The Vanishing Trade – Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency Exhibition

During my visit to Haw Par Villa in August this year, one of the free exhibitions was the Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency, which runs until the end of December 2022. It is located at the Cloud Pavilion that is next to the Culture Courtyard. It is an exhibition on the vanishing paper offerings trade which is typically used for temple festivities and funeral offerings.

The owner of the Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency, Mr Yeo Hung Teo, 83, is one the last few artisans in Singapore who can craft and paint traditional Teochew lanterns in Singapore. Unfortunately, the firm shut its doors in July 2022, due to traditional Chinese festivals becoming less popular with the younger generation, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically scaling down the size of festivals and an unexpected tragedy of one of their workers. The end of a 63 year old business based on a tradition going back 1,700 years.

Mr Yeo Hung Teo, born in Guangdong, China, migrated to Singapore at the age of two in 1941 with his father to escape the Sino-Japanese war. His father Yeo Swee Piew started the company in 1959. He worked as an apprentice under his father, a specialist in applying Chinese calligraphy on traditional Teochew lanterns. They worked together until his father passed away in 1987. He continued the business with his wife, Mrs Yeo Siew Peng, who joined the firm in 1982.

Their paper factory began in the 1960s in a shophouse along New Market Road in Chinatown, then moved to River Valley Road, Upper Circular Road in 1978, and finally to Toa Payoh Industrial Park at Lorong 8 in 2008.

Mr Yeo would take up to a month to complete complex lanterns as the lantern had to be painted five to six times over to ensure a smooth and consistent finish. After decades of dedication to his craft, he suffered from nerve and ligament issues resulting in being unable to stand properly or lift his right arm. His declining health forced him to step back from the business and he is currently wheelchair-bound and looked after by his wife. They have two daughters who have their own careers so passing on the business was not an option.

Then in April 2022, their right hand man, Mr Tang Hung Wee, fell off a ladder and died from his injuries. They made a difficult decision to wind down the company’s operations and shut its doors for good in July 2022.

The exhibits like the photos, footage, furniture, and a plethora of colourful paper offerings for funerals and the 7th Lunar Month and other traditional Chinese festivals are kindly donated or loaned by the Yeos.

In the above photo, we have paper deities:

Niu Tou Ma Mian/牛头马面 (Ox Head and Horse Face)

They are part of the Chinese netherworld’s bureaucracy, a network of attendants and jailers responsible for escorting the deceased through the 10 Courts of Hell, and to and from the various hells for punishments to be meted out.

Da Er Ye Bo/大二爷伯 (Two Great Generals)

They are Da Ye Bo (First Great General) and Er Ye Bo (Second Great General). They are ghost dispatchers tasked with escorting the deceased to the netherworld. They are also known as Hei Bai Wu Chang (黑白无常) in Mandarin.

Tua Pek Kon/大爷公 (Grand Uncle)

Zhang Li, a migrant from south China who settled in Penang, Malaysia in the 18^th century. He is a highly respected leader who had made significant contributions to the community. After his death, he was promoted to the rank of deity. His statue was created, and people worshipped him for blessings and guidance in everyday matters at home or in temples. A popular Taoist deity in Singapore and Malaysia.

City God (Cheng Huang Ye)

This Taoist deity oversees records of births and deaths in the city of Singapore, census taking of spirits and reports directly to both Heaven and Hell.