The Mythical and Demented Haw Par Villa Park of Singapore
Haw Par Villa, originally known as the Tiger Balm Gardens, is a theme park in Singapore that caters to all aspects of Chinese folklore and legend, including the demented.
The Tiger Balm Gardens were built in 1937 by brothers Aw Boob Haw and Aw Boon Par as a way to celebrate Chinese culture. They later sold the park to the Singapore Tourism Board, who then renamed it Haw Par Villa (“Dragon World”) and replaced many of the most popular scenes with fairground rides.
Nowadays, the strange park is mostly empty, though tourists sometimes stroll through to take pictures that they can then upload to their Flickr account. Speaking of pictures, let’s take a closer look at what all Haw Par Villa still has to offer.
Although most of the exhibits (like the one above) are merely curious, there are some that truly boggle the mind. For instance, pictured below is a woman nursing her father-in-law as her son stands by watching.
That however is merely child’s play compared to the horrors that await below in the Ten Courts of Hell. It is here that a sinner is tormented by ‘Yama attendants’ for the offenses committed in his or her past life.
Then of course there’s the topless mersnail and the creepy mercrab, both of who I suppose are close cousins to the mermaid.
And don’t forget Bugs Bunny’s evil twin who guards the gates of Hell.
If you don’t mind combating a magical bunny, then take a gander at the video below. Or see here for additional photos.
By V Saxena on 12-07-2010
