In land-scarce Singapore, US$45 million buys a bungalow – but the rare artefacts cost extra

There are only about 2,500 of these lavish private properties in the city state, typically ensconced behind dense foliage to maintain privacy

For those flush with cash to last a lifetime, the staggering prices aren’t a deterrence. In the first five months of this year, five bungalows were sold

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The bungalow’s swimming pool with two 15-tonne stone lions. Photo: JNA Media Group via Bloomberg

Published: 4:43pm, 21 Jun 2020Updated: 4:43pm, 21 Jun 2020

Perched on platforms near the swimming pool at the sprawling residence, two 15-tonne stone lions cut imposing figures. The main house’s exterior walls are fitted with display panels showcasing centuries-old marble relics from China. A custom-designed tea room inside features vintage pots and tea bricks that cost US$7,000 a piece.

Even for Singapore, the setting for the Crazy Rich Asians Hollywood hit, this house sets a new standard. It’s selling for S$63 million (US$45 million), and that doesn’t include some 500 Chinese artefacts for which the buyer will have to fork over a few million more.

The house, modelled after the seventh-century Tang dynasty capital of Chang’an, is literally a private museum, showcasing the collections of owner Raymond Ng, the executive chairman of Enviro-Hub Holdings, a Singapore property and recycling business.

Ng, who’s lived in the house for more than five years, bought it in 2010 for S$17.3 million and spent another S$12 million designing and renovating the property, according to Jervis Ng, an agent with JNA Real Estate, who’s handling the sale. Ng, the owner and no relation to the agent, declined to comment.

One of the two rare bone sculptures in the bungalow, of which there are only four in the world. Photo: JNA Media Group via Bloomberg

It’s clear Ng is a Chinese artefact aficionado, with pieces in the basement of an annex building that include an armillary sphere from the Ming dynasty and two rare bone sculptures of which there are just four in the world. There are also silk paintings by Giuseppe Castiglione, known as Lang Shining when he lived in China as a painter for emperors in the Qing dynasty.

There are plenty of modern touches in the Camden Park home that sits on a plot of land measuring more than 26,000 square feet, or the size of about five basketball courts. Among the stand-out features: a car elevator and basement garage that can accommodate up to 12 vehicles, and a wine cellar arch that holds 2,000 bottles. There’s a two-storey walk-in wardrobe with spiral staircase.