Hong Kong's 91-Year-Old Tiger Balm Mansion Becomes Arts Hub

After nearly a century watching over Hong Kong's Tai Hang neighborhood, the legendary Haw Par Mansion is about to become the city's newest gathering place for artists and culture lovers.

The stunning 91-year-old building was originally part of a sprawling estate and theme park created by the Aw family, the makers of Tiger Balm ointment. Built in the 1930s, the mansion showcases a unique Chinese Renaissance architectural style that blends Eastern and Western design elements.

Today, only the mansion and its front garden remain from the original estate. The government designated it a protected Grade 1 historic building, recognizing its irreplaceable cultural value.

Between 2019 and 2022, the Aw family operated a music school in the restored space. When that chapter closed, Hong Kong officials searched for the right organization to steward this architectural treasure into the future.

Last August, the Foundation for Art and Culture won the opportunity to reimagine the mansion's purpose. Starting in the second half of 2026, they'll operate the site as Villa Haw Par under a self-financing model focused on promoting arts and international cultural exchange.

Arthur de Villepin, co-founder of FAC and owner of the Villepin gallery on Hollywood Road, shared an exciting vision for the space. Unlike the Tiger Balm museum in China's Fujian province or Singapore's Haw Par Villa theme park, this won't be a static tourist attraction.

Instead, Villa Haw Par will become what de Villepin calls "a living space." The mansion will welcome international artists in residence, host film screenings, and feature a bookstore alongside other cultural programming.

The Ripple Effect

This transformation represents more than saving a beautiful old building. By creating an active cultural hub in a protected historic site, Villa Haw Par shows how cities can honor their past while building creative communities for the future. The self-financing model also demonstrates that heritage preservation and artistic programming can work hand in hand without constant government funding.

Hong Kong gains a unique venue where residents and visitors can experience contemporary culture within walls that have witnessed nearly a century of the city's evolution.

The mansion's lavish interiors will soon fill with new conversations, artistic expression, and cross-cultural connections, breathing fresh energy into a space built during Hong Kong's early 20th century golden age.