Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Singapore Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle

This family-owned pottery shop is home to the last operational dragon kiln in Singapore.

Singapore

Added By
arlene bastion
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Enter the dragon!   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the dragon since the 1940s.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
A tree inside the shop house.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Outside of the shop.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
The house washbasin.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
An assortment of wares.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Wares, continued.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Wares, continued.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Folding door to the house.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the shop.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Wares, continued.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Wares, continued.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Wares, continued.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
An eclectic collection of pottery.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Bric-a-brac.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
The sleeping dragon.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Side view of the kiln.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Inside of the dragon.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Side entrance to the kiln.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
The shop entrance.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
House item—not for sale.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Ceramic pots guide you to the dragon.   arlene / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The dragon kiln, or longyao, is a traditional Chinese wood-fired kiln that dates back several thousand years. The long, cylindrical kiln is said to resemble the shape of a dragon, and it hisses, bellows, and spits smoke as it works. Dragon kilns rose in popularity in Singapore in the early 19th century, and from the 1940s to the 1970s, nearly 20 opened up across Jurong. Over time, electric kilns replaced the more labor-intensive dragons, and all but two such kilns shuttered. Today, Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle is home to the oldest surviving dragon kiln, and the only one that continues to breathe fire. 

Made by hand in the 1940s, Thow Kwang's dragon kiln is molded from clay and buttressed by bricks. The 27-meter-long kiln is built at a steep slope so that the fire, lit within the head of the dragon, can propel intense heat throughout the kiln and push rising smoke from the tail. Pottery that can withstand high heat is placed closest to the mouth, where temperatures can reach up to 1,500°C. The dragon can “eat” up to 4,000 pieces at once, but each piece must be placed into the kiln individually. It's a laborious process, and a long one, too; from starting the fire to cooling the pottery, it takes about six days. Workers sustain the fire day after day, periodically sliding pieces of wood through the kiln's stoke holes.

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle has been owned and operated by the Tan family for three generations. Tan Kim Seh, the founder, was a third-generation potter born in Feng Xi, China who, after moving to Singapore, purchased the kiln and started the family pottery business. Although the kiln is no longer used commercially, the Tan family fires up the dragon two to three times each year for clay artists to use and spectators to witness. When the kiln isn't in operation, Thow Kwang offers pottery workshops, tours, and educational events. It also serves as a studio and gathering space for a group of potters known as the Thow Kwang Clay Artists.

The shop house, relatively unchanged since the 1990s, brims with an assortment of ceramic umbrella stands, flower pots, lampshades, and dishes alongside miscellaneous bric-a-brac, religious statues, and household items used by the Tan family. The pièce de résistance, of course, is the dragon itself, and while it’s only operational a few times a year, the lucky visitor can tour the belly of the wood-fired beast.

 

Related Tags

Ceramics Disappearing World

Know Before You Go

To get to the Pottery Jungle, take a taxi from Boon Lay Interchange or take Bus #199 from Boon Lay Interchange to Bus Stop 27171, the last stop before the bus turns at Nanyang Technological University. Cross toward CleanTech Park and look for mammoth pottery jars on the road guiding the way. 

 

Community Contributors

Added By

arlene

Published

August 13, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.roots.sg/learn/stories/the-dragon-kiln-breathes-thow-kwang-dragon-kiln/story#:~:text=The%20kilns%20were%20located%20in,the%20production%20of%20these%20wares.&text=From%20the%201950s%20to%20the,coiling%2C%20throwing%20and%20plaster%20moulding.
  • https://www.nhb.gov.sg/what-we-do/our-work/community-engagement/awards
  • https://mothership.sg/2017/12/dragon-kiln-singapore/
Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle
85 Lor Tawas
639823
Singapore
1.353593, 103.692677
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Nirvana Memorial Garden

Singapore

miles away

Jurong Hill

Singapore

miles away

The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum

Singapore

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Singapore

Singapore

Asia

Places 73
Stories 14

Nearby Places

Nirvana Memorial Garden

Singapore

miles away

Jurong Hill

Singapore

miles away

The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum

Singapore

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Singapore

Singapore

Asia

Places 73
Stories 14

Related Places

  • Lee and Pup McCarty first set up shop in an old mule barn.

    Merigold, Mississippi

    McCarty’s Pottery

    Founded in 1954 by a husband-and-wife duo, this ceramics studio carries on a powerful artistic legacy.

  • Cape Town, South Africa

    Lydenburg Heads

    These terracotta heads are among the oldest Iron Age objects found south of the equator.

  • Selb, Germany

    Porzellangässchen (Porcelain Alley)

    A unique public space where the walkway is paved with thousands of porcelain tiles.

  • Hemiksem, Belgium

    Gilliot & Roelants Tile Museum

    The only museum dedicated to the tile production for which the Rupel region was renowned.

  • Tokonyan, the giant lucky cat.

    Tokoname, Japan

    Tokoname Pottery Footpath

    A mile-long trail of pottery culture, full of clay pipes and lucky cats, including one that’s 12.5 feet tall.

  • Il Fatidico Sgabello, the “fateful stool.”

    Florence, Italy

    Il Fatidico Sgabello

    Florence’s archaeological museum displays an ordinary stool that once shattered one of its most prized artifacts.

  • The rear panel on Çanakçı Heykeli featuring a woman on a donkey.

    Avanos, Turkey

    Çanakçı Heykeli

    This giant work of Cappadocian pottery includes a memorial for the artisan who created it.

  • Majapahit Piggy Bank at the Ashmolean

    Oxford, England

    Majapahit Piggy Bank

    A rare specimen of the ancient piggy bank of Java resides in one of the unassuming corners of the Ashmolean.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.