Haw Par Villa

Opened in 1937, this weird and wonderful park was named after its owners, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the brothers who made their fortune from the acclaimed cure-all ointment Tiger Balm (it’s also known as Tiger Balm Gardens). Multicoloured statues and tableaux depict scenes from Chinese history and mythology. A new attraction, Hell’s Museum, provides historical and philosophical context to ideas of life and death across Asia and leads up to the highlight – the Ten Courts of Hell. Responsible for childhood nightmares for generations of Singaporeans, these small-scale tableaux show human sinners being punished in a variety of hideous and bloodthirsty ways – in extremely gory and graphic detail. It’s a safe bet that you will never see anything like it anywhere else. Read our guide to this kooky theme park in Singapore.