In Pictures: Haw Par Villa
Haw Par Villa, built in 1937 by the Myanmar-Chinese Aw brothers of Tiger Balm ointment fame, still stands today along Pasir Panjang Road, although it is a shadow of its former self. Visitor numbers for the past two decades are a far cry from its heyday - an estimated 200,000 people visit every year, down from the million or so visitors every year in the 1970s and 1980s. Experts believe that, more than just a gruesome display of Chinese folklore, the ageing park is a unique cultural resource and should be designated as a national monument. Here's a look at the park today.
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Tour operator Journeys’ chairman of the board of directors Jeya Ayadurai (left) at Haw Par Villa with colleagues Savita Kasyhap and Chan Ying Loone, and park artisan Teo Veoh Seng (rear). In August, travel company Journeys was hired by the Singapore Tourism Board to run the park for the next three years.
PHOTO: ST FILE
A gate at the entrance of Haw Par Villa. The 1937 Asian theme park is home to statues and dioramas depicting Chinese legends and folklore.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
An exhibit from the 10 Courts of Hell at Haw Par Villa.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
A pagoda over water at Haw Par Villa.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
A visitor posing for a snapshot at Haw Par Villa on Oct 4, 2015.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Home to about 1,000 sculptures and dioramas, Haw Par Villa used to be a rite of passage for many Singaporean children of different races and cultures.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
The statues there, reflecting elements of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian folklore, portrayed gruesome forms of punishment for sinners which included impaling and decapitation.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Haw Par Villa is the last of three large philanthropic gardens built to give outdoor respite to people in congested Singapore. The others were the mid-1800s Balestier-based Nam Sang Hua Yuan and the 1929 Alkaff Lake Gardens off MacPherson Road.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Experts believe Haw Par Villa has the potential to become a Unesco World Heritage Site.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Today, the park struggles to find its relevance in modern Singapore.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Despite being government-owned, Haw Par Villa has yet to be conserved under the Urban Redevelopment Authority or preserved under the National Heritage Board's Preservation of Sites and Monuments division.
PHOTO: ST FILE
