Tiger Balm Garden 虎豹別墅


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Video Clip from:
I Spy (1965) Episode 14 "Affair in T'Sien Cha"

Tiger Balm Garden 虎豹別墅
15 Tai Hang Road, Tai Hang, Wan Chai District, Hong Kong

Information Sources:

  1. Map by Google Maps
  2. Photos & video from I Spy (1965) Television Series: Episode #14: "Affair in T'Sien Cha": IMDB | Full Episode Video | Video Clip of Tiger Balm Garden Scene, and
  3. Article by ThinkGlobalNow [June 2008] http://eagle.webster.edu/global/chinawiki/

Tiger Balm Gardens (Hong Kong)

Initiating Author: Roy Tamashiro

Overview

Tiger Balm Gardens (also known as Aw Boon Haw Garden) in Hong Kong, was formerly located at 15, Tai Hang Road, Tai Hang, Wan Chai District, but no longer exists. The property was sold to developers in 1999 and turned into a residential area.

History

The entrepreneur Aw Boon Haw (b:1882 ¨C d:1954) developed a medicinal balm he called "Tiger Balm," which he marketed and promoted throughout Asia. His name "Boon Haw" means "gentle tiger" in his native Hakka dialect. Aw Boon Haw and his brother Aw Boon Par were apprentices to a local pharmacist, U Thaw, who had a secret recipe for pain-relieving ointment. U Thaw bequeathed the recipe to the Aw brothers, under the proviso that if they became rich from it, they would give some of the proceeds to charity.

Tiger Balm
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tiger-balm-s.png

Tiger Balm is a topical analgesic, popularly believed to give rapid and effective relief to a variety of muscular aches and pains. It is still available worldwide.

Boon Haw build the 7.5 acre Aw Boon Haw Garden and mansion in Hong Kong in 1935. The garden was filled with several pagodas and a colorful but grotesque and surrealistic collection of concrete sculptures of animals, religious figures, and garish objects. For photos of the garden, see the Asian Historical Architecture website. The garden was opened free to the public in the 1950s.

In 1999, the owners of the Tiger Balm Garden estate proposed to redevelop the site. But the Hong Kong Antiquities Advisory Board recommended its preservation in view of its historical and architectural significance. The owners and the Government arrived at an agreement to preserve and restore the Mansion.

Local significance

In addition to his "Tiger Balm" legacy, Aw Boon Haw is regarded a great philanthropist, and gave significant financial support to thousands of hospitals, schools and nursing homes. Between 1929 and 1949, the Aw brothers donated over US$70 million to build schools and hospitals in China.

Global impact and significance

The battle to preserve Tiger Balm Garden (1999-2001) from demolition is one of many examples that exemplify the conflict between the need for development and historic preservation. This conflict has been and continues to be played out in cities world wide. The conflict is especially intense in the population-dense Hong Kong, where commercial and residential property is extremely valuable.

Tiger Balm Gardens also has some global historical significance as one of the earliest theme parks, even referred to by some as China's first Disneyland.

The multi-national marketing of Tiger Balm in the 1920s is an early example of today's global marketing of products. Aw Boon Haw built distribution centers for Tiger Balm in Singapore, Burma, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. He was a clever and creative promoter, advertiser and marketer. He understood the value of a branding image, and used the roaring tiger motif in advertising across Asia.

Additional information: Related Video

References

 

 

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