The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - Tiger Balm Gardens

Lung goes to Tiger Balm Gardens to rescue the kidnapped woman only to find out he has been tricked by Red Faced Tiger (Bolo Yeung Sze).

Karate from Shaolin Temple - Kazuma Kenji (1976) - Tiger Balm Gardens

The gang who are in conflict with the boss start taking out the gang's men one by one. The first one is killed whilst walking around Tiger Balm Gardens.

Yakuza on Foot - Tomisaburô Wakayama (1969) - Tiger Balm Gardens, Tai Hang

A perennial favourite in the foreign movie list of Hong Kong locations is the former Tiger Balm Gardens. In the film I believe that Haw Par Mansion is supposed to be the home of the big boss of Oriental Travel, but I may have misunderstood. Sadly, this film doesn't showcasee the place as it deserves, but luckily, we have a whole slew of films that have shot in and around here over the years.

Mr Hercules Against Karate - Alberto Terracina (1973) - Tiger Balm Gardens, Tai Hang

I don't know why they boys come to Tiger Balm Gardens, but at every step they are being followed and chased by the very inept henchmen of the main bad guy. The place, with its colourful statues and grottos, has been showcased far better in other films so I won't inundate you with low resolution ones from this film. Suffice to say everything you see here, other than the mansion, no longer exists.

I tell a lie, this tiger now adorns the layby in front of the old property on Tai Hang Road.

Love in Hong Kong - Pauline Teutscher (1983) - Tiger Balm Gardens, Tai Hang

The gang head out to the Tiger Balm Gardens for a day out. As a bit of a Tiger Balm Gardens fan, I can see that the fact that there are scenes around the large mausoleums and "Double Tenth" gate means the rear section of the garden had yet to be sold and redeveloped into Ronsdale Gardens. This was the first section of the gardens to be sold to developers following some in-fighting between the various heirs to the Tiger Balm empire.

The first two images show the old driveway and entrance to the estate. These are still around and look the same, although the front gate is now locked and no longer used.

Everything you can see in the next four images has gone and the space it occupied now forms the solid base for the large podium built for "The Legend".

Here's a few general shots of the old garden. The tiger in the top image below has been saved and is now located outside the remaining walls of the garden. The pagoda was destroyed as far as I know but a replica has been constructed in the Haw Par ancestral village (Zhongchuan) in Fujian province. 

In the next image you can see another relic from the garden that was also saved: it's the cartoon-style tiger with outstretched arms. He is also now on display outside the main entrance to the mansion. Or at least he was when I visited in November 2021.

These following images all show the area I mentioned earlier. It was the rear section of the garden that was sold to a developer and turned into Ronsdale Gardens and included the twin mausoleums (first two images below), and the staircase with the Double Tenth gate and the Haw Par parents memorial pagoda at the top of the steps - both these items contained Kuomintang/Nationalist imagery that would not be tolerated in today's Hong Kong.

The Killer - Chow Yun Fat (1989) - Sir Cecil's Ride, Tai Hang

The narrow hillside road where Ah Jong and Sidney go to following the shootout in the parking garage is Sir Cecil's Ride. The view has changed extensively, but more so from the fact that the side of the road is now completely filled with large bushes blocking the view.

Tokyo Gang vs Hong Kong Gang - Ken Takakura (1964) - Li Kwan Avenue, Tai Hang

The southern end of this small road - basically an access road for the east entrance to True Light Middle School - can be briefly seen when the pair run away from Tiger Balm Gardens and get to their car. If you squint you can just see some of the Tiger Balm Mansion in the background (top right). This area now appears to be a pick up/drop off zone for the school.

Tokyo Gang vs Hong Kong Gang - Ken Takakura (1964) - Tiger Balm Gardens, Tai Hang Road

After jumping in a taxi outside the Hilton, Kirahata shows the driver his destination written on a note and it says "Tiger Balm Gardens". It's here where he makes the swap with Chang before they are discovered by the Hong Kong gang members and chased out of the gardens. The location of the swap is the red Burmese-style stupa that sat at the top rear of the garden. This whole upper terrace area was sold in the late 1970s and later redeveloped into Ronsdale Gardens. For what's left of the place now, you can read about my recent visit here.