Off the Shelf

Tiger Balm Gardens
Judith Brandel and Tina Turbeville
(Aw Boon Haw Foundation; 215 pages)

Any trip to Singapore is made more memorable by a visit to Haw Par Villa, the fantastic and fabulous (in the true sense of both words) spread commissioned by ointment king and newspaper magnate Aw Boon Haw. More dream park than theme park, Singapore's sister to the Tiger Balm Gardens in Hong Kong was built in the 1930s for Aw's younger brother, Aw Boon Par, known as the "gentle leopard." The brothers lived in luxury in their twin fantasy worlds, whose grandiose and grotesque gardens aimed to promote Chinese history and folklore--and increase sales of the mentholated miracle cream in the red tin. With the Hong Kong property recently sold to billionaire Li Ka-shing (and slated for demolition this year), this elegant book captures the wonders of both gardens--and the faded dreams of what was once Asia's most powerful business empire.

Introduction Environment When to Go Facts for the Traveler Money & Costs Facts at a Glance Economic Profile Culture History

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