Lim Tze Peng

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About the artwork

Lim Tze Peng writes the words of 满江红 or The River Runs Red by Yue Fei (1103 - 1142) who was also known as Pengju -a famous military general in the Song Dynasty. The entire poem reads: 怒发冲冠, 凭阑处, 潇潇雨歇。 抬望眼, 仰天长啸，壮怀激烈。 三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月。 莫等闲白了少年头，空悲切。 靖康耻，犹未雪；臣子恨，何时灭？ 驾长车，踏破贺兰山缺！ 壮志饥餐胡虏肉，笑谈渴饮匈奴血。 待从头、收拾旧河山，朝天阙。 Translated, the poem means: Angrily moving towards victory, the fine mist of rain ceases as I lean over the railing. Raising my eyes to the sky, I unleash a long cry towards heaven - filled with intensity. Thirty years of toil amount to nothing but dust and dirt, crossing eight thousand miles with clouds and moon overhead. The act of mindless waiting turns the hair of the young white, sitting by idly makes one grow old with regret. The humiliation of Jing Kang still lingers, when will the pain of his subjects ever be erased? Let us ride our war chariots and break through He Lan pass, there we shall feast on the flesh of barbarians and drink their blood. We will recover and renew our old empire, before paying tribute to the Emperor.

About the artist

Born in Singapore in 1921, Lim Tze Peng is one of Singapore’s most significant artists and a living legend. Renowned for his Chinese ink creations of post-independence Singapore, he also practices Chinese calligraphy. Alongside local and international exhibitions, his masterpieces are exhibited in prominent Singapore institutions and part of many prestigious collections. Lim has been bestowed several awards including the Special Prize at the Commonwealth Art Exhibition in England in 1977 and the prestigious Cultural Medallion in Singapore in 2003. In May 2012, he broke records with the sale of his works at a Christies auction in Hong Kong.