Haw Par Villa; A family place. A place to take that special someone. Most importantly, a place to learn the most valuable lessons the afterlife has to offer. But is it really something to die for?
Designed to educate children about the Buddhist and Taoist religions and their creative depictions of the afterlife, Haw Par Villa has a lot to offer. From deep symbolism potraying morality to the absolutely absurd.
Har Par Villa was established in 1938 by businessesmen Boon Haw and Boon Par, known for their Tiget Balm enterprise.
If Trip Advvisor can’t convince you to visit this phantasmagorical purgatory, the many small children taken by their parents definitely can!
“I went to Haw Par Villa in primary school and I had nightmares for weeks. It was a memorable experience. 10/10”
Prisha Gupta
Print Journalist
Ladies and gentlemen, the highlights of The Print’s trip to Hell!
“The park was overall very enjoyable. It was really fun to explore the different cultural aspects of ‘hell’ and how different cultures perceive hell or the concept of death. The statues and art were very intriguing to look at, although a bit outdated, it was still interesting to observe. I personally liked the stories some of the statues told, especially the ones about what happens to people when they die. The statues are all very artistic and somewhat scary. What surprised me was how many parents bring their children to this park. There were also a lot of couples, I'm very curious what draws couples to ‘hell’ for a date. Lastly, the monkey statues were cool"
Zachary Cui
Print Journalist
“Haw Par Villa in one word: bizarre. I cannot imagine someone spending their fortune (obtained by selling Tiger Balm by the way) on shoving morals, rights and wrongs, and eternal punishment on children. Call me a pessimist or a buzzkill all you want, there is frankly no point to the park. While some of the displays were objectively interesting, most were just plain weird. Two grasshoppers seemingly in a relationship with other various little animals surround them with weapons? What does that even mean? If you sin, do you get tormented by small animals forever?”
Ishaan Palsule
Print Journalist
"Haw Par Villa was definitely an odd experience, to say the least. I did not have high expectations other than a warning that the courts of hell were graphic (which were not in my opinion). Walking in, there was a lot about different cultures and how this formed a lot of current beliefs and values in various cultures. The ten courts of hell all had weirdly specific sins that had quite graphic ways of punishment. Personally, I thought the punishments were quite random and did not have an explanation behind why they deserve that. Overall it was interesting to learn about the Chinese culture of the afterlife, but it was too hot, so I recommend wearing shorts and not cargo pants like I did"
Sanika Malani
Print Journalist
“The experience I had at the park was very educational and engaging. I was fond to read about the Ten Courts of Hell and the extreme punishments that would be dealt out for those who have sinned. However, I did find some of the punishments very oddly specific… For example in the Fifth Court of Hell, the Yama, King Yunalo, carried out retribution of sinners being thrown on a hill of knives if they had “plotted another’s death for his property or money” or if they were “moneylenders with exorbitant rate interests”. I never would’ve guessed that Hell of all places would penalize you for such particular crimes. I am grateful to have learnt about these new unfamiliar concepts and would definitely recommend visiting the entire exhibition to witness for yourself at Haw Par Villa”
Dylan Wiener
Print Journalist