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"What I have in mind, will be unique, like nothing anybody has
seen. We shall call it after us, Haw Par Villa. We
will be remembered for generations to come" Aw Boon Haw,
1934
The Tiger Balm brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par were born in
Rangoon, Burma in the 1880's, to a herbalist, Aw Chu Kin and his
wife, Lee Kim Peck. Their elder brother and father died when
they were still young and they were left to run the family
business. Tiger Balm was a simple ointment claimed to be a
cure for almost anything. The original Tiger Balm formula
was refined in the Aw's kitchen in Rangoon, but the business soon
grew with their aggressive marketing tactics. By 1926, the
headquarters of Eng Aun Tong 'House of Eternal Peace' had been
transferred to Singapore.
In the 1920's the Aw's Tiger Balm business grew rapidly.
Through innovative marketing it went on to become an extremely
successful business venture throughout Asia and the world.
Today, sales of the ointment total over 20 million jars per year.
1. The Aw brothers; 2. Aw
Boon Haw relaxes in the formal sitting room with his son, Aw Hoe,
c. 1949; 3. The Aw family photo
Aw Boon Haw bought this very site to build a house that would be a
unique and fitting residence for his beloved brother Aw Boon Par.
He commissioned Ho Kwong Yew, a brilliant young architect, to
design a house that would complement the gardens which were to
feature thousands of statues and tableaux depicting Chinese myths
and legends and were to become well known all over the world as
Tiger Balm Gardens.
The magnificent domed mansion was situated on the highest point of
the hill and had a panoramic view of the sea and the sourthern
islands. Boon Haw declared that no expense should be spared
in building Haw Par Villa, the final cost in 1937 was estimated at
over one million dollars. The site of the original villa is
a the top of the hill at the Four Seasons Theatre.
Haw Par Villa was opened in March 1937 and many guests were
invited to the grand reception hosted by Aw Boon Par, the lord of
the manor.
The roof had six impressive domes surrounding a large central dome
which covered the reception hall. There were six rooms,
comprising two bedrooms, a drawing rooms, a dressing room, a
dining room and a central hall each with a domed ceiling finished
in gold. The furniture and fittings, imported from Europe,
were the best that money could buy.
The villa was surrounded by lawn-covered terraces with globed
lights and walls decorated with white balls. Two fish ponds,
hundreds of statues and tableaux of Chinese myths and legends
together with pagodas and pavilions were erected in the gardens.
The magnificent mansion has six round domes surround a large
central one.
In Chinese methodology it is a formation of "Seven Star Light"
which is believed to help prolonging the life of the resident.
1. Portraits of Aw Boon
Haw and Aw Boon Par flank the front door to the Haw Par Mansion
2. Comfortable couches line the walls of the music room, and a
hidden closet conceals the sound system. The pale-green
furnishings complement the jade displayed in cases whose lighting
was designed to highlight the intricacies of the carvings. Aw Boon
Haw's love of the circular motif is evident here: circles are
found in the lights at the top of the metal Art Deco display cases
that repeat the theme from the front hall windows.
Aw Boon Par lived in Haw Par Villa only a few years before the
second world war broke out in 1939. In 1942 he was forced to
flee with his family to Rangoon where he died in 1944.
Boon Haw returned from Hong Kong in 1945, and was so distraught by
the loss of his brother and the derelict state of the house after
the war that he decided to demolish the villa. However he
continued to improve and expand the grounds until his death in
1954.
A lot has changed since the days of the Aw brothers.
Previously, The Tiger Balm Gardens was opened to the public for
free and many families took their picnics there. Many
snake-charmers were found along the road up the small hill to the
gardens, playing their flutes to draw their cobras (yes,
COBRAS!!!) from their cane baskets.
Since the turn of the economic recession in 1985, the gardens
grounds were reclaimed and are now opened to the public for free admission. Snake charmers no longer line the small road and
the grounds now have attendants and guards. Now, many shows
are conducted in Haw Par Villa, all of them carrying the same
Chinese mythology theme. Plays, acrobatic displays and
puppet shows all depict Chinese stories, such as the battles
between gods and spirits, and how mischievous demons and nymphs
wreak havoc on mortals lives. Or come take a gentle stroll
through the park and view each statue, for every statue has a
story behind it.
Of course, what would a theme park on Chinese mythology be without
a dragon to rule over all? Haw Par Villa has its own 60
meter dragon, where you could take a short boat ride into it's
mouth and through its body. During this ride, you will be
plunging headlong over a 15 meter waterfall in a plume ride.
Haw Par Villa also holds an exhibition of the 10 courts of Hell,
as depicted by Chinese mythology. According to Chinese belief,
hell hath not one court but ten.
Each court is ruled by a 'yama' or a king, who dishes out
different punishments befitting the sins committed in one's life.
The concept 'One reaps what one sows' is the basis of the legend
of the Ten Courts of Hell. However, the influence of
Confucianism is so great that punishments for failing to comply,
such as disrespect for the written word, lack of filial piety or
inattention in class are often equal to, or more terrifying than
that for murder.
Nevertheless
Haw Par Villa has Changed so much, but in many ways still remains the original Tiger Balm
Gardens. A place where both Singaporeans and tourists can
appreciate the Chinese culture and values that Tiger Balm Gardens
was built to portray. Then, as now, it really is like
Nowhere Else On Earth.
Just as he did when marketing his fabulous ointment, Aw Boon Haw
took the task of designing the Tiger Balm Gardens seriously,
although he carried it out with a twinkle in his eye. He made sure
that the enchantment he saw was executed to delight, soothe, and
frighten in just the right proportions. The fantastic environments
evoke both delight and horror in the casual visitor; but no matter
what reaction one has to the gardens, once visited, the memory is
indelible.
Like a return to childhood, a stroll through the gardens summons
nostalgia for that initial discovery of the world around. Complex
and startling, the gardens are places that can be visited over and
over; something new will always be seen and experienced.
1. The gate, which was
built for the original villa. In the beginning, the Villa was the
home of the Tiger Balm brothers. It is also known as the Tiger
Balm arch, supported by four granite pillars, stands at the
entrance of the main walkway to the gardens and is the original
gateway built in 1937. The Tiger Balm trademark of the
running tiger is prominently display at the center, and a tiger
and a leopard stand on either side of the gateway depicting the
two brothers, Boon Haw and Boon Par.
2. This statue of an old man holding a stick with his left hand
and pointing to the garden with his right hand welcomes all
visitors to the garden. The man's gesture represents the
Chinese saying 'Zhi Dian Mi Jin' (Give advice to those who are
lost), symbolising a reminder not to stray from the right path in
life. The head of a bat carved at the end of his stick is a
symbol of good luck, as the pronunciation of 'bat' in Chinese
echoes that of good luck and happiness ('fu'), thereby wishing all
visitors to the garden good luck and happiness
3. Thai Dancer of 3 meter tall; 4. This is the monument of the
Tiger man. Just below it you find a monument of the parents and
the brother.
1. The yellow house, a
well-known souvenir shop.
Rumor says that if you patron sharp at midnight, knock on the door
3 times, an old man aged over 200 will come and serve you.
2 - 4. Tableaux of the infamous Chinese tale "The Journey to the
West"
More scenes from Journey
to the West
1 - 3. Behind each
tableaux there is a story. But most of them are quite
violently depicted. 4. Happy Mother's Day!
The Chinese believe that through
longterm, disciplined meditation, all creatures can gain human
form.
Many of the creatures in the swimming pool were half-human in
their form, suggesting an interim stage of evolvement.
This shell woman, caught midway through her reincarnation process,
now sits near the signature pond.
So you will see fox and rabbits in human shape are getting
married. Sea shell, crab, spider, wolf all could become
human.
These four giant face
masks set the boundary of the garden. Guess what?
Behind the masks lies the slope as the statue dumping ground.
One popular curiosity
from visitors is that why the statues look so real as though they
have life.
Click to enlarge the above pictures, stare at their eyes long
enough, then perhaps you can find the answer.
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Answering
Mysteries
Come