People argue at Fort Canning Tree Tunnel as photo-taking apparently took too long

Things got a little heated recently at Fort Canning Park.

Two groups of tourists got into a verbal altercation at the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel, apparently over the long waiting time to have their photos taken at the tourist attraction.

A video of the incident was uploaded to Xiaohongshu.

What video showed

The tense moment in the outdoor location involved a man decked out in black and a woman in a yellow dress.

The man could be seen speaking to the woman in an agitated manner.

He then continued to take photos at the spiral staircase.

He then turned back and told the woman: "Shame on you."

The woman, who was not to be outdone, responded: "Shame on you."

The people waiting there could be seen with their arms folded as it was understood that they had waited for some time to have their photos taken.

50 people in line at 5pm

A Shin Min Daily News reporter who visited the location at about 5pm on Sunday, Jul. 6 saw about 50 people waiting in line to have their photo taken.

Some have been in line for about half an hour.

Those in the queue were tourists from countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, India, and China.

Popularised on social media

Fort Canning Tree Tunnel, which only occupies a small area of the park, was popularised on social media as it is touted as a unique scenic spot and has been attracting hordes of visitors.

It is understood that the location's lighting changes over the course of the day and certain natural lighting and shadow effects can be captured depending on when the photo is taken.

Reactions

Commenters who reacted to the video of the verbal altercation slammed the man dressed in black as he appeared to be the aggressor.

Shin Min reported that a tourist at Fort Canning Park said it should ideally take about five minutes of waiting time to have one's photo taken at the spot.

The onus was on photo-takers to not take too long and the queue could be kept moving as this was after all a public place.

Another tourist said if it takes too long and if it is too hot, people can get angry.

Others said most people take a few minutes to finish the shot, while some can take seven or eight minutes, which is too long.

Stranger took camera

In February 2025, a woman from China passed her phone and a DJI pocket gimbal camera to another woman to help with taking photos.

The stranger returned the phone, but not the DJI pocket gimbal camera.

The camera was valued at over 5,000 yuan (S$919).

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News