西天園佛舖
Cultivate the connoisseur's eye
Learn how to appreciate the ancient artistry of traditional Daoist and Buddhist statues
Why handmade? They are expressions of Daoist values
While both handmade and machine-made statues can be beautiful, handmade statues are often valued more highly.
Handmade statues are expressions of two foundational Daoist ideas: Wu Wei (无为) and Zi Ran (自然).
Wu Wei refers to the concept of effortless action. Instead of speed, it values flow. It is a human, not machine, quality that comes to life when one sees our craftsmen at work.
Zi Ran translates as "self-so" or "naturalness” and leads one to find beauty in imperfection, in the knowledge that they embody more authenticity, character and vitality than uniformity and perfection.
In our statues, these ideas become concrete, serving as reminders to devotees of the Daoist way of life.
Miniature robes made of holy joss stick ash
On our statues, you will find 3D motifs of soaring dragons, blooming flowers and swirling clouds on the robes, head wear, and thrones. These are not carved. They are too intricate to be so.
Instead, they are made using a technique called thread sculpture (漆线).
Joss stick ash is collected, washed, turned into a dough, beaten into a fine thread with a spatula, then painstakingly twirled and coiled on the statue with bamboo sticks to create the motifs.
In other words, as the smoke from the joss sticks lifts your prayers to the gods above, the ash that falls is used to make the clothes of those very gods. The statue is now adorned with the holinesss of the ash.
With origins dating back hundreds of years to the early Qing Dynasty, it is today a disappearing art form. Even in China, where it originated, it has been designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Blessings that don't fade, but last you for decades
Gold is an important material in religious worship. That is why although gold paint is more commonly used nowadays, we continue to use foil made from real gold.
A material that does not tarnish over time, it represents the eternity of the divine. Its brilliance draws the attention of devotees, evoking a sense of awe and invoking a sacred atmosphere. It is also an offering of man's most prized possession to the deity.
Although cheaper and more commonly used, gold paint does not shine as bright. In a few years, it fades into a dull darkish yellow.
At Say Tian Hng, we gild statues only using gold foil, which are featherlight films of real gold so that its shine - and all its divine symbolism - can stay with you for decades.
Statues alive with Qi (气)
When a craftsman creates a statue by hand, they invest their time, effort, artistry, and care into the process. This human touch is believed to transfer Qi (气) - the universe's life force - into the statue, making it spiritually "alive" and differentiating the experience of worship.
This is especially so for statues made from organic material such as wood, which embody the Daoist principle of harmony with nature, and allow the flow of Qi to remain pure.
Accurate iconography you can trust
Iconography - the unique combination of visual elements such as weapons, garments, head wear, skin tone, eyebrows, beards, poses and others to represent a specific deity - is critical in Taoism and Buddhism.
It is, after all, the only way to identify a deity in the pantheon of numerous deities.
While there is some room for artistic interpretation, boundaries are important. For example, Tua Peh Kong (Granduncle) and Tu Di Kong (Earth God) are two elderly, white-bearded, staff-wielding, seated gentlemen who look almost identical, yet have different origin stories and functions. The way to tell them apart is via the iconography: Granduncle sits on a throne while the Earth God - as his name suggests - sits on a rock ledge. Without knowing this, one is confused for the other.
Eyebrows are another example. We use more than 10 designs: Thin elegant ones for goddesses like Guan Yin; wispy, unkempt ones for elderly gentlemen like Tua Peh Kong, ferocious phoenix-esque ones for warriors like Guan Gong, and squiggly ones for mischievous child gods like Ne Zha.
Skin tones matter, too. Maidens need a fairer biege, warriors a sun-kissed biege, child gods a rosy biege, underworld gods a sickly, greyish-biege.
Daoist statue-making is art, but not freestyle art. Ultimately, it must serve it role to provide an accurate and precise representation of a story more important than itself.
At Say Tian Hng, we have a large body of archival knowledge, accumulated and documented over time, to do this.
Deciphering relief motifs
On our statues, you will find 3D motifs of soaring dragons, blooming flowers and swirling clouds on the robes, head wear, and thrones. These are not carved. They are too intricate to be so.
Instead, they are made using a technique called thread sculpture (漆线).
Joss stick ash is collected, washed, turned into a dough, beaten into a fine thread with a spatula, then painstakingly twirled and coiled on the statue with bamboo sticks to create the motifs.
In other words, as the smoke from the joss sticks lifts your prayers to the gods above, the ash that falls is used to make the clothes of those very gods. The statue is now adorned with the holinesss of the ash.
With origins dating back hundreds of years to the early Qing Dynasty, it is today a disappearing art form. Even in China, where it originated, it has been designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Trusted by generations around the world
Different shops craft statues in different styles. There is no right or wrong. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
At Say Tian Hng, our iconography and techniques are passed down over generations in our family. They link us to a distant past.
Over the years, our customers have crossed generations. Customers send us statues to restore that were made by us decades ago, by customers who are grandchildren of the original owners.
Today, our customers no longer come only from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, but also Europe, USA and even South America. We hope their grandchildren will also be our customers.