Tiger Balm Gardens, the original name of Haw Par Villa, was an oriental theme park named after the Tiger Balm brand of ointment. The ointment was successfully marketed as a remedy for aches and pains by Aw Boon Haw and his younger brother Aw Boon Par, who made a fortune together by selling their product in Singapore and around the region during the early 20th century. A prominent businessman and philanthropist, the elder Aw had set up the gardens in 1937 on a site along Pasir Panjang Road with the intention of educating the public about Chinese culture. This could be seen in the wide range of statues and sculptures on display at Haw Par Villa portraying themes from Chinese legend and folklore.Haw Par Villa was reopened in 1990 following a major redevelopment project by International Theme Parks to modernise the park. One of the new attractions added was a boat ride into the belly of a 60-metre-long green and orange dragon. Within the belly of the dragon were exhibits showing scenes from the 10 Courts of Hell of Chinese mythology. The ride was closed down following another revamp of Haw Par Villa in 1995, which aimed to restore the park’s exhibits to their original versions.
