The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 1992–1999
Tang Dynasty City rebuilt ancient Chang'an in Singapore — for seven years
A 12-hectare replica of Tang-era Chang'an opened in Jurong in 1992 as park and film studio; it closed in 1999 with debts up to S$62M and stood derelict.
Tang Dynasty City · Far East Holdings International · 1999
What happened
Hong Kong tycoon Deacon Chiu Te-ken opened Tang Dynasty City in Jurong on 12 January 1992: 12 hectares beside Jurong Lake recreating the Tang capital Chang'an, with materials and craftsmen shipped from China — ramparts, a terracotta-warrior underground palace and a replica of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The budget grew from S$50 million to S$70 million, with press estimates reaching S$100 million.
The park was also meant to seed a Chinese film industry in Singapore, with studios and a tax holiday — but only one Hong Kong film was primarily shot there, and crews clashed with paying visitors. As a theme park it struggled: admission of S$15 was seen as steep (later cut to S$7), the exhibits were static, there was no air-conditioning in the tropical heat, and a 1994 survey found just 1.6 percent of overseas visitors had been.
The Asian financial crisis finished it. Tang Dynasty City entered judicial management with debts of up to S$62 million and closed in 1999. It stood abandoned for nearly a decade — ironically longer as a ruin than as a park — until demolition in 2008; a planned Shaolin-themed resort for the site fell through in 2001.
Why it happened
- Two businesses shared one gate and neither worked: film crews and tourists got in each other's way.
- The product ignored its climate and its price point: static exhibits, no air-conditioning, and a ticket Singaporeans thought steep.
- The timing broke it: the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit just as the park needed tourists it had never retained.
The lesson
Tang Dynasty City spent up to S$100M building ancient Chang'an for visitors who stayed away; closed in 1999, it lasted longer as a ruin than as a business.
Aftermath
The site was cleared in 2008 and left vacant. Tang Dynasty City remains Singapore's emblematic case of imported heritage as a business model.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Tang Dynasty City (opened 12 January 1992 as Tang Dynasty Village, renamed after Lunar New Year 1992; 2 Yuan Ching Road, Jurong, 12 hectares; cost S$50M initially, rising to S$70M; owner Deacon Chiu Te-ken via Asia TV Holdings/Far East Holdings 1989–1999; replica of Tang-era Chang'an incl. Underground Palace with terracotta warriors and Small Wild Goose Pagoda; film studios for Asia Television and SBC; closed 1999 for low attendance — high admission, lacklustre exhibits, 1997 Asian financial crisis; demolished January 2008; Shaolin-themed resort plan fell through 2001)
- Mothership, December 2021 — How Jurong's S$100 million 12-hectare ancient China theme park fell into ruin (opened 12 January 1992; budget S$50M grew to S$70M, media estimates S$100M; built by Hong Kong tycoon Deacon Chiu and Far East Holdings International; replica of Chang'an with authentic materials and craftsmen from China; hybrid theme park/movie studio with 10-year tax holiday; only one HK film primarily shot there, All's Well Ends Well Too 1993; admission S$15 later S$7, no air-conditioning, stale guide scripts; only 1.6% of overseas visitors surveyed 1994 had visited; closed 1999 after judicial management with debts up to S$62M; abandoned until 2008 demolition; lasted longer abandoned (1999–2008) than operating (1992–1999))
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Prive Group closed all 5 cafes after 18 years in Singapore's brutal F&B market
Singapore closed Jurong Bird Park on its 52nd birthday
Airy Rooms switched off Indonesia's biggest budget-hotel network in one email
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.