farmer could not pull out a giant carrot during harvest. He then enlisted the help of his whole family, including his wife, children and pet dogs, to pull out the carrot. The moral of the story is about the importance of teamwork and family cohesion.

Remaking our Heartland

This lantern showcase pays tribute to the “Remaking Our Heartland” initiative to renew and develop existing estates, to ensure sustainability and vibrancy of our heartlands.

The 18m long lantern portrays Singaporeans enjoying leisure activities in a park with clean waterways and lush greenery. This is set against a backdrop of our HDB (Housing Development Board) flats – Singapore’s public housing which house more than 80% of our population.

The display is a reflection of our aspirations and continuous plans to rebuild our heartland, revitalise our garden city, enhance our infrastructure and improve our quality of life. Together, we strive to build a distinctive and endearing home for all.

真诚
“Zheng Cheng”

This 11m (length) by 5m (height) display features translucent lanterns displaying positive virtues associated with our furry friends.

• 真诚        zhencheng (Sincerity)
• 忠诚        zhongcheng (Loyalty)
• 信赖       xinlai (Trust)
• 勇敢        yonggan (Courage)

These are also virtues that we value in all our friends and loved ones.

There is an interactive element incorporated into this lantern set.  There are 2 pairs of stationary bicycles for the visitors to pedal.  They convert human mechanical energy to generate electrical power to light up 2 LED scrolls with Chinese New Year greetings.

Chinese Zodiac of Animals

For your convenience, please check out the past related blogs on Hongbao River linked by year: 1992 , 2014 , 2015 , 2017 .

Firework Display at River Hongbao 2018

Please watch the video on YouTube the firework display at the River Hongbao 2018 at Marina Bay Singapore on 21 February, 2018 here .

River Hongbao 2018 at Night