Haw Par Villa

In 1937 Aw Boon Haw, who had made a fortune from the Tiger Balm ointment, built a park on a hillside to teach Chinese morality and folklore through statuary, and the result is one of the oddest places in Southeast Asia: more than a thousand painted concrete figures across the grounds, illustrating legends, proverbs and cautionary tales in a style somewhere between temple art and fairground. Its notorious centrepiece is the Ten Courts of Hell, a walk-through series of dioramas showing in blunt and gory detail what Chinese tradition says happens to cheats, tax dodgers and ungrateful children, which has traumatised generations of Singaporean schoolchildren on field trips. Elsewhere there are scenes from Journey to the West, sumo wrestlers, and a crab with a woman's head. It is free, faded, and wonderful.

History

The Tiger Balm brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par moved their business from Burma to Singapore in 1926 and bought the site in 1935, choosing it for its feng shui. The park passed to the tourism board in 1979, was renamed Haw Par Villa Dragon World in 1988, and in 2021 Hell's Museum opened in its grounds (Wikipedia, Haw Par Villa).

What to look for

• The Ten Courts of Hell - the graphic dioramas of punishment, the park's infamous heart.
• The folklore statuary - over a thousand painted figures from Chinese legend.
• Journey to the West - the Monkey King scenes across the hillside.
• The oddities - the human-headed crab and other unclassifiable figures.

When to go

Much of the park has been closed for maintenance and repairs since 8 December 2025, with Hell's Museum staying open, so check what is accessible; otherwise it is a year-round visit - go early or late, as the park is largely open-air and brutally hot in the middle of the day. Weekday mornings you may have it almost to yourself, which adds to the atmosphere. Allow two hours or so.

Practical notes

The Ten Courts are genuinely graphic, with dismemberment and disembowelling rendered in painted concrete, and they are not suitable for young or sensitive children whatever the schoolchildren of Singapore have endured. Much of the park is faded and weathered. It is out west, away from the main tourist areas, and the site is hilly and unshaded.

Nearby

The Southern Ridges and Kent Ridge Park are nearby; Sentosa is a short ride east.

Key facts