In November 2008, Gong Li took the oath to become a Singaporean citizen at a community club in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. Subsequently, news of Jet Li purchasing a luxury home in Singapore appeared in the press. Since local laws stipulate that only citizens can purchase landed properties with freehold titles, the media speculated that Jet Li had already become a Singaporean citizen. Zhao Wei, who gave birth to her daughter in Singapore earlier this year, was also reported to have obtained Singapore permanent resident status.
Many people are still puzzled as to why film stars are immigrating overseas one after another and choosing to join the tiny nation of Singapore. Especially for international superstars like Gong Li and Jet Li, for whom traveling anywhere is effortless, why did they set their sights on Singapore?
A Home for Successful Individuals
At a premiere held in Shanghai not long ago, Jet Li revealed to the media the reason for his naturalization in Singapore: "I lived in the United States for many years, then lived in China for a few years, and before that, I had been to Australia and Switzerland. But in the end, I settled in Singapore simply because I wanted to find a place for my children to learn, a place where they could receive an education in both Chinese and English culture, and a place where I could work without worrying about them."
Jim Rogers, a legendary American investment master and former partner of the Quantum Fund, who immigrated to the Lion City even earlier than Jet Li, did so for the same reason.
In fact, if the goal were purely to learn a bilingual language, Singapore would not be the only choice. And in terms of prosperity and comfort alone, Singapore may not necessarily surpass Shanghai, Beijing, or Hong Kong. The market here is relatively small, and the business environment is mature; it is not a good place to seek "get-rich-quick" opportunities. Singaporean society is stable and harmonious, and one can live a very relaxed life here. "If Shanghai is an 'adventurer's paradise,' then Singapore is the ideal home for successful individuals. You can go to the 'paradise' to make money, but your family and children always need to be settled in a 'home'."
Home Ownership for All
The cornerstone of Singapore's social stability is its perfect realization of "home ownership for all." It is unimaginable that Singapore, with its dense population and small land area, is actually one of the countries with the highest proportion of citizens owning property in the world. The key to the success of the "home ownership for all" policy is that the government established the "Housing and Development Board" (HDB) to uniformly plan, design, and build "HDB flats" for citizens, meeting the housing needs of the vast majority of the population.
Currently, the population living in government HDB flats accounts for nearly 85% of Singaporean citizens. Housing prices are controlled at a reasonable level, allowing even the lowest-income class to own homes. Singaporean scholar Han Shan-yuan stated: Some people think that Singapore's social stability and good public order rely on strict laws, but the real key is actually "home ownership for all."
Attracting Talent with Foresight
As is well known, Singapore is a traditional immigrant country with a famous policy of welcoming foreign talent. Especially as Singapore increasingly faces the challenges of a shrinking population and an aging society, it must continuously attract immigrants to supplement the local population.
At the same time, Singapore is also aware that countries around the world are striving to compete for foreign talent, and Singapore's own talent has also become a target for "poaching" by other nations. Therefore, while continuing to attract excellent talent to settle in the Lion City, the government is also focusing on strengthening national identity and social cohesion, and has adopted a series of measures to promote the rapid integration of new immigrants into local society.
