This story is a story dedicated to the Spirit of Craftsmanship in Yi Mei (艺美纸扎), through my lens, to learn about his tools and his story. See what he creates; learn what he loves and feels: his passion.

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Paper craftsmen are a sunset industry, and most of the master craftsmen are middle-aged or elderly. However, there is one young man who has taken the responsibility to continue the tradition  - Wong Zhen Kuan 黄政款

 

While in elementary school, he worked for a master paper craftsman to earn some pocket money, and later on, he became an apprentice to a paper craftsman; eventually made it a career, establishing Yi Mei workshophas, and has been in this field for 11 years now..

 

This industry is pure handicraft: from designing the bamboo to sticking white paper and flower paper, each step requires both hands. Tying the bamboo is the most challenging part, since only when the bamboo is tied well can it provide good support.

 

Yi Mei (艺美纸扎)workshop primarily receives orders for celebrations of temples or Gods' birthdays. These Gods are worshiped mostly by Malaysian Chinese.

 

His goal is to preserve this Chinese traditional culture so that more people can have the opportunity to learn about it and hope that it will remain in perpetuity.

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"Happiness is Seeing people appreciate my work will make me happy and satisfied."