Perspective Journeys

Singapore tour: Culture & Commodity

Culture & Commodity is a 3 in 1 program offering:

1) An introduction to Chinese legends and myths

2) A glimpse of pre WW2 society in Singapore

3)The "dos and don'ts" of packaging culture for tourism

                                        Culture and commodity

During the 1990s, Asian theme parks were introduced but these ventures were not successful. Some of these parks were closed down while others were stripped down and open free to the public.

The history of such theme parks allows us to understand the "dos and don'ts" of packaging culture for tourism. It reflects how "traditional" forces interacts with "modern" forces to produce a unique set of conditions defining what is acceptable and what is not. One of the theme parks was the Haw Par Villa.

History of Haw Par Villa

Originally called the "Tiger Balm Gardens", it was built in 1937 and cost one million dollars. The garden was commissioned by Chinese entrepreneurs, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, as a private residence. The Aw brothers were owners of the famous Tiger Balm.  

They created more than 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas inspired by Chinese history, mythologies and religion to served as a place for entertainment and cultural education. They also included cultural icons such as the  Statue of Liberty,  sumo wrestlers and Garudas. 

Being marketing genius, the brothers incorporated various brand building elements in the garden including mascots holding their famous Tiger Balm.

At the time of construction, some of the sculptures were deem too "naughty" that the public protested about it. The craftsmen had to rework to produce a  "tone down" version.

Even after the revision, visitors can still see mermaids and sea creatures in bikini and sexy outfits.

The brothers warned against immoral and dishonest behaviors with the 10 courts of Hell. The sculptures show naughty boys and girls the different Courts of Hell that administers punishment to people guilty of lying, adultery, dishonest and immoral behavior.

Many parents found the 10 Courts of Hell an excellent educational tool to encourage good behavior from their kids. 

Some of the sculptures features contemporary society during the 1930s and 1940s. They show urban life, the bright lights, partying as well as the social problems.

This is in contrast to the simple rural life in villages and the challenges they faced.

Put together, they narrated the relationship between rural and urban life and how modernity and urban life is being interpreted by the society of that period. This dialogue between urban and rural  illuminates the social ideals of that period. It offers an interesting contrast to traditional Western idea of Urban-Rural relationships.

The villa was destroyed during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s and rebuilt between 1950 to 1959.

It was later opened free of charge to the public.

The combination of  cultural education, exotic sculptures and a chance to visit the private residence of the "Rich and Famous"  made Tiger Balm Gardens one of the favorite outing spot for Singaporeans and tourists. In 1985, Tiger Balm Gardens was renamed Haw Par Villa.

In the 1990s, the Haw Par Villa was developed as a theme park.  With the help of US consultants, the investors added rides, entertainment complex and F&B outlets.

The 10 courts of hell was housed in the stomach of a dragon and visitors would watch punishments of the 10 courts of hell from a boat ride. There were also live performances as well as movies of popular Chinese legends in an amphitheatre.

Haw Par Villa was transformed into a multi million theme park. The admission ticket cost S$15 and later increased to S$16.50. However, the park was incurring loses. In 1997, the rides and amphitheatre were closed.  In 2000, the investors announced the decision to close the theme park.

Today

Today, the Haw Par Villa is open free of charge to the public.

It is the best place to explore popular Chinese myths, legends and extracts from Chinese history.  At the same time, a walk on the grounds today offers clues to explain why the theme park project did not turn out to be as successful as hope for.

The clues will be contrasted with evidence from other locations included in the tour for you to arrived at your own conclusion. 

Cultural and Commodity offers you the perspective to understand

1) Overview to popular Chinese legends and myths.

2) Social history of pre WW2 society

3) The limits of commoditizing culture for tourists consumption

click here to see some of the popular places to visit. 

This program can be a tour by itself or part of a tour to produce a personalized program to suit your interests. For a list of other popular topics, please see: Tours / Topics

All Perspective Journeys programs are presented in non technical language (No complicated jargon!) and will take into account your background and interests.

Book a tour

If you are a travel agent or organizer, click here

If you have any queries or require further information, please write to: info@perspectivejourneys.com

Copyright © 2006-7 Perspective Journeys, All Rights Reserved. . .