Hong Kong’s Historic Haw Par Mansion Set to Reopen as Cultural Center

Sun, 03 May 2026 19:33:00 +0200

Perched in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, the 91-year-old Haw Par Mansion is a rare remnant of the once sprawling Tiger Balm Garden estate built by the Aw family in the 1930s. Known for its distinctive Chinese Renaissance architectural style, the mansion and its front garden are now the only surviving structures from this historic site. Between 2019 and 2022, the building housed a music school founded by the Aw family. Following the school's closure, the government sought a new steward for the Grade 1 historic building. In 2025, the Foundation for Art and Culture (FAC), a non-profit organization, was selected to operate the mansion under a self-financing model. FAC plans to transform the site into Villa Haw Par, a dynamic cultural hub rather than a museum or theme park. Activities will include international artist residencies, film screenings, and a bookstore, creating a living cultural space that fosters creativity and global artistic exchange. The project represents a new chapter in preserving