Culture

    Is S’pore PM Lee’s Blue Tea Cup Our Next National Icon? We Count How Many Times It Appeared Online

    Vera LengBy Updated:30 Mins Read

    It seems as though almost everything circulating the internet now is COVID-19 related—from new laws to statistics, and of course, memes. And like you, I am T-I-R-E-D. So, in true millennial spirit—which is to avoid confronting our worries and concerns about a problem at large and instead choose to make memes about it and laugh it off, I, too, have decided to tread on the lighter side of life just this once.

    With every passing nation-wide address, our beloved Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has gained favour with the populace through his collected, calm, and conscientious ways, but he’s not the only thing the people love.

    PM Lees cup 9
    Credit – PM Lee’s Instagram

    Growing in popularity as it makes more frequent appearances on television, we have none other than PM Lee’s iconic tea cup. You know what I’m talking about—the petite, oriental tea cup splashed with hues of deep and sky blue that always seems to be within reach during public addresses.

    As it grasped the attention of more and more netizens, in the name of science, I set out to take one for the team and answer the question that’s on everyone’s minds once and for all—just how many times can we spot PM Lee’s iconic tea cup on his Instagram feed?

    The first appearance

    At long last, after trudging through all of PM Lee’s 2,268 Instagram posts, I’ve managed to trace back to when the cup made its first appearance—and it just took me a few hours of stalking our Prime Minister, no big deal. Ever since PM Lee’s first Instagram post on 27 May 2013 (yes, I have scrolled that far back to know), the elusive oriental tea cup has actually popped up every now and then.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

    Here it is in the distance, appearing for the very first time on PM Lee’s Instagram feed, unassuming, humble, and not realising the important role it will play during this nation’s incredibly trying time.

    This was taken on 8 April 2014 when PM Lee met up with reporters from the Asia News Network (ANN), celebrating its 15th anniversary.

    Cup appearance count: 1

    Alas, there’s more than one!

    Shortly after, the cup makes an appearance yet again on 23 April 2014, when PM Lee Met Hu Chunhua, the Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, for the first time. And lo and behold, there are two of them.

    We see the internet’s current favourite cup appearing with its counterparts TWENTY more times, usually in a meeting or when PM Lee is hosting guests.

     

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    Happy to meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko today. His son used to study at Insead here, and he has visited Singapore before, as foreign minister. Over lunch, we discussed our many common interests and shared goals. We also talked about the situation in Ukraine, in particular the Crimea. Earlier this year Russian troops intervened in the Crimea. A referendum was held, and then Crimea was incorporated into the Russian Federation. I told President Poroshenko that we took a strong stand against these actions because we believe all countries, big and small, must observe international law. This is vital to small countries like Singapore. We are friends with both Russia and Ukraine, and hope that they can resolve their differences peacefully. – LHL (MCI Photo by LH Goh)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Enjoyed meeting President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson from Iceland today. He is on a state visit here — the first by a President of Iceland. President Grímsson will be speaking tomorrow at the Arctic Circle Singapore Forum. The forum is organised by the Arctic Circle and the Singapore Maritime Institute. We are an observer state in The Arctic Council​ (an inter-governmental cooperation platform among Arctic states) and Sam Tan​ has been attending their meetings regularly. Glad Singapore can contribute to developments in the Arctic even though we are not very near the Arctic :). Our friendship with Iceland and other Arctic nations is helpful as we tackle common issues like climate change and sustainability together. – LHL (MCI Photo by LH Goh)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Singapore and Hong Kong are often compared with each other. We are both former British colonies, we are among the most open economies in the world, and we are both vibrant financial hubs. We share common challenges: land scarcity, cost of living, and an uncertain global outlook. Thus we can work together and learn from each other. Glad that Hong Kong Chief Executive @carrielam.hksar made Singapore her first overseas destination since becoming Chief Executive. We had a good discussion on SG-HK co-operation in trade and investment, and the Belt and Road Initiative. We also welcomed the recently concluded ASEAN-HK FTA and looked forward to its early implementation. – LHL (MCI Photo by Kenji Soon)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Happy to welcome Vietnamese PM Nguyễn Xuân Phúc yesterday for his first official visit to Singapore as PM. PM Phúc arrived a few days ahead of the @ASEAN2018 Summit that will be taking place this weekend. Singapore and Vietnam are close partners with deep economic ties. Yesterday we took that relationship further with the signing of 6 MOUs on environmental cooperation, Liquefied Natural Gas development, renewable energy, trade standards, banking supervision and financial innovation. Both countries recently signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, and are working on concluding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Looking forward to deeper ties with Vietnam! ???? Will be welcoming the other #ASEAN leaders to Singapore later this week for our Summit. It’s going to be a busy weekend, but I hope a fruitful one. – LHL (MCI Photo by Chwee)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Happy to meet Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith yesterday evening. He is here on a State Visit at the invitation of President @halimahyacob. We witnessed the signing of two MOUs: one on bilateral cooperation on education exchanges, and another on technical cooperation on environmental protection. I also thanked President Bounnhang for Laos’ support of Singapore’s chairmanship of ASEAN. I have visited Vientiane before but never had the chance to explore the rest of the country. Laos has a rich heritage, such as the Plain of Jars – a prehistoric archaeological site at the central plain of the Xieng Khouang Plateau. Thousands of stone urns dating back 2,500 years are scattered across hundreds of square kilometres in this remote area. I hope to visit this fascinating and mysterious site one day. – LHL (MCI Photo by Kenji Soon)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Welcomed Austrian Chancellor @sebastiankurz and his delegation of business, science, and political representatives to the Istana today. Our two countries share interests in education and digitalisation, among other areas. Several MOUs were signed in the afternoon between Austria’s Global Incubator Network and Singapore start-ups. The Chancellor also visited @singaporepoly to see how they use tech to aid teaching and learning. Austria has the Presidency of the EU Council for this half year (like the ASEAN chairmanship, it rotates among members nations). I thanked the Chancellor for his strong support for the EU-Singapore FTA, and look forward to signing it in October. Finally, I am happy to celebrate the centenary of the Republic of Austria this year with a concert featuring Austrian and Singapore contemporary composers. I remember regularly watching the Vienna New Year’s Day concert, conducted by Willi Boskovsky, in Cambridge during my student days. Boskovsky passed away years ago, but you do not forget the Pizzicato Polka. – LHL (MCI Photo by Kenji Soon)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    This year marks 25 years of diplomatic relations with Kazakhstan, so it was an apt time for Kazakhstan @primeministerkz Bakytzhan Sagintayev to make his first visit here. Kazakhstan is a vast country (9th largest in the world by area) blessed with abundant natural resources. It is a landlocked country surrounded by several neighbours notably China and Russia. Despite our differences in geography and distance, Singapore and Kazakhstan enjoy very warm ties and good cooperation with each other. Kazakhs residing in Singapore could perhaps pass off for Singaporeans due to their Asian looks! We exchanged two MOUs – for the mutual exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, service or official passports, and the promotion and mutual protection of investments. Hope to continue exploring more ways to work together. – LHL ???? (MCI Photo by Clement)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Met an old friend today. Nigerian Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari and I last met more than a decade ago, when he was the UN Special Rapporteur to Myanmar. Much has happened since then, and we had a good exchange on developments in our respective parts of the world. We have been steadily growing our bilateral ties. Many Nigerian officials have come for the Singapore Cooperation Programme, in public administration and economic development. We also have the biennial Singapore-Sub-Saharan Africa High-Level Ministerial Exchange Visits, and meet often at international fora. Singapore and Nigeria are continents and oceans apart but that does not deter us from promoting cooperation and doing more together. – LHL ([Top] MCI Photo by Fyrol; [Bottom] The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Met Saxony Minister-President @michaelkretschmer yesterday. Relations between Saxony, Germany, and Singapore have grown steadily since my visit to Dresden in 2015, and it was good to take stock of what we have achieved. Education is an area where we can do more. Mr Kretschmer explained that many German tertiary institutions teach in English too, not only in German. He welcomed our students to consider pursuing their studies in Germany, or to spend a semester or two on exchange there, just as quite a few German students spend time in Singapore. Singapore has notable investments in Saxony, in aircraft engineering and solar energy. The SAF trains in the Oberlausitz Military Training Area in Saxony. We also have cultural exchanges: the Dresden Semperoper Ballet @semperoperballett is performing at the @Esplanadesingapore this weekend. Mr Kretschmer invited Ho Ching and me to last night’s performance. My congratulations to the company for their energetic and impeccable performance! You can still catch them tonight. There is much potential to deepen ties, and learn from each other in many fields. Happy to see our relationship continue to grow! – LHL (MCI Photos by Kenji Soon)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

    Cup appearance count: 22

    Just passing through…

    It doesn’t always get to bask in the limelight, but sometimes—just sometimes, we get a tiny glimpse of it peeking out from behind.

     

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    Called on the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, earlier today. The Governor-General is the Queen’s representative in the country. This is Sir Peter’s first State Visit to Singapore, but he is an old visitor here. As a young infantry officer, he was posted to the Australian battalion stationed at Terendak Camp in Melaka, and would often come down to Singapore for weekend breaks. This year Singapore and Australia celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. It is a long and deep friendship. Many Singaporeans have close ties with Australia, whether for study, business or family. May our relationship endure for many more years to come. – LHL (MCI Photo by Terence Tan)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

    Cup appearance count: 29

    And then, there were four

    And…even more?

     

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    @dyson will be building its first electric car factory here! Their electric car is expected to launch in 2021. Singapore used to assemble cars until the 1980s. Now we will manufacture cars again, except this time greener, better, and more high-tech! When I met Sir James Dyson last month, he told me that our expertise in advanced manufacturing, global and regional connectivity, and the quality of our research scientists and engineers, all influenced Dyson’s decision. I was also delighted to hear that his company is working with our schools to inspire and mentor future generations of Singaporean engineers. Dyson is just one of the companies creating new and exciting opportunities here. Our engineers must rise to the challenge, prove themselves equal to the best in the world, and help create remarkable technologies that improve lives for all. – LHL ([1] MCI Photo by LH Goh; [2,3] Photo courtesy of Dyson)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

    Cup appearance count: 32

    Increased appearances in time of COVID-19

    As PM Lee stays indoors more frequently, his dear tea cup, too, rises to greet us more often.

     

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    I will be “meeting” Australian PM Scott Morrison (ScoMo) today via video conferencing for the 5th Singapore-Australia Leaders’ Meeting. Ahead of this meeting, I did a Skype interview with Greg Sheridan of @the.australian last week. Greg asked me about a variety of issues, not only the current COVID-19 situation, but also China-US relations, the CPTPP, and climate change. It was a pity we could not meet in person. But I am glad for the opportunity to remind our Australian friends that life still goes on, and we will adjust to the new norm. We are getting used to temperature checks, contact tracing forms, safe distancing rules, and frequent reminders to wash our hands. As long as we take the necessary precautions and remember to be socially responsible, we can get through this season together. – LHL #SGUnited (MCI Photo by Chwee)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Took part in an Extraordinary Virtual @g20org Leaders’ Summit this evening. It was called by Saudi Arabia, holding the G20 Presidency this year, to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak has permeated and changed all the norms of our daily lives — including the way business is conducted. This is a global crisis, and needs a global solution. I called on the leaders to collaborate in three areas: 1. Public health — helping one another fight the outbreak; 2. Our economies — to save businesses and our citizens’ jobs; 3. Science and research — to find a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19, and prepare for future pandemics. The pandemic will eventually end, but it will not be the last one the world faces. We must learn from our experiences, and emerge stronger and more resilient from them. – LHL (MCI Photo by Zinkie Aw)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

    Cup appearance count: 34

    The Big Break

    So as you can see, even though the iconic tea cup has always been around, it took 6 long years and a circuit breaker announcement for it to finally get its big break on 3 April 2020. Dreams do come true, mom! They do!

    PM Lees cup 8
    Screengrab from PM Lee’s Address on 3 April 2020

    A day to remember, 3 April marked the beginning of a new phase in Singapore’s fight against the coronavirus, as well as the day when PM Lee’s tea cup finally got the recognition it deserved—lauded as the “magic language-changing tea in a blue cup”.

    This running joke came about when PM Lee took sips of water in between addresses, just before switching to speak in another language. Our PM has, in fact, always been trilingual, leading the values of racial harmony by example in the most tangible way possible—by being fluent in three out of four of our national languages.

    This has also garnered the appreciation of many netizens online, with comments such as “we stan a trilingual king!” and “trilingual inspo” flooding Twitter and Instagram.

    PM Lees cup 1

     

    Asking the real questions.

    PM Lees cup 2
    Credit – SGAG

    I’ll leave everyone to enjoy this hilarious meme made by our friends over at SGAG.

    It has even riled up demand for a tea cup ASMR by the Prime Minister. Not weird at all.

    And the tea cup’s fan base just keeps growing.

    PM Lees cup 3

    Cup appearance count: 35

    It makes a comeback

    When PM Lee was invited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to share about Singapore’s efforts to fight the novel coronavirus, he wasn’t alone—his trusty cup was right there alongside him. And netizens were ready.

    Again, the cup was received with open arms

    PM Lees cup 4

    PM Lees cup 5

    PM Lees cup 6

    PM Lees cup 7

    Cup appearance count: 36

    The tea cup, today

    Today, the humble tea cup has assumed the role of PM Lee’s trusty sidekick—ever prepared, ever hydrating.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    The full suite of “circuit breaker” measures kicked in today. Cabinet still had to meet, but we separated into two locations, connected via teleconferencing. We also spaced out to maintain safe distancing, and wore masks to keep our droplets to ourselves. The “circuit breaker” is essential to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. As we expected, daily numbers of new cases are still going up, and faster than before. We must bring the numbers down, and the only way is for all of us to observe the circuit breaker measures strictly. Stay at home, except when you have to go out to do essential work or buy food. If you need to go to the market, stagger your timing too. Avoid being part of the crowd. This is not a month long holiday, when we can go out for jalan jalan or to meet up with friends. The health of us all depends on the actions of each of us. Please do your part. – LHL #SGUnited (Half the meeting group, as viewed on the TV monitor. / MCI Photo by Zinkie Aw)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

     

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    Posted a message on our current COVID-19 situation in English, Chinese and Malay on my Facebook Page, Telegram channel, and the PMO YouTube channel. Please share with your families and friends, especially older Singaporeans. We saw our largest daily number of COVID-19 cases so far yesterday. Many were from foreign worker dormitories. My message explains what we are doing to contain the spread in the dorms, and protect the health and welfare of the foreign workers. We will do our utmost to take care of them. The number of cases outside the dorms also continues to rise. This is precisely why we needed the circuit breaker. We need everyone to take it very seriously — stay home and stop socialising with others. If we do not observe this strictly, all our inconvenience, pain and sacrifice will all be in vain. In the video I also appeal to older Singaporeans to stay at home, for your own safety. The next few weeks will be tough. We have to get through them before the sun will shine over us again. Till that day comes, please stay home. – LHL #StayhomeforSG #SingaporeTogether #SGUnited (MCI Photo by Lee Jia Wen)

    A post shared by Lee Hsien Loong (@leehsienloong) on

    Cup appearance count: 38

    38 times!

    So there you have it. From the day it made its first advent, the cup has made 38 different appearances till date, and I’m convinced that we’ll be seeing it more often in the weeks to come.

    Onward, tiny magic tea cup. May your services go forth and shine bright in PM Lee’s life, and in the lives of those who wait eagerly to spot you once more.

    PM Lees cup 10
    Credit – @YEOLO

    Before I go, here’s a zoom background made by @YEOLO for your perusal, for your chance to be up close and personal with the legendary cup itself.

    Did I miss any appearance out? Let me know in the comments, or let me know what else you’d like me to spend hours poring over. It’s not like I have anything better to do anyway.

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