I grew up in an area where there were many craftspeople. I also had a strong interest in this field and I always wanted to learn it but there are no masters willing to teach today. I picked up this craft when a pair of effigies in our temple were badly damaged by termite. I attempted to repair them and progressed from there.

My craft is strongly linked to Chinese culture, especially Taoism and Chinese theatre. The restoration tradition set by our forefathers is a great skill that must be preserved. Innovation, to me, is to achieve the same result using what is available today. I feel like I have a huge responsibility on my shoulders to transmit our culture.

What I love the most about my work is when someone is happy with the result and I am able to preserve Chinese cultural symbols. When I refurbish an effigy, for instance, my aim is to make it as similar to the original as possible. As for paintings, my intention is to showcase Chinese culture in an accessible way.

Yes, my craft can totally be considered in danger; especially in Singapore where there is only a handful of masters left. Most of them are only willing to pass down their skills to their family members. And unfortunately, Singapore is not really into promoting these skills.