A Researcher's Look at Life

The Lost World of Haw Par Villa

2007-07-01T21:39:00.000+08:00

API recently organized a tour of the lost landscape of Haw Par Villa on 30 Jun 2007. Lawrence who is working in Haw Par Villa was the lead guide.

Here are the highlights and my comments and observations

Lawrence, API members and tour participants on Haw Par grounds

"What I have in mind, will be unique, like nothing anybody has seen. We shall call it after us, Har Par Villa.
We will be remembered for generations to come" - Aw Boon Haw ~ 1934

"I must build a garden to teach Chinese culture to you"

So thus, in 1937, Aw Boon Haw built Haw Par Villa, originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, as a grand residence for his brother Boon Par

It was a magnificent seven domed villa situated on the highest point of the hill and commanded a beautiful view of the sea.

He also created an entertainment park to teach and preserve Chinese values. The park's has a collection of over 1,000 statues and 150 giant tableaux centered around Chinese folklore, legends, history, and Confucian ideology.

Haw Par Villa

Poems

On the pillars is a poem couplet written by Yu Da Fu, aptly describing Haw Par Villa then.

山静白云闲

In the quietness of the hills amidst the rolling white clouds

辉耀一楼花萼

There stand a bright glorious house like blossoming flower petals

澜澄苍海晓

You can see the vast and clear blue ocean

望迷万顷烟波

And grazes into the and ripples of the sea waves in the far horizon

Yu Da Fu (1896 - 1945)

Yu Dafu was a 1920's Chinese short story writer. He was born in 1896 in Fu-yang in the Chekiang province, and died in September 1945 in Sumatra (in the Dutch East Indies).

He worked as a writer of anti-Japanese propaganda during the Second Sino-Japanese war. From 1938 to 1942, he worked as a literary editor for the newspaper Sin Jew Ji Poh in Singapore. In 1942 when the Japanese army invaded Singapore, he was forced to flee to Sumatra where he was murdered three years later by Japanese military police.

His most popular work, breaking all Chinese sales records, was Jih-chi chiu-chung "Nine Diaries", which detailed his affair with the writer Wang Ying-hsin. The most critically acclaimed work is Kuo-ch'u or "The Past", written in 1927, which is said to have psychological depth.

Memorials

The four memorials protraying the hierachical Chinese family. From left to right, according to prominent positions
in the Haw Par Villa, The parents, Aw Boon Haw, Aw Boon Par, and Aw How

Aw How was the 3rd son of Aw Boon Haw, and a promising newspapers magnate when he died tragically in a plane crash in North Malaysia
in 1951. He was only 32 years old.

Former site of Haw Par Villa Swimming Pool. It was the first private swimming pool,
but was open to the public for swimming

Some Chinese classics protrayed in Haw Paw Villa

Jiang Tai Gong fishing. His fishing rod does not touch the water and has no bait.

"Let the willing be hooked," he said. And he did hooked a big fish later (King Zhou)

Creation of the Gods

Emperor Liang Wu Ti enquires about past life karma.

He learnt that the big snake he saw in his garden is his dead. concubine whom has turned into
a giant snake due to her previous bad karma

The theme of morality and battle of good versus evil was evident throughtout the Haw Par Villa, culminating in the famous Ten Courts of Hell.

Tiger Balm Business.

There are various versions on how the Aw brothers got their Tiger Balm formula.

1) From a receipe passed down from their father herbal formula (玉树神散) The Jade Tree Magical Powder
2) From a German doctor's receipe
3) From a Western Doctor Hu
4) From an old peddlar of medicines in Boon Haw ancestal village.

There was a saying at that time in his county: "山苍子有万金"

This is the herb Litsea cubeba has multiple gold (万金). The old peddlar is believed to have taught Boon Haw to use the oil
extracted from Litsea cubeba, to mix with other kind of ingredients.

It is thus believed that the name 万金油 (Tiger Balm Oil) arises from this saying..

Whatever is it, The Aw brothers concocted the formula based on these experiences and their father ancestral formula.

Their concept of an easy to carry, low price all purpose traditional ointment remedy for common ailments was a hit in South East Asia, enabling them
to build a business empire based on Tiger Balm.
.
Haw Par Villa (Tiger Balm Gardens) is their lasting legacy gift to the Singapore people

Aw Boon Par (1886 - 1944) Aw Boon Haw (1884 - 1954

"That which is derived from society, should be returned to society"

Aw Boon Haw's motto

Based on his motto to give back to society, he personally dictated that 1/4 of his company Yong Ann Tang's profits be useed for charity.

Later this figure was raised was 2/5 (40%)

They were thus great philanthropists, and donated generously to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, orphanages, leper homes, old age homes and others.

THE TIGER HAS CERTAINLY LEFT HIS MARK

Aw Boon Haw Tiger Car

Karachi on Sunday

2007-05-08T13:51:00.000+08:00

Karachi is hot, about 37 degrees when I landed. Some surrounding area in Sindh have reached 47 degrees. The highest recorded temp on Earth I heard was
recorded in Sindh, around 55 degrees.

In the morning, I headed off to Hawkes Bay Beach, said to be one of the best beaches in Karachi. I was not disappointed.

I dropped off at a small fishing village at the beach, hired a boat for 300 Rupees (1 US$ = 60 Rupees) with two boys on the helm.

There were lobsters and fishes deeper into the sea.

On my way back, I decided to take the local bus. I was surprised to see 2 boys stand up to give up the seat to me.

I always say to my friends in Singapore, that I have met angels, not the kind of wings, but the little boys in the streets of Pakistan, who give up the seats, directed me when I am lost. I learnt that they learn to respect foreigners when young, and to give up seats to foreigners and woman.

After a while, some women came to board the bus, and according to the principles, I and the old man also give up our seats and climb up the bus to sit on top!

Next stop - Sunday Bazaar at Defence House Agency Area. It was a big Bazaar with a wet market. Nothing special to buy

In the afternoon, I decided to go the National Museum of Pakistan at Karachi. Surprising, out of 10 people only 1 know of the location. This museum must be
a lousy place.

It is certainly not a good museum though there are a few good exhibits. I am not allowed to take pictures, only I managed to capture a few good pictures.

Mother Goddess Figurine

before the guard stopped me. I miss the pictures of the Surya God (Sun God) and the Boar, a reincarnation of Vishnu.

In the night I attended the Mystic Sufi night whereby excellent Sufi music was played by musicians all over the world. Music is the language of the soul,
and this Sufi music is an example of religious tolerance and universal brotherhood. There were groups from Senegal, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and of course Pakistan. What mesmerizing music !

Bukit Brown Cemetery Tour

2007-05-06T13:43:00.000+08:00

This morning I conducted a cemetery heritage tour for my society Asia Paranormal Investigators and Friends of the Museum for a tour of Bukit Brown Cemetery.

These friends of the Museum are mainly wives of foreigners working in Singapore. They are keen on history and our Chinese culture and heritage. A few of them were quite observant, such as graves of peranakan would have specialized type of tiles constructed.

I have mentioned the shape of the tomb is like a horseshoe, but an observant participant remarked that it looks more that
a female womb.

She is right. Actually the secret of burial fengshui is this : "The womb that nurture us throughout our prealive stage is also the perfect place for nurture of our afterlive ie death stage"

Example of Womb shaped grave

I find burial fengshui usually have maps and diagrams shaped like a female genital organ, and the entrance to the vagina is usually the exact
spot where the deceased should be buried. Therefore it is not surprising that the tomb is shaped like a female womb. Don't believe me? Open any burial fengshui book and look at the diagrams and find where the author thinks is the best burial spot.

In the afternoon rush off to Pakistan.....