Revisiting the magic of Haw Par Villa

Posted by Kimberly under Folklore, National History, Personal, Reflections
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I was about six – gullible and very much impressionable – when I made my first trip to Haw Par Villa. My grandmother probably conned me into believing we were going to visit a cheery Disney-esque amusement park of sorts. Imagine my sheer horror when all that greeted me at the park were grotesque figurines of multicoloured Chinese demons, decapitated heads and strange mythological creatures frolicking against pagodas – it was all too terrifying and morbid.

I haven’t been back since (for obvious reasons!).

But fate always has a strange upperhand in life. I found myself standing at the foot of Haw Par Villa late last year to film this HTV episode. Needless to say that familiar uneasiness inched its way into my skin. Perhaps it would seem all less bizarre now that I’m an adult, right?

It is almost unnerving to step into the park – now off-colour, these sculptures still have that same glazed, painted look on their faces, but you can’t shake the feeling off that they are watching you somehow. Well, filming had to be done, so with an open mind (and heart), my producer and I trudged our way up to the entrance of Haw Par Villa.

Over the decades, various visitors have described Haw Par Villa as “fascinating, delightful and entertaining” and certainly a place like no other in the world. It was first constructed by philanthropist Aw Boon Har (Har is Tiger in Hakka), who was more famously known for his Tiger Balm ointment. There were originally seven pagoda-like structures on the grounds and figures from Chinese folklore were erected across the compound.

Back in its heyday, Haw Par Villa saw a steady stream of visitors through its doors and was later converted to a theme park during the ‘90s. Visitors will come with their families for picnics, be enthralled by snake charmers and take water rides through the “10 Courts of Hell”.

Today, the water round the 10 courts exhibit has been drained away and the boat rides are a distant memory but visitors can instead take a leisurely stroll around. The crowd has also disappeared and the park is now a shell of its former glory. Surreal as it seems, it feels like time stood still – nothing much has changed since.

Most of us believe in karma and possibly more so with Asians. Probably growing up with Asian values – that doing good will reap benefits – is a reflection of the overall theme of the park. The notion scares us silly because doing otherwise will lead to being skewered in the fiery pits of hell. Haw Par Villa might play with our human psyche, but there’s no denying this park is iconic to Singapore’s history and culture.

The park is open daily from 9am to 7pm (admission is free) and there are plans to refurbish Haw Par Villa. But how different the new Haw Par Villa will be remains to be seen. Still, I hope it will retain that devilish charm of one of Singapore’s most treasured heritage sites.

Rating: +2