As mentioned in Part 1, there are many downright grotesque statues in Haw Par Villa, many of which I do not quite understand the relevance to the overall theme of the place. There was one particular exhibit that got me quite fascinated.
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| A rat in a suit drags a rabbit onto the wedding bed, as another rat-like creature, who appears to be the wheeler dealer who arranged the marriage, chats on the phone, perhaps to seal his next deal? |
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| “Hello Mr Dog, do you want to order a rabbit too?” |
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| And we have a deer drinking tea served by a tortoise. |
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| It appears humans don’t quite have a place here, except to help hold the flower vase. |
What do you make out of that?
Unfortunately, it was too dark to take any pictures inside the Ten Courts of Hell exhibit, as it was indoors. But here’s a preview of what’s inside:
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| A beheaded corrupt official greets you on the way in. |
I noticed the poor state of affairs at the park. The exhibits are generally in various states of disrepair, with paint peeling off and spider webs everywhere.
As I was walking about I spoke to a Malay lady, who told me that she showing her extended family from Malaysia around the place. She said she lived nearby and come by often when she was younger, but it was so different then. Back then, the statues were very well-maintained, and the paint was always fresh and colourful. And people were not allowed to touch the statues. (She pointed that out as the kids crawled up the platform and chased each other around the statues in one exhibit.)
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| Leftover lanterns at the canteen. I wonder from when? |
The shops and the canteen are now closed as well, but I was relieved to see vending machines in operation as I was dying of thirst after walking about since early morning. Another surprise – the toilets were actually quite well-maintained, with proper lighting. (I definitely can’t say the same for some coffeeshops elsewhere.)
I think I’m grateful that the current owners of Haw Par Villa are still keeping it alive. No doubt they are minimising all costs of maintenance, but hey, there aren’t many places of interest in Singapore that have free admission. May the place remain open for years to come – it’s truly a place that is unlike any theme park I have ever heard of or been to.
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| See you again! |
3 comments:
The reason why the place is not keeping up with the upkeep and refreshing the paint, other than the owners minimizing maintenance cost, has also got to do with that there is currently only ONE painter/artist left who knows how to do the job. He is an old man in his 60s/70s and work only very short hours a day. I remembered interviewing him couple of years back in a bid to do a documentary short, and he said there's simply no one who wants to learn this craft anymore. That's the sad case and soon, the place might have to close once the craftsman passes on.
Gee I didn't know that. Was your film completed in the end? Would like to watch it if it was!
I think it wasn't completed in the end, for one reason or another. I was just helping out in the shoot. Actually I did it with Samuel He (in ST now). Now to think of it I did not know what happened to the footage!
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