Singapore's Quirky Attractions Showcase
📝Singapore Travelogue part18: Haw Par Villa📝
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Haw Par Villa was built in 1937 and was one of the top Chinese tycoons of the time, the owner of 'Tiger Balm' Hu Wen Hu, who gifted it to his brother Hu Wen Bao as a garden villa, and opened the garden part to the public for free. Today, the villa is no longer there, but the garden has been preserved.
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The entire garden has over 1000 statues and 150 dioramas, most of which are themed around traditional Chinese culture, folklore, and literary works, such as the Eighteen Levels of Hell, the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, Journey to the West, Legend of the White Snake, and so on. However, it also integrates foreign sculptures like the Statue of Liberty and Indian Garuda. The whole mix is just something you wouldn't expect.
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The style and aesthetics of these sculptures are indescribable, and to call them quirky and an eyesore is to put it mildly 😂. The content of many sculptures is too direct, and the scale is so large that I think posting pictures would probably not pass censorship. At that time, I was wondering how Singapore, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, could have such a quirky attraction? But then I thought, this is actually a theme park from over 80 years ago. Even if it's 'the tears of the time,' it was the most fashionable and international theme park of that materially and culturally deprived era.
Visited on February 21, 2015
It is a very beautiful place, shady. There are statues on display about teachings and religions, very beautiful, free entry as well, next to the train station, convenient to travel.
Tiger Panther Villa is a famous tourist attraction in Singapore. Hong Kong also has Tiger Panther Villa Wanjin Oil Garden, but the two places are different. There is also a Hell Museum, but there is an additional charge.
The Hubao Villa is quite large in space. The area of the whole area is also very unique. There are a lot of facilities around the villa. The visit to the whole area is also very convenient. The villa building method is also very special. It is a very unique independent area.
nice park for walk. try to do it in the evening time to avoid the sun. a bit of hiking is involved.
Good place to learn about Chinese ancient history with many beautiful sculptures for photo taking .
I remember visiting Haw Par Villa many years ago when I was a child. Thanks to the operator's effort in maintaining the many sculptures and statues, my children get to visit this special park too! Do not miss the 18 levels of hell. It is definitely an eye opening experience.