Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan

In the early 19th century, many Chinese from China’s southern coastal townships saw opportunities in South East Asia and flocked to the region in search of better lives. Settling down in this area known as Nanyang, they set up respective clan associations to care for and support fellow immigrants. Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK) was founded against this backdrop within Thian Hong Keng temple at Telok Ayer in 1840.

Since its inception, Hokkien Huay Kuan has always been committed to uplifting the community as a whole, in addition to promoting fellowship and goodwill among Hokkien descendants. The clan  helped build and maintain the Tao Nan School, Ai Tong School, Chongfu School, Nan Chiau Primary School, Nan Chiau High School and Kong Hwa School between 1906 to 1953. In 1953, Hokkien Huay Kuan donated 523 acres of land for the construction of Nanyang University (now Nanyang Technological University). In the late 80s, Huay Kuan spearheaded Chinese speech and drama classes, and Chinese dance training for children. In 2012, the SHHK Cultural Academy became the first ever cultural academy set up by a clan association, with facilities like a bilingual kindergarten and an after-school care centre.SHHK celebrated its 180th anniversary in 2020 with the 2-volume  publication Transcending Centuries: A Chronicle of SHHK 180 Years of Historical Articles, where Lim Tze Peng contributed his calligraphy for the title of the book. Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan will display the centenarian artist’s Transcending Centuries. Wish to catch a glimpse? Be sure not to miss Treasures of the Clans!

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Lim Tze Peng (1923-)
Transcending Centuries
2020
Ink on paper
58 x 137.5 cm
Inscription: By Lim Tze Peng.
Seal: Seal of Lim Tze (characters in white).


This calligraphic work was written by Lim Tze Peng as the inscription for the cover of the book celebrating the 180th anniversary of the Hokkien Huay Kuan, Transcending Centuries: A Chronicle of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan 180 Years of Historical Articles.

Lim Tze Peng (1923-) is a famous local artist in Singapore, having been awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2003, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2016. After graduating from high school, he dedicated himself to education. During his decades of teaching, he always maintained a deep interest in art. He was already 77 years old when he held his first solo exhibition in 1998, and only became more famous after reaching 80 years old.

From calligraphy to painting, Lim Tze Peng has left a long-lasting impact on the Singaporean art scene. As a true Singaporean artist, he said that “an artist should paint his hometown. If one is separated from his hometown, it is like a tree without roots, water without a source.” His unique “hutuzi” (muddled writing) style left an impact on the two-thousand-year-old Chinese calligraphic tradition. The Singapore art scene is a crossroads between Eastern and Western influences, and Lim Tze Peng’s contributions are indisputable. “Hutuzi” resists, and in fact, challenges the traditions of Chinese calligraphy, and blurs the boundary between calligraphy and painting through abstract expressionist ideas.