Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Haw Par Mansion

Once home to Aw Boon Haw, the "King of Tiger Balm", the mansion and its adjacent garden almost disappeared entirely to redevelopment. While the garden was demolished in 2004 for a luxury residential complex, the mansion has been preserved and is now used for musical development. Heritage tours are available but must be booked in advance.

Aw Boon Haw was a Burmese-Chinese businessman who was most famous for his Tiger Balm ointment, which is still available for sale today.

Haw Par Mansion was built in the 1930s on the hillsides of Jardine's Lookout. It includes a mix of Western and Chinese architectural features, known as the Chinese Renaissance style. There are bay windows, fireplaces, glasswork from Italy, and green-glazed tiles with a hint of symmetry. While the Aw family had offered the government to designate the site as a monument, it was declined and they subsequently sold the site to property developers in 1998. A redevelopment application in 1999 prompted the government to reconsider and only a portion of the site could be saved from the bulldozer.

The free tours offer a glimpse of the restoration effort and mansion's features.

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