Singapore — Haw Par Villa (虎豹别墅), 262 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore — free entry

A strange morning exploring a strange place — but worth a visit

May 2015

Now Haw Par Villa (虎豹别墅) — 262 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore — is, well, weird. I have never seen anything like it, and I may never want to see anything like it again! It is one of those places that leaves you thinking, “Why?” and “How much did that cost to build?”.

The Haw Brothers — the “Famed as Tiger Balm Kings from Rangoon” — moved their business to Singapore in 1926. In 1934, Aw Boon Haw decided to build a mansion and gardens for his brother, Aw Boon Par, hence creating Haw Par Villa.

When Haw Par Villa opened in 1937, the final construction cost for the house and the gardens was over a million dollars. The gardens include various displays depicting Chinese moral legends.

The gardens are free to enter (there is a parking fee if you bring your car). Sadly, the house is either no longer exists, and if it still does, it is closed to the public.

Some things in the park defy explanation; for example, what is happening in the photo below?

And, of course, there are two sumo wrestlers praising Tiger Balm.

And it is these products shown in the photo below that made Haw Par Villa possible.

Below is the first of the Chinese legend displays I encountered. These displays depicted Chinese legends and were designed to teach specific moral values and lessons. Yes, the place is educational.

The level of detail in the displays is stunning.

Besides the legend displays were some models of animals.

Apes.

Kangaroos

And, of course, after the kangaroos, there was a model of a turtle riding an emu.

There was a display of Mermaids. Why? And what has that got to do with a moral education?

Below is the display for “virtues and vices”. Again, the level of detail, and the use of colours, were spectacular.

And below is “thriftiness and wealth”.

But I wasn’t too sure what the shipwreck was telling me, although I do feel sorry for the chap on the left being eaten by the shark.

A monkey God.

And then there is seduction and temptation.

Plus, a little violence.

The gardens also contained monuments to the brothers; the most significant memorial was for their parents.

Besides the ‘moral displays’ and the animals, there was also a Statue of Liberty.

And a Chinese garden.

If I only had the car to go by, I would guess that the brothers were a couple of characters. Imagine seeing the ‘tiger car’ coming down the road. However, combine the car with the gardens, and you begin to wonder how eccentric these two were.

Haw Par Villa is odd and possibly unique; well, it is unique in Singapore. I have not seen anything like it. It is worth seeing just for the place’s craziness and to admire the quality of some of the work that has gone into the displays.