The park, originally called "Tiger Balm Gardens", was constructed in 1937 by the brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the developers of Tiger Balm, as a venue for teaching traditional Chinese values. The Aw family eventually sold the Gardens to the Singapore Tourism Board in 1979.
The park was renamed Haw Par Villa in 1985 and re-opened in 1990, when it was converted into an amusement park and promoted with the name "Dragon World", with many of the statues and scenes replaced with fairground rides. However this new incarnation proved unpopular when attendances started to decline and Fraser and Neave, which had 75% stake in the theme park, started seeing losses. More recently many of the old features have been replaced, such as the dragon ride. Some of the statues have also been moved to the Chinese Gardens.
Entry to the park has been free since 1996, while previously a S$16 entrance fee was charged and a Chinese Heritage Centre has been constructed within its grounds.
This exciting park features one thousand statues and apart from these statues the other things to look out for are the giant size panoramas that are 150 in number. The panorams/dioramas portray scenes that are related to history, legends, folklore and philosophical theory associated with the Chinese community and a few of them are the The Goddess of Mercy, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Laughing Buddha. The chief attraction of this park is the Ten Courts of Hell that showcases the ten steps of judgment that is followed by the reincarnation.
The park was renamed Haw Par Villa in 1985 and re-opened in 1990, when it was converted into an amusement park and promoted with the name "Dragon World", with many of the statues and scenes replaced with fairground rides. However this new incarnation proved unpopular when attendances started to decline and Fraser and Neave, which had 75% stake in the theme park, started seeing losses. More recently many of the old features have been replaced, such as the dragon ride. Some of the statues have also been moved to the Chinese Gardens.
Entry to the park has been free since 1996, while previously a S$16 entrance fee was charged and a Chinese Heritage Centre has been constructed within its grounds.
This exciting park features one thousand statues and apart from these statues the other things to look out for are the giant size panoramas that are 150 in number. The panorams/dioramas portray scenes that are related to history, legends, folklore and philosophical theory associated with the Chinese community and a few of them are the The Goddess of Mercy, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Laughing Buddha. The chief attraction of this park is the Ten Courts of Hell that showcases the ten steps of judgment that is followed by the reincarnation.
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