Its people are polite and softly spoken.
So it was with a mighty roar of the Formula One cars that the Lion City was shaken to its core on Sunday night.
I had never been to a grand prix before and I was expecting to see a long line of cars chasing each other round and around in a circle like a child's mobile.
But if like me you are a F1 virgin, nothing can prepare you for the sheer ear-popping volume of these supercars as they pass, screaming through corners and down the straights.
The city's vast tower blocks, which peered down on the floodlit street circuit, seemed to wobble as the engines cut their way in amongst them through the humid Asian evening air.
I was sat on a packed grandstand on a corner halfway around the lap.
The crowd waited with baited breath as the first sign of one of the 850hp machines rounded the corner in the distance and began accelerating down the straight towards us.
The cars sped up to around 185mph before slamming on the breaks with a deafening squeal and then a groan as the drivers lurched down through the gears.
In seconds, the first car was out of sight again as the others followed in a blur of shapes and noise.
We sat mesmerised as car after car flew past — only through watching the big screen and the commentator's mangled words over the loud speakers did we know who was winning and what was happening.
The impressive backdrop of the Marina Bay area gave the race a quality not seen elsewhere in the world.
Bright lights from the skyscrapers provided an awesome backdrop as sparks flew up into the air as the cars skidded across the bumpy road surfaces, chased by the trail of their own red brake lights.
The circuit ran past the old colonial-built Fullerton hotel, formerly the General Post Office head office, past the newly-built modern theatre and under the Singapore flyer, a giant Ferris wheel.
This was only the second time Singapore had hosted the event and the feverish excitement could be felt among the thousands of spectators and F1 fans lining the track.
As an F1 newcomer, I was amazed by the incredible fanbase the sport attracted.
HISTORIC ... Hamilton won the first night race to be held in the island state and the first on an Asian street circuit
People who had travelled from all over the world were decked out in team colours of Ferrari and Braun, others had faces painted or flags and T-shirts with the names of their favourite drivers.
The whole weekend had been geared towards the race.
The hotels and bars swelled with thousands of fans and the city's streets had been brought to a virtual standstill as a swathe of the busy Marina Bay area was closed off and converted into racetrack.
The weather on the small city island, south of Malaysia, is very hot and muggy — with the drivers sweating out up to six pints of water during the race.
During qualifying, I had been taken to a viewpoint on the 70th floor of a nearby hotel where we could watch the cars practising — speeding round the circuit like angry ants.
But it was not until we were up close that you got a feel for the awesome power of these cars.
For two hours we sat glued to our seats with our earplugs firmly in before the chequered flag was announced and the drivers came round for a final time — Lewis Hamilton leading the way on his victory lap.
It had gone by in a blink of the eye — one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.
The huge crowd then slowly melted away back into the city as the cars were packed up ready to be flown to Japan where it would all start again a week later.
The Lion City could sleep again, until next year.
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