This is a photograph portrait of Aw Boon Haw (胡文虎, Hu Wen Hu, b. 1882, Yangon, Myanmar – d. 1954, Honolulu, Hawaii, US) whose name means ‘gentle tiger’. He was also popularly known as the ‘Tiger Balm King’ for having created the Tiger Balm brand of Chinese medicinal ointment and building a business empire around the product. His other contributions include building the Haw Par Villa (also known as Tiger Balm Gardens) in Singapore, establishing the Eng Aun Tong Medical Hall, and setting up the local Chinese daily, the Sin Chew Jit Poh. He was also well-regarded for his generosity as a philanthropist. Aw passed away in 1954 following an unsuccessful stomach operation in America.
