Singapore's Most Bizarre Tourist Attraction! 🇸🇬Haw Par Villa 

Haw Par Villa has to be one of the few true fascinating actual historic heritage locations left in SG, that’s a great tourist spot that’s not a modern spot purposely made for tourists. It has a great back story of how the Haw older brother bought his younger brother a actual Villa, which is no longer there, it’s now an empty spot that kinda looks like a very tiny amphitheater. And then also build all the dioramas to uphold Chinese culture as a way of giving back to the public. There was another similar place in Hong Kong which I’m not sure if it’s still there. This place was meant to share Chinese mythologies, religion, culture and values. Some are derived from idioms or sayings. The other lesser known part are the various country elements. Since this was made before easy travel and zoos and museums, Haw brother brought foreign countries’ cultures and animals to the public in the form of these statues. That’s why there are pandas, ostriches, Thai dancers which you saw near the entrance, not Kung fu, sumo wrestlers and even the Statue of Liberty. But over the years the place has changed so many different management some things have been moved around. Some would even remember in the 90s there was giant dragon over the levels of hell, that was not an original part of the park which is why the style was slightly different from the rest. It used to be called Dragon World and was a legit theme park back then, but it didn’t last that long and was then returned to the Singapore Tourism Board. The levels of hell even had a boat ride which you could not leave half way even if you wanted to. Scarred me shitless as a kid. But these days, I think few families really bring their kids there.

The story goes that the lady is poor and the family is starving and she only have enough breast milk to feed one person. However she chose to feed her mum over her own baby. That scene is to depict filal piety.

The souvenir shop lady was so polite and pleasant. Almost a waste for her to be working at a semi-deserted park.

The builders of this place, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, were ethnically Chinese but born and raised in Burma (now called Myanmar) back when both Singapore and Burma were under British colonial rule. You can find similar gardens in Hong Kong and China as well, along with traces of their family's influence in business, philanthropy and charity in other places like Myanmar. You can still find their descendants today spread all over the world but they've mostly lost all of their connections to the Haw Par businesses and their fortune along with it. The Aw family and the Haw Par businesses are quite a lot to read about on their own.

"I really hope I don't get demonetized for this." I LOL-ed. Priorities damn straight, Ghib! 😂

10:55 I think this is referring to a Chinese idiom called " 鸡同鸭讲", which literally translates to "chicken with duck speaking", describing a situation of miscommunication. Thus you see the guy with duck head having a bit of a fight with the lady with chicken head.

I can feel Ghib is getting more and more localized with each passing day (Check out his Singlish!). This place is not only giving moral lesson to the kids, but it also remind us that no matter what's the situation, avoid doing bad things to others. Instead, do more good deeds and it will be rewarded accordingly when the time comes. TLDR: Teaches you about "Karma"

This was one of my favourite places to go when I was a kid. It used to be so boisterous and crowded. It had water rides and food stalls... So fun... I loved reading all the stories in the park. The statues never really frightened me somehow...although they left a very deep impression on me.

Drinking Kickapoo while visiting Haw Par Villa. Talk about retro.

"oh what happened here" *proceed to show a woman breastfeeding* "too chaotic" 😂

I had nightmare after going through the Ten Courts of Hell when I was a kid. Scary, but it taught me that there will be consequences for our evil actions.

I live near by and visit the place quite often with my partner and our shiba inu, even though the surrounding sculptures are rather spooky,I have never find them frightening, I look at them like a piece of art with Singapore history, and the place is quiet and very breezy. My peers will agree with me that back in the 70s as a small child, we would be a very good child for about a week after visiting this place, many lessons learned like eg, do not waste water, no lying, be filial, don’t hurt animals.....nice memories!

Ojisan at 9:27 I think it is trying to display filial of how the daughter/daughter-in-law take care of the mother when they are old. It is like how the mother breastfeed the daughter when she was an infant. Cycle of life.

My mum bought me there when i was a kid like 35 years ago and it left a LASTING impression. LOL.

Brings back memories when I was like 9 years old visiting this place. Now I’m 55 years old. Amazing that all the sculptures are still intact and maintained very well.

When I was young, my parents bought me to the park with my cousins, then it was free. I never really like this place since there wasn't anything interesting about it other than walkways to climb. Towards the 90s the park charged exorbitant fee, the highlight was the boat ride into ten levels of hell. For many years I had never attempted to come here again. Your video has spurred me to find out about the story features of each figurine and statue. There is so much to learn about Chinese culture through these stories and it has always been right there.. for me to find.

Mom brought bro and I there a few times when we were younger (90's) there used to have a river boat ride through the courts of hell. It was superb creepy with the screams all that.

Living in Singapore my whole life, that was the friendliest shop lady i have ever seen

Wow I have not been there in over 2 decades and they really cleaned up the place! Back in the 90s, there were so many abandoned statues and deities strew all over once you exited of the Ten Courts of Hell - those were REALLYYY creepy and urban legend has it that those statues and deities were abandoned there by temples all over Singapore because they got possessed by wandering spirits and the temples just wanted to get rid of them

I remembered visiting this place during my childhood years in the 70s. This place was very crowded during the Lunar New year periods. In the 70s, I remembered looking out towards the blue sea from the entrance. Now what you get to see are buildings, warehouses and container cranes. The seaside we used to visit already land reclaimed. Those were the days !

I have never been in there my whole life but I always enjoy looking at the iconic dragon every time I passed that place by bus to get to Ginza Plaza in the 90s. I always thought it was a Super cool place coz it had the dragon and kept asking my mum to bring me there. She never did though. Childhood memories... 😊 Too bad the dragon got demolished.

I went when I was very young and I remember there was a water ride there to look at the 18 levels of hell.

I'm a Singaporean and I've never been here! Love this video & your reactions to the statues are hilarious! Thank you for this unique video :p

13:25 Imagine you tap tap, and the thing turns back and look at you.

actually, this is the first time I see haw par villa though I m a Singaporean x'D. my brother told me that the school used to bring them there to see all the graphic things, but during my gen, it never happens. I definitely have seen drawings of the ten court of hell when I was young though, during my grandma's funeral, there was a cloth embroidery of it, I kinda scare myself because I was very young. There was a korean movie which I think is almost the same concept, it is called along with the god. it is less graphic x'D ....

9:56 people from Myanmar is called Burmese. 16:45 a pretty young girl working alone here.....scary!!

This place was used to be an amusement park with boat ride along the court of hell and water slides from the top..similar to the Jurassic park water slides in USS..used to love it as a kid

Oh yeah, my parents brought me there when I was young to scare me into obedience 😅

you know it's REALLY bizarre when a Japanese tells you so

The three bird humans, depict a scene in front of the prostitution house. The goose is the male waiting to be fleeced. The chicken is (a slang for) a prostitute and the bird is the brothel operator.

I remember when I was young, there were more things to see, and the 18 courts of hell were even scarier. Probably they tone down a lot to suit the public. And last time we would spend at least half a day there. This video brings back so many memories! I remember last time we would visit either Haw Par Villa or Science Centre very often back then.

I've been there before. Those statues are creepy...as if they're looking at you.

Oh my god, my parents brought me there when i was young and the only thing i got from the experience was nightmares.

even myself as a singaporean haven’t been to haw par villa before! thank you so much for filming this!!

Back in the 80s and early 90s this was a proper theme park with shows and log water rides etc. I've not been back in 30yrs..and i too have no club what this statues mean

My worst childhood nightmare the opera mask scares me the most 😂

I visited here for the first time when I was 9 and I still remember that hell section and sumo wrestlers clearly. That was so scary!😱 It used to be called “Tiger Balm Garden”. BTW, I think people from Myanmar are still called Burmese.

5:25 LOL dude you got a scare 🤣🤣🤣

These used to be a roller coaster in the shape of a dragon in the 90s. As well as a boat ride through the 18 levels of hell, and people dressed in ancient Chinese attire to take photos with. It was the only theme park in Singaporeat the time, like having our own Disneyland, so it was popular for a while, but people didn't go back. Partly because it was the same thing, and partly because it was expensive. After they removed all the rides, it was free to enter. Also, because it's rather secluded, it was rumored to be haunted!

I like the way how you describe everything and your reaction is really honest and funny 🤣 i went there when i was really young. But your reaction is the highlight of the video 👍🏻🤣

In the early 90s, you have to pay a x amount of entrance fee to go in and there were alot of people there so we wont feel kind of scary. I went a few times when I was a kid.

it is known that the whole park is super haunted, where the statues are habor spirits that are super active at night.

Haha, I like your "Huat Ah" T-Shirt. Huat Ah LOL !

When I was a child 30plus years ago, giving away my age lol, there use to be a kind of ride that slides down and splash onto a pool of water. It was crowded back then.

ジブリおじさん。たまに拝見しておりますシンガポール在住4年の日本人です！　いつも興味深い楽しい映像をありがとうございます！　私はまだ未訪問！　このハウパーヴィラはグロテスクな場所ですが、タイガーバームを創ったこの華僑のご家族の熱い思いが詰まった場所であると、本で読みました。中国から移り住み、タイガーバームで富を築き上げ、その故郷中国への思いを忘れないように、その故郷への思いが詰まった場所なようなのです。　ただのふざけた場所かと思いきや、とても感動的なストーリーですよね！　私もはやく近いうちに訪れてみようかと思います:) また次の回を楽しみにしております！

Can I make a suggestion to the NHB : to open Haw Par Villa at night from 8 pm to 11 pm for the week of the 7th Month and Halloween?

Huat Ah 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣you huat at the wrong place. Your stomach getting bigger. 😁😁

My parents used to bring me there when I was a kid. I loved to sit on a tiger to take photos. Yes the courts of hell left a deep impression, it was more interesting than scarry to me. Good chilldhood memories for me.

This place was a must visit every Lunar New Year for all Chinese in Singapore and Malaya. It was always jam packed.

Wow, this is giving me flashbacks. I visited this park back in about 1993 when I was 9, and there were definitely more people around back then. I also recall that the 10 courts of hell was actually a boat ride going into the mouth of a dragon. I need to make another trip over there soon XD

My singaporean friend took me there 30 years ago. We went by bus. Because There was not MRT Station near there.There was not many people,either.ButThere was not the shade.So it was very hot.But we could enjoy.

Really enjoy your vlogs. Always wanted to go to some places you went in your vlogs. But sometimes, it is just so hot to have the mood to go. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for this video.

I still have pics taken back in the late 70s when I was a child.. seems nothing much has changed lol..

Used to be every kids nightmare in the court of hell, years ago they converted it to a theme park where there are thrill rides and a boat ride into the dragon. Business were bad and the theme park closed within a few years.

Across the road of Haw Par Villa is the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre , the centre is the main distribution point for imported fruits and vegetables in Singapore., good for cheap purchase.

３０年くらい前、タイガーバーム😁の頃、、遊びました。 小学生の息子、雨の中、大喜び。 地獄は無くて、ウォタースライダーとかの遊具もあって混んでいました。

カオスですが意味深で、魅力のあるところですね〜！！ みんながあまり行きたがらない所だからこそ、紹介してくれて知れてよかったです！！ ありがとうございます(*ˊᵕˋ*)

Please check out SG Taps at Duxton Hill. Managed by japanese Hiro san. They serves japanese fusion food with taps of awesome singapore craft beers. Laksa ramen, umame chicken rice(trust me u will never imagine it), crocodile meat... This place is my personal fave and they have alot of japanese patrons.

Thanks for featuring this place. I've always been curious about this place but too lazy to travel there

As a Singaporean, I’ve never been there myself lol. Glad to see it from this point of view from my home instead lol

If you think about it, Haw Par Villa was built before the war and made popular after the war too. I can imagine that that time is of disorganization and disarray. Haw Par Villa was a way to teach kids how to behave and somehow it seemed it works because it was taught to us for at least 3 generations. The many different statues and scenes all depict a story behind in based off chinese idoms and folklore to teach something. I do wish that they actually put signs and write up for all the statues.

This place was quite popular in the 1980s. Visited it when I was very young. Remembered it as a very eerie place and till this date, it still scares me. Thanks to this video I won't have to enter it but still be able to see how it looks now!

My parents never use those statues as educational tools. It used to be some sort of a theme park in Singapore.

i've been to this place when i was a kid. seriously, i think kids should not be allowed in this place, especially the ten courts of hell. it gave me nightmares for weeks. children should never be exposed to something so horrendous even if they were trying to "educate" morals. if movies and video games with violence needs to be rated, why a place like this can let kids stroll in without any restriction.

I think the crabs and mermaid stuff are related to the underwater dragon king's kingdom.

The place was converted to an amusement park in early 90s, but failed after a few years in operation.

Ten Courts of Hell is a No No for me. I will get a horrible nightmare after walking in the exhibition. 😂 And by the way Haw Par Vila used to be a theme park back then.

Thanks for sharing! Looks like a very very interesting place to go!

It's a very old place. I have been here with my family when I was young. I still have the old photos.

16:08 the lesson here is not like be nice to turtle but one good deed deserves another.. There are alot of morals for young children to learn in this place as every story has a life meaning. 😉

16:51 She can change her occupation for a voice actor of an animation.

Childhood memories here.... People from Myanmar are called Burmese if I am not wrong. Such a sweet receptionist at the souvenir shop! I hope you don't get into trouble with the youtube because of graphic content... Maybe video edit and blur them out?

That gigantic dragon at the entrance is still there, they just covered it with a gray canvas for years so nobody knows what happened to it. The tail half of the dragon is gone, replaced by the MRT shelter below. Search Tiger Balm Gardens 1990 to see the dragon

こういう所は苦手なので行ったことがありませんね 実物を見たら夢に出てきそうで怖いです モヤさまでも行ってましたよ

The workers are doing restoration works. The exhibits are very old and so the paint has faded and some statues are broken. Hence repair and restoration works

visited it in 2010, loved it

Hey, as a Singaporean Chinese, my dad used to take me to this place. Before they revamped the park, it used to be a water ride instead of walking a path "Courts of Hell exhibit". Then I think they ran out of money and after the revamp, the water was removed and a concrete pathway was constructed. Imagine being an 8-10 year old kid being shown these images of hell, it spooked the 'hell' out of me. Nevertheless, back when Singapore was still developing, stability of the country was paramount so I guess during those early days, moral values were highly 'drilled' into you. Lee Kuan Yew couldn't have citizens committing all sorts of crime and such so I guess, it serve as a kind of 'twisted' moral compass for early days Singapore. Remember during the early days of Singapore's history, there was still the treat of communism. China was also still developing and slowly 'opening up'. Civil rights for blacks in the US was also still a 'novel thing'. The world if you can put it, was still picking up the pieces after world war 2 ended. Many nations were still developing economies. I'm still a millennial, lol 🤣😃

Best horror theme park for tourists.

The milk feeding Mother scenario is accordingly a folk tale of a Mother milk feed her old Mother in law with her own Milk with suppose meant for her infant baby.Because the senior and old ,teethless and weak .She Feeds The elder priority first then her infant baby ! Eventually the Mother in law recover .This Story emphasize Filial is really important to parents even the In Law .

You really do like the crab woman! To the extent that you used it as the thumbnail😂😂

I remember the time when it was still like a family theme park (there’s a roller coaster boat, a giant dragon that boats passed through, etc). But I think there’s an even older Haw Par Villa.

I was traumatized when i was a child and had nightmares 😭😭😭😭

I went there as a kid once and I took the boat ride right into the dragon's mouth (omg, the image is coming back to me). It was frightening for me, and for a very long time - whenever I have to wash my hair and keep my eyes closed - I would shiver in fear cos the image of going into the dragon's mouth (which also mimics the 18 levels of hell) frightens me.

A person from Myanmar is still call Burmese from the old name of that country --Burma . Haw Par Villa , is actually a resident, a villa of that rich family from China. This is like their own park with different sculptures of many themes.

終始怖かった～😥色んな意味で。ガクガクブルブル😱 新しい友達できてよかったね❗️かに女🦀土産屋の店員さんの声が妙にかわいい

Lol. My primary school used to have school excursions here, often. And my teachers used to tell us that we all belong in hell. The teachers were all the worst. There also used to be a water ride, I remember looking forward to that after being told that I belong in hell. Also, all the people with animal heads, it looks like something from Bojack Horseman.

There is also one Tiger Balm Garden in Hong Kong. The brothers are famous for introducing the ointment "Tiger Balm" which you can find it in drugstores.

In the 70's we went there. No fan no aircon. Too scary to c it again.

I went on a holiday with my family there when I was 9 in 1987. This place gave me nightmares for months. My parents regretted for bringing us there.

The video minds me of Haw Par Villa in Hong Kong. It’s built by the same person.

My parents brought my brothers and me there when we were around ten years old. There used to be boat to sail around eighteenth courts of hell. We always go home after that. Guessed they have built new stuffs and removed the boat.

Ooo.. so now they have added lighting effects to the courts of hell. Looks even more spooky than before. Never liked this section of the park. 😬 No, I think all the displays are still spooky to me. 😬

I went there for my school learning journey! we got free tiger balm :))

Omg u went and gamble at the casino u need too do some good deeds too avoid punishment like buying ice cream too everyone u meet

My childhood distination... 😃

I’ve never visited this place but I know I won’t be visiting it anytime soon.

We had primary school excursions to this place (1980s) Wasn’t scared, even at 7 we knew it was fantasy. Kids were hardier then.

I went there when I was a kid, then another time when I was in my teenager years. It still feels super scary to me. Ghib, do you know that back in 1990s when I visited that place, the place looked crowded but the outside was so errie? There was a deserted looking bus stop, everywhere around us was grass and soil like a village. The bus took forever to arrive. I waited anxiously for the bus to arrive and behind the bus stop was a castle lookalike abandoned house. I'm not sure where is that place now and I'm not keen to explore. In my teenage years, when admission became free, I visited again. The bus stop already look modernised by then but I'm very sure that bus stop is not the one that I waited at when I was still a child. There are many horror stories which I heard about this place many years later. I won't be writing about it here as some stuff are not supposed to be shared. Don't think I will visit this place again.

It is not true that Singaporean parents to this park to educate them. Singaporeans are free to have different religions. The 10 Courts of Hell is just a representation of one of the many faiths which was adopted by the owners of the park.