Note: The parks are closed permanently. This website is for documentation and educational purposes only.
Disclaimer: We do not own any information found on this site. All credits to their original owners.
T H R E E
"Worlds"
The singapore legacy.
N E W W O R L D
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About NEW WORLD
The New World Amusement Park opened on August 1, 1923 [1] by two Straits Chinese brothers: Ong Boon Tat and Ong Peng Hock. It was the first to open out of the Three "Worlds”. As part of a land speculation exercise, the Ong brothers founded the New World as they wanted to diversify their business by entering the entertainment industry [2].
In the late 19th century, the population density of the city was much higher than in the suburbs due to the massive influx of migrants. As such, there was a need to develop the suburbs to mitigate the problem of overcrowding in the city. The New World was a product of the efforts by the Ong brothers to drain the swampy area [3] along the outskirts of Jalan Besar for urban development. The colonial government welcomed this since the New World development would boost the economy without much effort on their part since it was entirely funded by private investors [4].
"New Entertainment Centre," National Library Board, accessed November 11, 2020,
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19230802-1.2.79.
In 1938, the Shaw brothers entered a joint venture with the Ong brothers when it saw potential in the amusement park industry due to its success in Shanghai [5]. By this time, the business at New World was stable [6]. Subsequently, in 1958, the Ong brothers ultimately transferred its ownership of the New World to the Shaw Organisation [7]. After which, the popularity of the New World was at its peak as it became the leading force of the entertainment industry in Singapore. After that, the Shaw brothers managed many amusement parks across Malaya, many of which followed the business model of the New World [8].
Just in case you missed it...
[1] “New Entertainment Centre,” The Straits Times, August 2, 1923, 10, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19230802-1.2.79.
[2] Yunn Chii, Wong and Tan Kar Lin. “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space for culture and consumption: the new world amusement park‐Singapore (1923–70) in the inter‐war years”. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 5:2, 281, DOI: 10.1080/1464937042000236757.
[3] Wong and Tan, “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space,” 282.
[4] Wong and Tan, “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space,” 286.
[5] Wong and Tan, “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space,” 281.
[6] Wong and Tan, “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space,” 281.
[7] Wong and Tan, “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space,” 281.
[8] Wong and Tan, “Emergence of a cosmopolitan space,” 281.