Once upon a time

Quintessentially Chinese in character, the theme park on Pasir Panjang Road was built in the year 1937 by Baw Hoon Haw, the ‘Tiger Balm’ millionaire as a luxurious villa for Baw Hoon Par his younger brother. Initially known as Tiger Balm Garden, the theme park today contains over one thousand colourful statues arranged in groups and one hundred and fifty giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese legends and history, replicas of Chinese mythological characters such as the Laughing Buddha and the Taoist deity Fu Lu Shou. The legends and images featured also showcase various aspects of Confucianism and are intended to teach traditional Chinese values.

Morality tales depicted include epic battles between good and evil forces as well as tributes to cultural heroes from China such as Wu Song, said to have used his bare hands to tame a ferocious tiger. Many animal figures with human faces and huge statues of animals such as a 7,000 kg gorilla can be found here. A ‘must see’ item is the ‘Ten Courts of Hell’ exhibit featuring the ten steps of judgement before reincarnation featuring gruesome scenes of crime and punishment. Exhibits of a more pleasant nature include water gardens with fish, the Jade House with the Aw family collection of Jade heirlooms and a replica of the Tiger Car owned by Baw Hoon Haw.

In 1988 Tiger Balm Gardens was handed over to the Singapore Government and the name was changed to Haw Par Villa Dragon World. Restoration work was carried out and puppet shows, traditional Chinese plays and acrobatic displays were introduced to entertain visitors. Haw Par Villa has not totally shed its Tiger Balm connections and bottles of Tiger Balm can be purchased at the entrance as well as pain relieving plasters.

In the midst of a city park yet close to the commercial area of Orchard Road, the entertainment district of Clarke Quay, transport options and other attractions, Singapore boutique hotels truly enjoy an advantageous location. Housed in a 1927 heritage building, Hotel Fort Canning Singapore is one such hotel offering elegant accommodation with designer furniture and park or city views, flavourful regional dining options in a modern setting and leisure facilities that include an onsite gym, pool and the Thann Spa offering a series of rejuvenating treatment options. All these features contribute to making this one of the finest hotels in Singapore city centre.