Haw Par Villa is a Chinese mythological theme park in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, located along Pasir Panjang Road.

The park contains over 1,000 statues and 150 giant diorama

Diorama

The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...

s depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism

Confucianism

Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...

. The attractions include statues of the Laughing Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy, as well as dioramas of scenes from Journey to the West

Journey to the West

Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...

. The most well-known attraction is the Ten Courts of Hell, with gruesome depictions of hell in Chinese mythology

Chinese mythology

Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...

, all set in a 60 meter-long trail of a Dragon

Chinese dragon

Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...

.

History

The park, originally called "Tiger Balm Gardens", was built in 1937 by brothers Aw Boon Haw

Aw Boon Haw

Aw Boon Haw, OBE was a Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for introducing Tiger Balm. He was the son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding County, Fujian Province, China.-Biography:-Business:...

 and Aw Boon Par

Aw Boon Par

Aw Boon Par was a Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for introducing Tiger Balm.He was the son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu Kin. His father left the business to Boon Par and after Aw Chu Kin's death in 1908, he called his elder brother Aw Boon Haw to run his father's...

, the developers of Tiger Balm

Tiger Balm

Tiger Balm is the trade name for a heat rub manufactured and distributed by Haw Par Healthcare in Singapore.- History :It was originally developed in the 1870s by a herbalist, Aw Chu Kin, in Rangoon, Burma, who asked his sons Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par on his deathbed to perfect the...

, as a venue for teaching traditional Chinese values. The site was purchased by Aw in 1935.

In 1988, the Singapore Tourism Board

Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry.-History:...

 took over the running of the Tiger Balm Gardens and re-named it as Haw Par Villa Dragon World. The statues were restored while retaining the original flavour. Plays, acrobatic displays and puppet shows were also organised. However, visitors were charged entrance fees. The high fees discouraged the public and the management incurred a loss of S$31.5 million after 10 years of management. The gardens made money for the first year of operations after renovations in 1994, broke even in 1995 but lost money for the next 3 years and was forced to have free entry in 1998. In March 2001, the Singapore Tourism Board re-named it Tiger Balm Gardens and entrance fees dropped.

Transport

The Circle Line station, Haw Par Villa MRT Station (CC25), located next to it, opened on October 8 2011 along with the rest of Stage 5 of the Circle Line.

The following bus services pass by the Villa along Pasir Panjang Road:

Service	Between	And	Notes
SBS Transit Trunk Services
10	Tampines Bus Interchange Tampines Bus Interchange Tampines Bus Interchange is a bus station serving Tampines New Town in Singapore. It is an open-air building located in the town centre near the Tampines MRT Station, with the allocated block number of 512. The interchange is operated by SBS Transit...	Kent Ridge Bus Terminal Kent Ridge Bus Terminal Kent Ridge Bus Terminal is a bus station located at Kent Ridge, in the west of Singapore. Despite the name, it is not near the Kent Ridge MRT Station...
30	Bedok Bus Interchange Bedok Bus Interchange Bedok Bus Interchange is a bus station serving Bedok New Town in Singapore. The bus interchange was completed in the 1980s, and is centrally located, just north of the Bedok MRT Station. The interchange, with the allocated block number of 207A, is located near a food center and a community...	Boon Lay Bus Interchange Boon Lay Bus Interchange The Boon Lay Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange located in Pioneer, in the western part of Singapore. It is situated within the Jurong Point Shopping Mall and is integrated with the nearby Boon Lay MRT Station...
51	Hougang Central Bus Interchange Hougang Central Bus Interchange The Hougang Central Bus Interchange is a bus interchange serving the town of Hougang. It is located directly above the Hougang MRT Station and is operated by SBS Transit.-Redevelopment:...	Jurong East Bus Interchange Jurong East Bus Interchange Jurong East Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located in Jurong East, Singapore...	Wheelchair Accessible Bus Service (WAB) Euro III Euro IV
143	Toa Payoh Bus Interchange Toa Payoh Bus Interchange Toa Payoh Bus Interchange is located in Toa Payoh, Singapore. It is the first air-conditioned bus interchange in the country, which was completed in 2002 and officially opened by then Transport Minister, Yeo Cheow Tong, on 19 May 2002. The bus interchange has only services of SBS Transit and is...	Jurong East Bus Interchange Jurong East Bus Interchange Jurong East Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located in Jurong East, Singapore...	Wheelchair Accessible Bus Service (WAB) Euro III
200	Buona Vista Bus Terminal Buona Vista Bus Terminal Buona Vista Bus Terminal is a bus station in Buona Vista, Singapore. This terminal does not allow boarding or alighting on site, but passengers can board at the nearest bus stop. Together with the nearby Ghim Moh Bus Terminal, they help to serve passengers in Buona Vista and Ghim Moh...	Kent Ridge Bus Terminal Kent Ridge Bus Terminal Kent Ridge Bus Terminal is a bus station located at Kent Ridge, in the west of Singapore. Despite the name, it is not near the Kent Ridge MRT Station...  (Loop)
SBS Transit Fast Forward Services
30e	Bedok Bus Interchange Bedok Bus Interchange Bedok Bus Interchange is a bus station serving Bedok New Town in Singapore. The bus interchange was completed in the 1980s, and is centrally located, just north of the Bedok MRT Station. The interchange, with the allocated block number of 207A, is located near a food center and a community... Singapore Science Park Singapore Science Park The Singapore Science Park , is a research, development and technologies hub in Singapore. Managed by Ascendas, it was set up under a government initiative in 1980 to provide an infrastructure for R&D to flourish in Singapore.-Milestones:...  II	Singapore Science Park Singapore Science Park The Singapore Science Park , is a research, development and technologies hub in Singapore. Managed by Ascendas, it was set up under a government initiative in 1980 to provide an infrastructure for R&D to flourish in Singapore.-Milestones:...  II Bedok Bus Interchange Bedok Bus Interchange Bedok Bus Interchange is a bus station serving Bedok New Town in Singapore. The bus interchange was completed in the 1980s, and is centrally located, just north of the Bedok MRT Station. The interchange, with the allocated block number of 207A, is located near a food center and a community...	AM Peak PM Peak
SMRT Buses Trunk Services
188	Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange The Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange is a local bus interchange which mainly serves the residential neighbourhood of Choa Chu Kang. Located at Choa Chu Kang Loop and connected to the Choa Chu Kang MRT/LRT Station and the Lot One Shoppers' Mall, the interchange is operated under SMRT...	HarbourFront Bus Interchange HarbourFront Bus Interchange The HarbourFront Bus Interchange is located at Seah Im Road by the HarbourFront MRT Station. It was formerly known as the World Trade Centre Bus Terminal and is operated by SBS Transit though there are as many SMRT bus services as there are SBS Transit bus services.Two shopping malls are near...	Euro V

The following bus services pass by the Villa along West Coast Highway:

Service	Between	And	Notes
SBS Transit Trunk Services
175	Clementi Bus Interchange Clementi Bus Interchange The Clementi Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange in Clementi New Town, on the opposite of the Clementi MRT Station. It is located at the junction of Clementi Avenue 3 and Commonwealth Avenue West, situated within the Clementi Mall and integrated with the nearby Clementi MRT Station...	Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal Geylang Lorong 1 Bus Terminal is a bus terminal located within the Kallang planning area, at the eastern border with Geylang...
SMRT Buses Trunk Services
176	Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange The Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange is a bus interchange serving Bukit Panjang New Town, Singapore. It is opposite Bukit Panjang Plaza. The nearest station is the Bukit Panjang LRT Station....	Bukit Merah Bus Interchange Bukit Merah Bus Interchange The Bukit Merah Bus Interchange serves the and the interchange is located at Jalan Bukit Merah.-Routes:Bus Routes in Singapore-Berths:...
SMRT Buses Premium Services
589	Sunset Way	Fullerton Road

See also

• Tiger Balm Garden (Hong Kong)
  Tiger Balm Garden (Hong Kong)
  Tiger Balm Garden , also called Aw Boon Haw Garden, was located at 15, Tai Hang Road, Tai Hang, Wan Chai District, Hong Kong. The garden was adjoining the Haw Par Mansion and its private garden. The Tiger Balm Garden was demolished for redevelopment in 2004...
  
  
• Hwa Par Children Playground
  Hwa Par Children Playground
  Hwa Par Children Playground is located beside the main gate at Lumpini Park, Bangkok, Thailand...
  
  , in Thailand

External links

• AsiaObscura photos from park
• Your Singapore website
• The Aw Boon Haw Family Business
• The Myths of Haw Par Villa Singapore Paranormal Investigators