Haw Par Mansion and Tiger Balm Garden
虎豹別墅、 萬金油花園
1935, Vernacular 民間建築及屋邨
Architect: 胡文虎 Aw Boon Haw
Haw Par Mansion and associated Tiger Palm Garden were built by Rangoon Overseas Chinese Mr Haw in 1935. The Garden decorated with colourful statues preaching reincarnation messages was opened to public, and became the collective memory of Hong Kong people. The mansion displays Eclectic style. Western disposition, structure and facilities, supplemented with traditional Chinese garden, roof-shape and coloured paintings, and further mixed with Indian and Burmese decorations, became a rare historical architectural exemplar, illustrating the active promulgation of the ideal of aligning Chinese culture with modern technologies by then returning Overseas Chinese. Despite the garden was demolished years ago, the mansion is now being restored, adapted and revitalized, and ready to be opened to public, so that this epic story written in architecture be told.
虎豹別墅的大宅及附連的萬金油花園由仰光華僑胡文虎於1935年建成。花園佈滿傳達輪迴教義的七彩繽紛的塑像，並開放予公眾參觀，成為港人的重要集體回憶。大宅建築呈現哲衷主義風格，西化的建築佈局、結構及設備，配搭傳統中式的園林設計、屋項形態及彩圖壁畫，再混合印度及緬甸特色的裝飾，成為不可多得的歷史建築典範，體現當代歸僑積極宣示中國文化配合現代科技的理念。儘管花園早年已拆，但大宅正在修復並改造活化，訴說這段以建築寫下的偉大故事。
文：胡燦森 (英國皇家建築師學會會員)
攝影：梁以華 (香港註冊建築師)
http://www.etnet.com.hk/www/tc/diva/art_hkac_detail.php?id=29086&page=1
