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Tang Dynasty City

The Tang Dynasty City (唐城), formerly Tang Dynasty Village, was a theme park once located at 2 Yuan Ching Road in Jurong, Singapore.

History The S$50millionmovietownprojectoftheTangdynastyeraculturalvillagenexttoJurongLakewasfirstannouncedon11May1988,withstrongbackingoffourgovernmentagenciesEconomicDevelopmentBoard,JurongTownCorporation,SingaporeTourismPromotionBoardandMinistryofCommunityDevelopment.SupportedwithfundingandplansofthedevelopmentoftheparkfromtheSingaporesubsidiaryofUK-basedDominionInternational,UnitedIndustrialCorporationandotherDutchandThaiinvestors.Theprojec{t}^{\prime }stenderwasawardedtoAsiaTVHoldingsLtdofHongKongownedbyDeaconChiuoftheFarEastHoldingsInternational.ThejointventureandoperationsofAsiaTelevisionandSingaporeBroadcastingCorporationbeingformedunderthenameofTangDynastyVillageSingaporePteLtdtomanagethethemepark.TheprojectwasnamedTangDynastyVillageandwouldbemodeledbasedontheSungDynastyVillageinHongKong.ItwastoleadtothedevelopmentofSingapor{e}^{\prime }sownmovieindustry.Thegroundbreakingceremonywasstartedon21February1989andthethemeparkwasexpectedtoopentwoyearslaterin1991.TheTangDynastyVillageMotionPicturesPteLtdwasalsosetupon12May1989toplanandwriteformoviesandTVshowstobeproducedonthemepark.CostsofconstructingthethemeparkanditsexpansionwasfurtherincreasedtoS$70 million.

Opening Although the theme park was about 50% completed, the Tang Dynasty Village was opened on 12 January 1992 to much fanfare. Following the Lunar New Year on February, the theme park was renamed to Tang Dynasty City.

Attractions The Open City Arch Bridge and artificial lake TV & Movie Studios Asia Television Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (later Television Corporation of Singapore in 1994) The Tang Dynasty Village Motion Pictures Pte Ltd Underground Palace & Small Wild Goose Pagoda Underground Palace replica: Terracotta warriors replicas Small Wild Goose Pagoda replica: seven storey tower Daming Palace & Hanyan Hall replicas: partially constructed and abandoned Huaqing Pool & lodging houses replicas: abandoned

Downfall and closure The visitor attendance to the theme park was low due to its high admission prices and its lacklustre exhibits. This situation further worsened following the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The theme park was eventually closed, its buildings were left dilapidated and the exhibits deteriorated.

Demolition In April 2001, a consortium of three Singaporean companies signed a memorandum of understanding, with plans to build a Shaolin themed resort on the former theme park, modeled after the famed temple and monastery in China. However the plans fell through when the landlord JTC Corporation put out notice in October 2007 seeking for contractors to carry out the demolition works to level the former theme park on January next year. The theme park was demolished in January 2008.

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