Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens and at one time an amusement park, t his wacky place is Singapore’s most interesting, kitschy, and off-the-wall outdoor museum. The Haw Par Villa was built in 1937 and destroyed less than a decade later by the Japanese during the occupation in WW II, but what remains is a collection of hundreds of painted statues and life-sized dioramas (some reproductions of the originals) dedicated to Chinese folklore, fables, and values. The classic battles between good and evil are played out in colorful, flamboyant, and sometimes gory imagery (the figures of a grandmother nursing from her selfless daughter will stop you in your tracks). The villa and gardens were built by Aw Boon Haw for his younger brother Aw Boon Par who made their fortune manufacturing and selling the still popular tiger balm muscle-soothing ointment.