New lease of life for Hong Kong’s Haw Par Mansion as arts and culture venue

Hong Kong’s historic Haw Par Mansion, built by the tycoon behind the Tiger Balm heat rub, will find a new lease of life as an arts and culture venue next year after a music school on the site shut down in 2022.

Authorities said on Friday that Haw Par Mansion would be operated as a non-profit, self-financing site for arts and cultural use by the Foundation for Art and Culture to foster international exchanges.

A government spokesperson said that Haw Par Mansion would be developed “as a unique icon of international arts and cultural exchange in Hong Kong” and contribute to the city’s role “as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange”.

The site would be managed, operated and revitalised by the institution under a three-year term, with the new operation to start in the second half of next year, authorities said.

Visitors can expect the premises to be used for exhibitions, film screenings and workshops as well as residency programmes hosting local, mainland and international artists and organisations.

Built in 1936, the mansion was once part of a larger eight-acre (3.2 hectares) park called “Tiger Balm Garden”, featuring surreal Buddhist-themed displays and open to the public.