Between Danny and Connie Tan, father and daughter, they have more than 3,000 turtle- and tortoise-shaped artefacts in all materials, from precious porcelain to plain plastic. As of July 2005, their collection is now the biggest in the world, according to Guinness World Records. They beat a British collector with 909 such artefacts.

They opened it in 2001 (at Chinatown, 27 Neil Road) to house their artefact collection and more than 1,000 live turtles, tortoises and terrapins, kept in aquarium tanks and a pond. Most have been the family's pets from as far back as 1978, before Singapore joined an international convention in 1986 to ban the import and export of endangered species.

In 2000, Mr Tan got a licence from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to keep the reptiles in the museum for educational purposes. In 2003, Mr. Tan planned a $1.6 million expansion to house the museum in Chinese Garden. The inauguration of the Museum at Chinese Garden was by Mr. Lim Swee Say, Minister for the Environment, on 1 August 2004.