Mr Tay Beng Yam

President

Tay Beng Yan is a Singaporean born in 1953. He is the President of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for the term of 2024-2026. Since the 1990s, he has been actively participating in the Association's activities and served as deputy treasurer and deputy secretary for many years for the Collectors' Association (Singapore) Council. Mr Tay graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Singapore Advertising Association in 1976. He studied professional art painting during the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. While at the Singapore Advertising Association, he studied commercial advertising art design. With the above-mentioned professional knowledge and abilities, he set up his own advertising company in the 1980s with the courage of "applying what he learned to use". At the same time, he also operated the business of painting and calligraphy mounting and framing. Besides, he also established a company, M/s Six Laws Gallery, to run the business of buying and selling calligraphy and painting. With his flexible business acumen and professional ability, his calligraphy and painting business became more and more successful, so he naturally sprouted an interest in collecting calligraphy and paintings. He began to collect famous artist paintings and calligraphy works. Antiques and artworks are all related to each other. Whether calligraphy, ceramics or jade, they are all sublimated products of five thousand years of Chinese culture. They also demonstrate the wisdom of the descendants of Yanhuang. Knowing this and mastering this logic, Mr Tay became interested in ceramics and jade collections. He began to study tirelessly and finally master the knowledge of collecting ancient ceramics and jade. Then, he started to collect Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, porcelains, jade and various cultural relics. In February 1988, Mr Tay organized the "Wu Guanzhong Painting Exhibition" jointly with Mr Huang Mengtian, editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Fine Arts and the National Museum of Singapore. The exhibition achieved a brilliant result. In 2002, He participated in the appraisal course of Ming Dynasty Hongwu, Yongle, and Xuande blue and white porcelain workshops organized by Beijing Palace Museum for overseas collectors. At that time, the course's lecturers were the chief appraisers of the Palace Museum Geng Baochang, Li Huibing, Wang Liying, Feng Xiaoqi and Chen Runnin. And Professor Wang Qingzheng, former curator of Shanghai Museum. From 2002 to 2017, He participated in the annual International Academic Conference on Ancient Ceramics:
  • November 2002, the International Symposium on "Laohu Dong" kiln Sites of the Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Ceramics in Hangzhou, China.
  • November 2003, Annual International Symposium on Changsha Kiln Ceramics in Changsha, China.
  • October 2004, Annual International Symposium on Millennium Ceramic Culture in Jingdezhen, China.
  • November 2005, Annual International Symposium on Jun Kiln Ceramics in Yuzhou, China.
  • November 2011, the Annual International Symposium on Border Region Blue and White Ceramic in Yunnan China.
  • November 2012, Annual International Symposium on Ancient Ceramics from the South China Sea and Southern Glazed Ceramics in China.
  • October 2013, Annual International Symposium on Yue Kiln and Xing Kiln Ceramics in China.
  • December 2015, Annual International Symposium on Fanchang Kiln Celadon in China.
  • October 2017, Annual International Symposium on Ru Kiln & Lushan Kiln Ceramics in China.
In January 2020, Professor Jiang Jianxin, the honorary director of Jingdezhen Archaeological Institute and the honorary curator of Jingdezhen Museum, gave high praise after appreciating Mr Tay's ancient ceramic collections.  

Mr Tan Yong Teck

Secretary-General

Tan Yong Teck is a Singaporean born in the 1950s. He is re-elected as the Honorary Secretary-General of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for the term of 2024 -2026. Tan became active in cultural activities, specifically ceramic and porcelain collections, since 2000. He is passionate about the art of ancient ceramics. A visit to the ancient ceramics exhibits in the Museum of Ancient Relics in China left him with a deep and unforgettable impression. A piece of antiquity ceramic or porcelain reflects the culture of the era. They reflect exquisitely refined, complex and delicate craftsmanship. These antiquities also convey thousands of years of cultural history and wisdom and embody the culture and artistic evolution. These art wares look quaint as a whole, unveiling the Song Dynasty's aesthetical appeal; they are regular and dignified, simple yet elegant. The perdurable hazy glaze is robust yet glamorous and soft appealing. The wares emit an enduringly warm and fascinating elegance, expressing their profoundly subtle beauty. Each of these ceramics has lived through countless hardships and survived many historical journeys. Even after weathering through generations of prosperous days and surviving the dark days of the war, they still exude a tranquil charm, earning them their place in the museum as rare treasures. Tan focuses on collecting ancient porcelain and ceramics, particularly from the Song dynasties' famous kilns. He is passionate about ancient ceramics for their subtle beauty and intrinsic historical value. To pass it down in its entirety is a great blessing of the hard-working artisans and generations of caring collectors.

Mr Qu Jinmin

Treasurer

Qu Jinmin is a Singaporean born in Wenzhou, China, in 1965. He is the Honorary Treasurer of the Collectors’ Association (Singapore) for the term of 2024-2026. He obtained a Bachelor of Engineering from the Department of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University in China, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA, Finance) from the University of Leicester (UK). Qu Jinmin studied and worked in Hangzhou's ancient capital for many years and developed an interest in ancient Chinese culture. He started collecting ancient coins in Hangzhou before coming to Singapore. After working and settling in Singapore in 1994, Mr Qu engaged in construction management work. His collection range has gradually expanded from early coins to porcelain, bronze, and jade. The main collections are: Coins: Ancient copper coins and silver coins from the dynasties of Song, Ming, Qing. The Republic of China and a series of Annan (Vietnam) copper coins and silver coins (French Indochina coins) from different periods. Porcelain: Porcelain from different kilns in Song Dynasty, Jingdezhen porcelain from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. Such as Ru kiln sunflower wash in the Song Dynasty. Bronze: Bronze mirrors and ancient weapons from the Warring States Period, Han Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty. Jade: High ancient jade. Qu hopes to have the opportunity to share more collections with friends in the collection circles at home and abroad and jointly promote the inheritance of Chinese culture.

Mr Lee Wee Giap

Vice President

Lee Wee Giap is a Singaporean citizen born in Malaysia in 1954. He is the Vice President of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for the term of 2024-2026. In his early years, Mr Lee was in the clothing industry and invested in China in the 1980s. He indeed devoted himself to the embrace of this country with millennia of rich history, living in it, fascinated by his eyes and ears, and truly experienced the charm and greatness of this country with five thousand years of culture. The crystallization of five thousand years of culture deeply attracted him, so he fell in love with famous Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and ancient ceramics. Mr Lee's collection mainly involves famous Chinese and Singaporean calligraphy and painting, including paintings by the well-known Singaporean first-generation painter Chen Wen Hsi; the porcelain collection includes official kiln and exquisite ancient porcelain. This energetic and cheerful collector admitted frankly that he is just at the beginning of his long collection journey. Bless him as he works doubly hard!

Mr Zhang ShiYou

Vice Secretary-General

Zhang Shiyou is a Singapore permanent resident born in 1966 and is the Deputy Honorary Secretary-General of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for 2024-2026. He is also the Fine Arts Development Global owner in Singapore and the Singapore agent of Shanghai Duoyunxuan Auction Co., Ltd. Influenced by his family, Mr Zhang started learning traditional Chinese culture, art, and painting at a young age. He also received careful guidance from many famous artists in the painting and calligraphy circles, such as Mr Pu Zuo and Mr Liang Qi. After years of accumulated experience, he has become fonder of Chinese traditional culture and art, especially the collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy. Zhang devoted himself to research, low-key collection, and traveled to many countries and regions in the world. He has appreciated and appraised countless famous paintings and calligraphy works, visiting famous paintings and calligraphy exhibitions, art fairs, and auctions. Through continuous learning, his art appreciation ability and appraisal level have been greatly improved. Zhang founded the "Antique Calligraphy and Painting Art Workshop" in 2019. This art platform gathers many well-known figures in the antique industry and facilitates the sharing of resources. This novel and unique business method and the continuous display and exchange of masterpieces by famous masters have enabled the "Antique Painting and Calligraphy Art Workshop" to win the recognition and praise of the antique collection circle.

Mr Low Keng Han

Vice Treasurer

Lau Keng Han, born in Singapore in 1956, Deputy Honorary Treasurer of the Collectors’ Association (Singapore) for 2024-2026. He is from the construction, furniture, and hardware industries. He is currently the “International Wu Style Taiji Senior instructor”; Vice President of “Singapore Jian Chuan Tai Chi Association "; the vice president of " Lau Kwan Cheong Chew Ku Seng Wui Kun"; and a council member " Nanyang Confucian Association". Since 1978, Lau has been interested in antiques and Chinese painting and calligraphy, especially Chinese ink painting and calligraphy. In addition to the collection of famous Chinese paintings and calligraphy works, he also collects Singapore's famous paintings and calligraphy works. He had learned ink painting and calligraphy from Singapore Artist Tan Oe Pang, Kang Siong Joo and Chang Kwang Wee. He also ran the "Xinyuan Gallery" in the 1990s. He marvelled at the profound artistic accomplishments of calligraphers and painters. They used a brush on rice paper to harmonize the combination of ink and water to create various tangible objects, landscapes, figures, flowers, and birds in the natural world. Calligraphy reflects the evolution and changes of Chinese characters with a long history. It allows calligraphers to display their skills. Whether it is seal script, cursive script, or block letters, they can write energetically and show different styles. It has left countless immortal works of art for the long history of Chinese culture. Singapore Collectors’ Association has set up this web platform to allow collectors to display their collections. The purpose is to expand the communication circle of members and allow more collectors to appreciate our collections so as to increase the knowledge of antiques and improve appreciation ability.

Ms Lee Ee Khim

Council Member

Lee Ee Khim is a Singaporean and a council member of the Collectors’ Association (Singapore) for 2024-2026. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Nanyang University. In her early years, she served as assistant curator of the National University of Singapore Museum and Nanyang University Heritage Museum, consultant and member of the Preparatory Committee of the Ngee Ann Cultural Center, and curator of the Ngee Ann Company Heritage and Collection Museum. She is keen on studying Chinese cultural relics. She has visited the Palace Museum in Beijing, the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, and the Cultural Relics Training Center of the China Cultural Relics Administration to take cultural relics courses and to inspect, learn from the experience, and thereby benefiting tremendously. Ms Lee also loves to collect Ming and Qing dynasties Chinese porcelain, especially Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong porcelains. These porcelains have innovative and colourful glazes, exquisite shapes, and rich decorations, which far surpass the previous generations and cannot be matched by future generations. In addition, she also loves calligraphy and painting. She has studied Western painting and Chinese advanced ink painting courses at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). For many years, she has also studied calligraphy and Chinese ink paintings of flowers and birds and figure paintings under the tutelage of Singapore artist Nai Swee Leng. Her experiences include having held two solo painting exhibitions; participated in joint painting and calligraphy exhibitions at home and abroad all year round, works in related institutions and private collections; often invited to demonstrate on-site colour ink painting. She is now engaged in the teaching of Chinese ink painting. She is a permanent member of NTU Graduates Association and NAFA Alumni Association; also a member of the Chinese Society for Ancient Ceramics, Chinese Ancient Jade Research Association, Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving Calligraphy & Painting Society, Molan Art Association, Chaoyang Calligraphy and Painting House, and Club NAFA, etc.

Dr Luo QingMing

Council Member

Luo Qingming is a Singapore Citizen born in Fuzhou, China. He is the council member of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for 2024-2026. He received his BA degree from the East China Normal University in Shanghai and PhD in Linguistics from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He once taught the Chinese Language at Xiamen University for 15 years and is currently a senior lecturer in Asian Languages & Cultures of the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. He is also Luo has been active in the field of education for a long time. He has a deep appreciation for the extensive and profound Chinese traditional culture. In the late 1980s, he often went to Jingdezhen, the capital of porcelain. In that process, he was acquainted with ceramic art and eventually forged an indelible bond with the art. Since then, he has embarked on the road of porcelain collection. After immigrating to Singapore in the millennium, he was amazed by the Maritime Silk Road's styles and in the recovered shipwrecks. He began to concentrate on studying and collecting ancient Chinese porcelains from all over Southeast Asia. For more than 20 years, he has gained a systematic understanding of the history of ancient Chinese porcelain and overseas trade through literature research, field inspections, collection observations, market treasure hunts and exchanges with peers. He has mastered a large number of research articles and pictures of overseas porcelains data, including the Tang Dynasty Yue kiln, Changsha kiln, Song Dynasty Longquan kiln, Dehua kiln, Ming Dynasty Jingdezhen kiln and Zhangzhou kiln and other ancient Chinese kilns. The origin of Luo's collection comes from his love of Chinese culture. His interest in collecting comes from the revelation of the mysteries of ceramics. The joy of collecting comes from the exchange of ceramic art with his collector friends. The Collectors' Association (Singapore) is a platform for avid collectors to exchange and learn. Luo hopes that experts and collectors at home and abroad can display their collections, share appraisal knowledge, exchange and learn from each other, thereby enhancing cultural taste, cultivating artworks, and improving collection quality.

Mr Chen Ping

Council Member

Mr Chen Ping immigrated to Singapore in 1997 and is now a Singapore citizen, born in Fujian, China, in 1974. He is a council member of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for 2024-2026. 2022-2024. Mr Chen Ping grew up in a family of scholars and was deeply influenced by the painter's father since he was a child. He has a profound interest in Chinese traditional culture, especially Chinese painting and calligraphy. After immigrating to Singapore, although he worked in the area of precision engineering and aerospace science and technology, his interest and enthusiasm for art became more and more active, especially his love for Chinese calligraphy and painting. For many years, he has actively attended various art exhibitions, art fairs and auctions. In his spare time, he also visits painters, collectors and art experts to make friends with them. Through continuous learning and interaction with collectors, he opened his horizons, increased a lot of collecting knowledge, and enriched his collections. His collections mainly include Chinese calligraphy works and paintings by famous Chinese calligraphers and painters and masterpieces by Singaporean calligraphers and painters.

Ms Linda Shuran

Council Member

Shuran is a permanent resident of Singapore. She is a poet, artist, renowned curator, painter and collector. She is the Chairman of Kun De Yuan International Pte Ltd, Director of the Singapore Jastar Investments Pte Ltd, Ding Yi Xuan Artistic’s Director, and Calligraphy and Painting Market Operation Expert of CCIC Artwork Appraisal. She is a council member of the Collectors' Association (Singapore) for 2024-2026. Federation of Arts Singapore, Singapore Arts Association and Singapore Chinese Fine Arts Research Association. Over the past years, she has engaged in the exchange and promotion of art and poetry culture between China and Singapore and successfully planned and organised more than 30 solo exhibitions, joint exhibitions, and the exhibitions of exquisite works. She is also committed to discovering, creating, and promoting dozens of contemporary artists from Singapore and Southeast Asia. She made positive contributions to promoting Chinese traditional culture and enhancing cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Singapore. She has also participated in the China-Singapore Art Exhibition. Her work was selected for The Essential Artist Guide 2017, Artworks of Non-traditional Aesthetic Meaning—International Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Artistes". The investment companies, chambers of commerce, associations, and individuals have a Collection of her works. As a poet, Shuran served as the image ambassador of the 4th Chinese Poetry Spring Festival Party in 2018. An interview with Xinhua News Agency with "People in the World" has attracted much attention. She was also awarded the titles of "Top 10 Poets of 2019 in China”, "China's Internet Poets of the Year 2019", and "Top Ten Chinese Poets" in 2019. She also won several gold medals in the elite international Martial arts competitions.