Teo Han Wue
WriterArticles by Teo Han Wue
Culture
There’s no city like Singkawang: Where Hakka is the lingua franca and Cap Go Meh dazzles
In Singkawang, West Kalimantan, writer Teo Han Wue found kindred spirits, a vibrant Chinese community and a chance to witness the colourful culmination of Chinese New Year celebrations there — a spirit-medium parade, known to the locals as Cap Go Meh or Pawai Tatung.
Teo Han Wue
02 Apr 2026
Culture
I want to write you a letter, Singapore
SG, You’ve Got Mail (信说新语), now on at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, captures a collection of artists’ personal reflections about Singapore expressed through traditional artistic forms such as ink painting, calligraphy and seal carving. Writer Teo Han Wue shares his thoughts on the letters he read.
Teo Han Wue
15 Aug 2025
Culture
Bali, 1952: Nanyang artists’ search for inspiration
A visit by Nanyang artists to Indonesia in 1952 comes alive with new-found negatives of images taken during the trip, uncovered by Gretchen Liu, writer and daughter-in-law of artist Liu Kang. Writer Teo Han Wue shares his thoughts on the subject after reading Liu’s Bali 1952: Through the Lens of Liu Kang and experiencing the NLB exhibition that accompanies it.
Teo Han Wue
25 Apr 2025
Culture
The 'late style' of 102-year-old artist Lim Tze Peng
Artist Lim Tze Peng, who turned 102 this year, was born and bred in Singapore. From having a firm grasp of traditional Chinese painting techniques, he continually experimented with different methods, adjusting his style and finding a new path. Writer Teo Han Wue was there to witness the artist's pivotal change in style some 15 years ago, when the artist was in his 80s. This was when Lim experimented with using bold, cursive-style calligraphic brushstrokes to create near-abstract and completely abstract paintings, with trees as the main subject matter - a style which came to be known as hutuzi (糊涂字, "muddled writing"). Lim's "late style" continues to evolve, even until today.
Teo Han Wue
01 Dec 2023
Culture
Carving contemporary expressions: The Chinese art of seal carving
Recent exhibition Carving Possibilities, presented by Siaw Tao Chinese Seal Carving, Calligraphy and Painting Society, showed how artists across generations are reinventing the ancient Chinese art form of seal carving. Former journalist Teo Han Wue shares his observations.
Teo Han Wue
13 Oct 2023
Culture
Kaii Higashiyama's art as tribute to Chinese monk Jianzhen
Attending a recent talk by veteran Singapore writer K C Low recently on the life of Japanese artist Kaii Higashiyama, Teo Han Wue hears about a series of temple murals Higashiyama painted in tribute to Jianzhen, a Tang dynasty monk who had spread Buddhist teachings and promoted the learning of Chinese culture in Japan.
Teo Han Wue
28 Apr 2023
Culture
The significance of Singaporean photographer Chua Soo Bin's work
Teo Han Wue tells us more about the life and work of Singapore's veteran photographer, Chua Soo Bin, who took striking profile shots of leading Greater China artists and went on to make fellow Singapore artists the subject of his portraiture.
Teo Han Wue
03 Mar 2023
Culture
True gems: Singapore's pioneers of the arts deserve more credit
Teo Han Wue laments that we are not doing enough to remember the remarkable contributions that Singapore's pioneers of the arts have made. Singapore's early artists and theatre practitioners were the avant-garde who went beyond the tried and tested in China or elsewhere. If we don't remember our past achievements, how can we be inspired to produce greater things in the future?
Teo Han Wue
13 May 2022
Culture
Must one read Chinese to appreciate Chinese calligraphy?
Teo Han Wue has always believed that one need not be literate in the Chinese language to appreciate calligraphy. He was heartened that many others seem to share his view, going by how well-received a photograph of Singaporean poet-calligrapher Pan Shou's calligraphy was at his solo photography exhibition recently. Without him regaling them with tales of Pan Shou, they found their own delight appreciating this artform through an image of an image.
Teo Han Wue
01 Apr 2022
Culture
Memories of South China: The enchanting garden that Whampoa built in Singapore
It is commonly thought that Singapore's horticultural history dates back to the beginnings of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Actually, a little earlier in the mid-19th century, Singapore pioneer Hoo Ah Kay, known as "Whampoa" after his hometown in Canton, China, had built a Chinese garden in Serangoon Road. It was resplendent with flora and fauna, and even unusual animals and birds. This is the story of Whampoa Garden.
Teo Han Wue
24 Sep 2021
Culture
Remembering Yü Ying-shih in Singapore: An ambitious social experiment disrupted
Renowned historian and sinologist Yü Ying-shih passed away earlier this month. Chinese culture and history enthusiasts may be familiar with his life's work on Chinese history and observations of contemporary China, but few may know that he has a connection to Singapore's history. During the 1980s, the education ministry explored the prospect of teaching Confucian ethics in schools. In the process, they tapped the expertise of eminent scholars such as Prof Yü. Did the experiment bear fruit in the end?
Teo Han Wue
20 Aug 2021