I have always been interested in collecting. There is difference between collecting and hoarding. Hoarding is indiscriminate amassing without a focus. Collecting is a discipline with focus. It is the art of acquiring with discernment.

When I was a schoolboy, I learned the art of collecting spiders. Unlike many of my friends who spent days in the bush picking them up at random, I remember spending hours studying the type, size and characteristics of specimens and the type of vegetation they thrive in. Only then did I embark on my collecting adventure. I did not own many, but they were of good fighting quality. My friends would then buy one or two from me for 5 cents each. This was when I discovered collecting has an investment value.

My interest in beautiful objects of art was kindled by my late father. He collected Chinese Ming and Qing porcelain vases, water pots, and wrist rests, collectibles for the scholar’s writing desk. I used to admire (and still do) the potter’s ability to mould, decorate and fire such fine kaolin to produce top quality porcelain. The decoration was never busy. A single sprig of prunus delicately painted and under-glazed onto a vase no taller than 10 cm was a good example.

So over the years, I developed a taste for small size collectibles, having lived amongst them since childhood. But I did not venture out to purchase on my own until a small revelation transformed my passive interest into active pursuit.

During my first month of employment after graduation, I chanced across an article on Chinese snuff bottles in an early edition of “Arts of Asia”, a tastefully illustrated arts magazine.

I was simply astounded by the beauty and exquisite crafting of these tiny bottles. I soon bought then the only English book on the subject – “Chinese Snuff Bottles – The Adventures & Studies of a Collector”, by the late Lilla Perry.

From Lilla, I learned that snuff was grounded tobacco imported by Europeans into China during the early Qing dynasty in the 17th C. In Europe, snuff was consumed by sniffing a small quantity and inhaled into each nostril thereby producing a few loud sneezes. It was supposed to clear the nostril passage ways and result in a sense of well being, if not aphrodisiac sensations. It was used by the gentry during the courts of Louis XIV (1643-1715) and elsewhere and was considered fashionable by men and women to carry a snuff box in their pockets.

When snuff was introduced into China to the Kangxi court (1662-1722) by Jesuits, it was soon realized that box containers were not practical as the mandarin robe did not have pockets. Instead, it was ideal to store snuff into small bottles (no more than 5 cm high) wherein the user was able to tuck it into the long sleeves of his robe.

These small bottles soon caught on not only in the Chinese court but in business circles where merchants presented them as gifts and bribes. They soon became a collector’s item and hence various forms of material were used to make them. These included glass, quartz, jade, silver, hornbill, porcelain, sharkskin, and other organic and non organic material. Intricate decorations were also employed – carving, pasting, and later a technique known as inside painted, where a painting was executed inside a glass bottle.

I vividly remember my first acquisition. It was bought at a local antiques shop known as “Moon Gate”. It was a late 19th C glass overlay bottle with intricate carving of figures toasting each other. Almost half of my first month’ salary went to acquiring this beauty and I have kept it to this day. It was probably a good investment as these beauties would have appreciated at least 15-20 times since then.

My first snuff bottle

Through the years, I acquired other bottles. Another favourite is this porcelain carved bottle with a green jade tablet (likely taken from a Mandarin’s hat) attached into the middle. The bottle was acquired in London and would have been dated circa 1870. I take it out even now to admire it.

There were a few cardinal rules about collecting snuff bottles (which also apply to other forms of collecting) which I adhere to closely. First, the bottle has to be in mint or near mint condition. Don’t risk the temptation to purchase bottles which have cracks or defaced decorations, no matter how well crafted. Second, make sure it is of the age period attributed. There are countless modern bottles attributed to the Qing dynasty in today’s market. Nowadays I attest to the 90-10 rule. Assume 90% in today’s market are fakes to begin with. The challenge is to search out the 10%. Third, buy the best you can afford. It is more satisfying to resist the temptation of amassing poor quality pieces when you can live with just one of the best in its class. At present, I have only one or at most two bottles from each type of material. Fourth, buy pieces which appeal for its artistic value to you personally and not only for investment value. After all you will have to live with them on a daily basis!

Another favourite of mine is this inside painted bottle of an opera actor. It is dated 1911 and signed Ma Shao-Hsuan. Ma was one of the first artist to paint portraits. The technique was to paint in reverse using a small pointed brush inserted into the mouth of the bottle. It is micro painting in its highest form! There are now thousands of bottles attributed to Ma but most are contemporary fakes. I acquired this bottle in 1965 from a reputable dealer in Hong Kong.

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In the mid 1990s my family and I lived in London for 2 years on a cross posting. London is often considered the Mecca of the antiques and fine market. Indeed so. In almost every nook and corner was an antique shop of sorts. Some dealing in 17th C European paintings, some in early 20th C art deco collectibles and others in heirloom bric bracs. Saturday mornings would catch us trotting over to Portobello Market to browse at the vast quantities of antiques but seldom to buy. The sheer crowd from across the globe was sufficient to satisfy as a study of cross cultural interest and tastes. A couple from France, for example, would be hunting for Russian orthodox icons. A single woman from Tokyo would be looking for pre World War Two diaries printed by His Majesty’s Stationers. It was there that I was introduced to another area of collecting – 18th C English drinking glasses!

I was simply fascinated by the various shapes, designs, and sizes, of what we know as a drinking glass. As usual, I read up on the subject, the most illustrated and readable book being “An Illustrated Guide to Eighteenth Century Drinking Glass” by L.M. Bickerton.

From it, I learned the virtual monopoly in glass making held by Venice was broken in the late 16th C when England produced some very fine ale mugs and wine goblets. The early English glasses were heavy as they were mixed with lead which acted as a ballast to prevent the contents from spilling. A typical glass would be made in three pieces – the bowl (which holds the liquid), the stem and the foot.

As time passed, the British Government passed an Excise Tax on the lead content and from the late 17th C onwards, glasses were lighter, but with the growth of the industry, more intricate designs and shapes were added.

On reflection, collecting English drinking glasses and Chinese snuff bottles, has its parallels. Both function as containers. Both have a body, a stem (in the case of snuff bottles a stopper) and a foot. My collection of bottles and glasses is also quite parallel in period – the Qinlong period onwards in China and the Georgian period onwards in England). There is however one very perceptible difference. Chinese snuff bottles were made from a myriad of materials whereas English glasses were just forms of silica.

Nevertheless, drinking glasses (like snuff bottles) were also classified according to form, shape and decoration.. There were mugs, drams (whisky glasses), goblets, balusters etc. Stems came in various shapes – moulded pedestal stem, straight stem, air twist stem, colour stem, and incised twist stem. The decoration is often an art in itself – from common engraving to engraving in commemoration of an event eg Royal Coronation; or a baby’s christening.

One of my early acquisitions is a most interesting ladies cocktail glass which has an opague twist stem engraved with a bird in flight. The engraving is actually a secret code. The bird signifies the return of Bonnie Prince Charles from exile to claim the English throne. Owners of these glasses were invariably supporters of the Prince! I bought this from a collector in Bath.

Some decorations were produced to represent a society or commercial enterprise. I have a dram (whisky drinking glass) which represented a particular Masonic Lodge in Scotland. It was engraved “Lodge of Harmony No 559”. The compass and slide rule emblem is clearly visible. A local Masonic friend helped me trace the Lodge to one which existed in Dunedin Scotland circa 1768.

In the course of my work overseas, I occasionally stayed over the weekend to browse the local flea market and antique shops. The anticipation was the optimistic prospect one might stumble onto an unexpected gem. Most times, the results were disappointing but all it took was one unexpected find to fuel the enthusiasm once more. I visited an antique shop in Mumbai in 2002 to discover a treasure trove! Scattered around the display cabinets were finely blown 19th C English drinking glasses. Some were cocktail glasses, some were after dinner liquour stem glasses; some were brandy tumblers. All bore an identical. engraved emblem – the royal insignia of the Maharaja of Rajustan. The dealer informed me the entire dinner set collection was commissioned to be sold in his shop but sensing he would find it difficult to sell it as a set, he was willing to sell single pieces. I picked up three glasses of different shapes, the most interesting being the one illustrated below.

These last two years, I have embarked on yet another collecting adventure – antique pocket watches, but a discourse of this newly found joy will run well beyond the space permitted for this article.

So for me, collecting is a continuous journey. There are always new areas to explore. But delving into a new subject to collect does not devalue the previous subjects. I still cherish my snuff bottles and English drinking glasses. Often, it is not the collectibles that one cherishes but tales of how they were acquired and the interesting types of people one meets in the trial of acquisition which is etched in memory.

About the Writer

• He has the good fortune of visiting many interesting places and meeting extraordinary people in his 35 year career as a HR director.
• He has also participated in arts forums as speaker and has contributed to events organized by auction houses such as Sothebys.
• He is interested in many forms of the arts and can be found frequently attending concerts at the Esplanade and Young Siew Toh Music Conservatory.
• He is a council member of the SE Asia Ceramics Society and the China Society.
• He is an unabashed lover of all good things, notably food and wine.

The Chinese feat was recently confirmed by France’s authoritative auction body, Conseil des Ventes Volontaries. This emerging Asian super economic power now commands 34.3% of the global art market share, after its auction industry registered remarkable growth of 137% (Euro 7.6 billion) in 2010. In 2004, it overtook France in No.3 slot and ousted Britain as No.2 five years later. The French report covers sales in “art and other collectibles”, which goes beyond “fine art”. They comprise not only paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings, photographs but would also include antique ceramics, other artifacts, jewelery and stamps.

The report also noted that Chinese collectors have been especially active in major auctions in the West too, buying back ancient Chinese artifacts, which have been chalking up record-breaking prices because of the scarcity of rare and outstanding pieces coming into the various auction houses. For example, in November 2010, an 18th century Qianlong vase, looted from the imperial collection by French and British troops when they sacked the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860, fetched a staggering price of almost US$70 million at a London auction house sale.

The affluent Chinese art treasure buyers, both individuals and corporations, have made it a patriotic move to go after those treasures that were illegally stolen from China during the 19th century; their country was too weak and powerless to prevent invading foreigners from helping themselves to these war booties. They would have to pay millions of dollars for a single such acquisition and then donate it to the Chinese government for display at one of its leading museums. One example was the purchase and donation of a 18th century bronze ox head by Mr Stanley Ho, the mogul of Macao’s world-renowned casinos.

It is noteworthy that, out of the 25 top priced art objects sold at international auctions last year, 10 were bought by Chinese collectors. Even during the world financial turmoil in 2008, which affected China much less than elsewhere, the Chinese buyers were still actively collecting and reaping some very rare pickings as prices ebbed but not significantly.

International experts and auction houses believe that prices for exquisite antique pieces and paintings will continue to rise as their limited supply would not meet the insatiable demand of the growing number of super rich Chinese millionaires and those from the West to own them. They know that such works of art are a profitable investment, apart from being an enviable status symbol.

The Chinese royalty and other rich and powerful Chinese have had a long tradition of collecting works of art dating back to more than two thousand years. The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, was a celebrated collector and so were some of the Tang Dynasty emperors. But the most famous of them all was the scholarly and artistic Song Emperor Huizhong (1082-1135) who had accumulated thousands of pieces of superb works of art in his royal collection. This was subsequently enlarged by the succeeding Ming and Qing emperors.

Besides Emperor Huizhong, the other famed avid royal collector was the formidable Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) who largely expanded the imperial collection during his long reign of 60 years. His collection of tens of thousands of varied art treasures of different eras was painstakingly catalogued and the choicest of these would be kept in his private study for him to gaze at and admire; the rest were stored within the precincts of his palace in Beijing under strict security. During his reign, China was enjoying a long period of peace and prosperity and its economy was by far the largest in the world.

Just before the defeat of the Chinese Nationalist regime by the Chinese communist forces in 1949, the bulk of the Chinese imperial collection amounting to about 80,000 pieces were removed to Taiwan, escorted by warships of the American Seventh Fleet across the Taiwan Straits. They are now housed in Taipei’s Gugong Museum complex, which has the largest and the best collection of Chinese art in the world.

With the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, collecting Chinese art by individuals was frowned upon as a decadent pursuit of the rich. The collectors were encouraged to either donate them to the state as a patriotic gesture or to sell them to the Government at prices that were substantially below their intrinsic worth. Many did so and this greatly expanded the art resources of the state. Those who did not sell their high quality pieces and managed to keep them secretly until now, will be in for a bonanza if they now part with them by auctioning them in China.

In the early years of the communist rule, works of art were not greatly valued by the Government as there was still an abundance of them. On the other hand, Chinese works of art were much sought after in the West and in Asia; they became a vehicle of trade between China and these countries at the twice yearly Canton Trade Fair. China urgently needed foreign currency to import the necessary goods and equipment for its economic development. Foreign buyers eagerly snapped up the art pieces on offer as they were well below their international market value, especially the better pieces. In this way, much of China’s art pieces were depleted over the years and foreign buyers made a fortune reselling them in their home markets. The Government then passed a law prohibiting the sale and export of works of art produced earlier than certain period. To overcome this restriction, smuggling of these prohibited art pieces became widespread and they could be bought in Macao and Hong Kong by both local and foreign buyers. Consequently, much of these ended up overseas to satisfy the growing demand of international collectors who were prepared to pay increasingly higher prices for them.

The outflow of Chinese art treasures through international trade and smuggling activities were somewhat offset by the continuous discoveries of new ancient artifacts through government sponsored excavations of burial sites of royalty and nobility of different dynasties; these resulted in the recovery of an abundance of ancient artifacts, some of which had never come to light before or known to exist. The new discoveries have greatly enriched the museum collections in different parts of this vast country. It was the practice of ancient Chinese to bury with them their favourite earthly objects as funerary wares in their burial chambers for their needs in the hereafter. This had ensured their survival for posterity; had they remained above ground they would surely have perished.

As China became prosperous from the 1990s, the Chinese art dealers have been scouring the West and Asia (including Singapore) to buy back, at higher prices, what they sold to them earlier. They would then resell these in the home market at even more handsome prices as the Chinese art market has continued to boom and the demand for better quality pieces keeps on rising. It is estimated that there are about 4 or 5 million collectors in China today, both big and small. This is more than anywhere else in the world.

The Chinese auction houses have continued to grow in size and in volume of sales with no end in sight. Of the 10 biggest auction houses in the world, 5 are Chinese. Their supplies come not only from within China itself, but more and more from the West, Asia and elsewhere. Experts are confident that the Chinese auction industry will become even bigger than now in the years ahead, provided China’s economy continues to grow.

It looks likely that collectors of Chinese art everywhere who have high quality Chinese art works in their collections will profit even more from their exoteric hobby in the years ahead. So, do hold on to them and continue to enjoy them in the privacy of your own study in the mean time. They certainly look more attractive than your share certificates!

Lam Pin Foo

At that time, good quality antique pieces were still available in several reputable antique shops in my native Singapore and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries at prices that were a mere fraction of their current market values. In places like Hong Kong, Macau and China prices were much lower than in Singapore and supplies were plentiful as China was then more concerned with political and economic developments than worrying about the outflow of their huge quantities of various kinds of antiques. By allowing the sales of these antiques to other countries to satisfy international demand would earn them the urgently needed foreign exchange in so-called hard currencies, like  the American dollar and the British pound sterling, which would enable them to pay for imports which they needed for national development. It was only years later that they started to restrict the export of good quality antiques when the stocks of these finite historic legacies had run low. Consequently, international market prices for fine Chinese antiques, especially ceramics, shot up by leaps and bounds everywhere because the demand for these had far exceeded supply. Singapore was no exception.

It was four years after I started collecting Chinese ceramics that I began to notice that  a rather unique kind of colourful and gaudy ceramic ware, known as Nonya ware, mostly of the 19th to early 20th century vintages, had made their appearance in a few secondary antique shops and flea marts. They came in different varieties, sizes, shapes, forms and motifs and were decorated in blue and white, monochrome or polychrome palettes. In the bygone era, Nonya ware was highly popular with the affluent local-born Chinese families in both Malaysia and Singapore who would have them specially made in China with specifications to suit their tastes and requirements. The tea and dinner sets would be used only on auspicious occasions to reflect their prominence in society. It became a status symbol to own them. Their entire collections would be handed down to the next generation as family heirlooms. After the older generations had passed on, some unsentimental younger descendants would often sell them off cheaply to antique shops or flea marts due to economic reasons or ignorance of their market worth. Among these Nonya pieces were different types of ceramic spoons which, despite being lowly priced at the shops compared with other more popular Nonya items, had few takers except for a handful of expatriates working in Singapore. There were two main reasons for the lack of interest in these spoons. First, the serious collectors would deem it beneath contempt to have these common dining utensils in their collections. Also spoons, which are a necessity in every Chinese household, both rich and poor, for their daily meals did not appeal to lesser collectors as worthy of collecting. Consequently, most reputable antique shops and other lesser shops would not carry them in their stocks. However, these and other non Nonya spoons were sometimes available mostly at the flea marts. Influenced by the snobbish attitudes of the more experienced collectors, I too, gave these spoons a miss even though I was initially quite fascinated by  some of the finer pieces whose beauty was far from skin deep. In retrospect, I had forfeited a golden opportunity to acquire an assortment of these Nonya and other types of spoons and paid a high price for being a crowd follower instead of being guided by my own artistic inclinations.

A couple of years later, I chanced to read an interesting article in the famed Hong Kong based art magazine, Arts of Asia, about the impressive Chinese spoon collection of an American couple working in Hong Kong. They gave a vivid account of the joys and frustrations of searching, finding and buying different varieties of Chinese spoons in Hong Kong and Macao, mostly dating from the 18th to the early 20th century. The couple had accumulated several hundred pieces of  these over a number of years, with the help of a trusted antique dealer there. They were still eagerly looking out for more finds to add to their collection. These spoons had rewarded them with endless hours of enjoyment and would continue to do so for many more years to come. This article reignited my latent interest in collecting spoons, and I was resolved to buy some before their prices went up.

From then onwards, I spent many a weekend visiting a couple of art and craft shops and flea marts in my home town, which previously had spoons for sale, but I was disappointed that only a few spoons of lower quality but high prices were available. The shop owners told me that spoons were harder to come by now as more collectors, especially local ones, had begun to buy them, thus putting pressures on prices. Another reason was that, compared with other more sought after ceramic wares, spoons were still more affordable for the new spoon collectors caught by the bug of collecting. Over a period of more than a year, I succeeded in buying only twenty pieces of average quality spoons. However, my luck improved significantly when I took a week-long holiday in Penang in neighbouring Malaysia. One of the first things I did was to visit Penang Rd and Rope Walk, where there were a number of antique shops, arts and craft shops and flea marts. What a delightful and rewarding outing it turned out to be! Among the old ceramic items on display, there were many old Nonya and other spoons awaiting patronage. After spending several hours there, I was able to harvest no less than 50 pieces of above average quality spoons, more than two-third of them were Nonya pieces, at vastly lower prices than those I previously paid in Singapore flea marts. The next day, I visited more shops in other parts of the city where there were a number of established antique and arts and craft shops. Good fortune was again on my side and I made several other memorable purchases. I added another 40 pieces of spoons to my collection, not to mention my purchases of other good quality ceramic wares which I would have gladly bought at higher prices in Singapore.

As I was fully satisfied with my lucky ceramic acquisitions there, my family and I spent the rest of our holiday sightseeing and enjoying the justly famous Penang street food which, without a doubt, was and still is, the best and cheapest  in Malaysia and Singapore. Many Singaporeans go there just for the hawker food and for the equally famed pungent local durian fruit, which came fresh from its several durian orchards. After visiting many of the well-known landmarks, we  finally ended up in the historic but somewhat run-down Penang Museum, which was housed in a stately looking building. We were the only visitors there. A very friendly museum staff volunteered to guide us around and he explained to us the history and significance of the major exhibits. My interest was aroused when we came to the section on Chinese and other ceramic collections of Southeast Asian countries, and I spent sometime admiring the rare Nonya ware pieces. Among them was a set of refined Chinese spoons, which were often found in the homes of  the rich local-born Chinese families there. Sensing my obvious interest in the Nonya collection, the genial museum guide inquired if I would be interested to view a private Nonya ware collection at the home of his once-rich family friends, who had asked him to look out for potential buyers for their extensive collection. I accepted the invitation gladly. He later telephoned this family and a family member offered to fetch me from my hotel the same night to see the collection. What a bountiful evening it turned out to be. The large bungalow of colonial architectural design, though old and dilapidated, must have been grand in its heyday. There were plenty of different shapes and sizes of Nonya antiques throughout the house: in the entrance hall, in the living room, in the study and in the dining rooms. They included furniture, cupboards, gold-gilted chest of drawers, intricate wood carvings and dazzling Nonya ceramic pieces in the display cabinets and on the sideboards. There were also many porcelain vases standing at the corners of the floors. To my great delight, there were dozens of perfect condition Nonya spoons and other small pieces of porcelain bowls and plates neatly laid out on a large dinning table for my convenience of viewing. After hours of inspecting and negotiating with my friendly and hospitable host, I bought all the spoons, several other portable ceramic pieces which I could bring home in my car, as well as a number of large wood carvings and furniture items which the owner would arrange to ship to Singapore. I left the house well after 3 AM in the morning fully exhausted, and was grateful for a lift home to my seaside hotel. I made several other return trips to Penang in subsequent years. Alas, by then, there were not many Nonya ceramic pieces and spoons left in the shops and prices had escalated to a level that was approaching the prevailing Singapore prices. This was because Singapore antique dealers and collectors had bought up whatever Nonya pieces they could find in Penang when they were much cheaper than in Singapore. This had seriously depleted the finite stock available to satisfy the insatiable appetite of collectors for this particular ware. It has sentimental values to the people of Singapore and Malaysia who were prepared to pay inflated prices for them.

Besides Penang, the only other Malaysian city that has an even richer Nonya heritage is Malacca, where the Chinese traders had left their permanent footprints since the 15th century. Many had subsequently sunk their roots and set up their families there through inter-marriages with the native women. Their community was continually being augmented throughout the ensuing centuries by migrations of men and women from China, especially during the 19th and the early 20th century. The local-born offsprings of these immigrants came to be called Baba for men and Nonya for women to distinguish them from those born in China. There were, and still are, many wealthy Chinese families there and it is truly the home of Nonya ware. However, being much closer to Singapore in terms of distance compared with far away Penang, it was the most popular destination for Singapore antique dealers and collectors to descend on in search of Nonya ware at bargain prices, years before they would go to Penang after the Malacca shops had practically run dry of these ceramics. By the time I became a buyer of Nonya and other spoons, there were not many such items left in Malacca for me to buy. All in all I was only able to buy less  than ten pieces of spoons there at quite high prices. Of these, I was extremely fortunate to acquire one truly outstanding spoon from a well-known local shop simply because I was willing to pay a grossly jacked-up price as I was anxious to add it to my collection at all cost. Be that as it may, looking back more than 25 years later, I did not make such a bad decision after all for such a pedigree piece! Some distance from Malacca is the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, which is  not particularly noted for Nonya ware, but I had better luck there in securing more than thirty good pieces of Nonya and other spoons at much more competitive prices than in the home of Nonya ware itself.

As time marched on, my fascination for old Chinese ceramic spoons had become a passion. I was a familiar face in the local shops on weekends. Knowing my partiality for spoons, some shop owners would telephone me whenever they had these in their shops and I would invariably buy those that suited my taste even if I had to pay a higher price for them. Thus, slowly and steadily, my spoon collection grew and I became known as an avid spoon collector to dealers and some collector friends. One fine day, and quite unexpectedly, a collector friend of ours, who was reputed to have the largest collection of Nonya ware in Singapore and Malaysia, telephoned me and invited me to his home to see his collection. It was by far the most comprehensive and superb collection of this ware that I had ever come across. According to my host, he had inherited some of these from his parents and the rest were added to his collection through selective purchases, mainly in Malaysia, over the years when prices were low and this particular porcelain had not yet become so hotly sought after as it has since become. He had accumulated several thousand pieces, much of these were packed in boxes due to lack of display space in his spacious house. He said that he had from time to time sold some of the pieces to take advantage of the growing interest for Nonya ware and the escalated prices paid for these. He assured me that he would offer me very favourable prices for the pieces that I fancied. I told him that I was not a regular collector of Nonya ware in general, but would certainly be keen to purchase his two sets of spoons, of the rare early 19th century provenance, which were among the finest of its kind that I had seen anywhere. Sensing my  keen desire to own these, he quoted what I thought was quite a stiff price because of their rarity. I finally bought them after some haggling over the price. I have never regretted buying these rare and superb pieces and paid a high price for them. What is their estimated value today? according to an expert Nonya ware collector who had seen my spoons, he reckoned that they would be immediately snapped up by a discerning collector at no less than twelve times the price that I paid ages ago!  Like any other form of art collecting, rarity is what determines the market worth of any work of art, apart from its intrinsic artistic quality of course. Nonya ware is now quite scarce in both Malaysia and Singapore shops.

In the past decades, I had travelled to many countries, both on business and holiday. As mentioned in my postings from March to May 2008, I would take the opportunities to drop in at the antique shops and antique markets to buy ceramics and, perchance, to acquire a piece or two of spoons that attracted me. More often than not, I was not disappointed. I did quite well in London, in the South and West English counties as well as in Scotland and Ireland. Even in countries like France, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Germany, some Chinese spoons would come my way. The quality of the pieces in Europe and Britain was generally higher than the average pieces available in Southeast Asia. Across the Atlantic, I also have happy memories of my  spoon chasing trips in California, New York and some other states. My best buys were in San Francisco’s Chinatown and in the posh Palm Springs, at the fringe of California’s Death Valley, where the famed Hollywood star, Bob Hope, lived. In San Francisco, I was thrilled beyond words to be shown an array of Chines porcelain spoons of high quality. My excitement grew when I saw an unusual   piece with Iranian script “God is great” written on it. It is of 18th century origin, and was exported by China to the Middle East market. After several cups of fine Chinese tea, I bought all the spoons at reasonable prices. I returned to the shop in subsequent years but they had no more spoons in stock. In Palm Springs, I bought one of the finest pieces in my collection at a surprisingly cheap price. I guess the shopkeeper had hardly any knowledge of Chinese ceramics and the odd spoon was incidental to his trade. My most successful spoon buying trips were, understandably, in China, Macao and Hong Kong. I remember vividly roaming the antique markets in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Kunming searching for the seemingly elusive spoons. My enthusiasm and efforts were not in vain. I came away with no less than sixty pieces of spoons that I liked, and a number of these were probably made for the imperial court officials and the rich merchants. Across the border in Macao and Hong Kong, I managed, over the years, to add more pieces to my spoon collection. The small antique shops in Hong Kong’s Hollywood Rd and its vicinity had always excited me with their spoon collections as they had regular customers looking for them. In a family run shop there, I bought a set of eight exquisitely crafted and thinly potted blue and white spoons, of 18th century provenance, which I paid a high but not excessive price for them. As if to allay my doubt of its intrinsic value, the kindly looking lady unhesitatingly gave me a written certificate of authenticity and assured me that I could at any time after one year resell them back to her at no less than ten per cent profit should I decide to do so. They are easily the best pieces in my entire spoon collection and they deservedly occupy a central place in my display cabinets.

In the course of three decades, I had left my footprints in three continents in hot pursuit of the common Chinese ceramic spoons and these experiences have greatly enriched my life. More importantly, they have given me countless hours of  delightful pleasure and will continue to do so in the years to come. When I first started collecting them there were very few spoon collectors in Singapore. Three decades later, as far as I know, the number has swelled and is still growing. After years of collecting them, I now have about 600 pieces of spoons, of various categories, colours, shapes, sizes, motifs and differing qualities. The marvel is that all have a theme or story to tell within such a tiny space. As I  have said earlier, these spoons, crafted and individually painted by human hands, have a beauty which is more than skin deep. They were produced by master craftsmen at a time when there was hardly any time pressure to meet commercial demands. It was also a labour of pride and love for them. It is a miracle that, despite their constant usage over such a prolonged period of time, these fragile dining tools have managed to survive in good condition, save for some wear and tear, to be admired and deeply valued by keen collectors of spoons everywhere. Hurray and long live the Chinese spoons!

Lam Pin Foo

As the world is moving towards the Global Village era, with freer movements of people and instant communications between countries, more of the hitherto homogeneous societies are becoming plural ones. The consequential adjustments by the natives and newcomers are often traumatic.

Viewed from both the historical and current standpoints, racism is demonstrably still one of the greatest dangers facing mankind today, and will continue to exercise the minds of rational-thinking people for a long time to come. In our own time racial conflicts, and religious bigotry, have polarised or torn apart countries and communities, and inflicted untold miseries on their people and retarding their national development.

We in Singapore are most fortunate to have racial harmony and religious freedom, thanks to the farsightedness of our ever vigilant leaders and the strict laws against anyone stirring up racial or religious animosities. This is augmented by the firm desire of the overwhelming majority of Singaporeans to keep it that way. While we enjoy an enviable reputation for good racial relations, there is, unfortunately, not much spontaneous social interaction among the races outside of the work environment, despite that more public avenues now exist for them to do so.

It is, of course, human nature everywhere for people to feel more comfortable in the company of their own kind. But for any multi-racial society with multi-culturalism to flourish, it is essential that its ethnic components must strive to understand and appreciate each other’s way of life. This would help to remove any in-built prejudices and misconceptions due to sheer ignorance, unfounded apprehensions or apathy and bring the different races closer.

In view of our colonial past and racial mix, English has been the dominant language of administration, business and education, and the vehicle of communication among the various races here. Without it, Singaporeans of different extractions will cease to communicate. The pervasive soft power of the English language is such that many Singaporeans, understandably, are more attracted to the Western culture and influences than to their own ethnic roots. Consequently, they tend to have lesser interest in the cultural heritage of their forebears and those of their fellow citizens.

In light of the factors mentioned earlier, these are formidable obstacles to promoting greater social interaction among Singaporeans. Unfamiliarity and lack of genuine interest in each other’s culture and way of life are, in my view, two major impediments that need to be overcome. As a positive first step, we should begin to take a more active interest in the arts and culture of the other racial groups. Knowing rudiments of each other’s language and traditions would certainly make this a more meaningful and pleasurable experience. But it is a difficult task, especially for the older Singaporeans.

The answer probably lies with the younger people. Parents and our educational institutions have a vital role to play in inculcating the right attitudes in our young during their formative years. With concerted and sustained efforts by all concerned Singaporeans, racial harmony should attain a new dimension when the next generation of citizens take their rightful place in society.

Lam Pin Foo
18.9.2009

通过艺术和文化增进种族和谐

环球化的趋势，使到人们能够在世界各地更自由流动，国与国之间的沟通也更为迅速和直接。越来越多的单一种族社会逐渐变得多元化。

土生土长的人们和外来人口之间，所需要作出的相互调整和适应，往往是令人感到非常不愉快的经验。

不论是从历史或现代的眼光来看，种族主义仍然是人类面对的最大危险之一。有识之士需要时刻保持警惕。

在我们这个时代，种族冲突和宗教偏见，在很多地方使国家和族群对立或分裂。不仅人民饱受其害，国家发展也因此停滞不前。

在新加坡，我们很幸运的能够享有种族和谐和宗教自由。这得感谢我们高瞻远瞩的领袖，以及对付企图挑起种族或宗教敌意人士的严刑峻法。此外，国人都强烈的希望保持现有的情况。

虽然我们拥有令人羡慕的种族和睦关系，可惜，除了在工作地点以外，不同族群的人，较少在公共场所自然交往。

当然，和来自同一族群的人在一起，总会让人感到比较轻松自在。但是，如果要我们的多元种族社会，进一步发扬光大，个别族群就有必要学习了解和欣赏彼此的生活方式。

这可以帮助消除因为无知、毫无根据的疑惧或者冷漠，所造成的偏见和误解，进一步缩短各族的距离。

因为我们的殖民地背景和多元种族社会，英语长期以来都是官方、经商和教育的主要语言，也是各族赖以沟通的语言。如果没有了英语，来自不同族群的人，将难以交谈。

英语和它所带来的影响，使人们更容易被西方文化吸引，而忽略了自己的根，这是可以理解的。因此，他们一般上对先人的文化遗产不感兴趣。

这样看来，要促使新加坡人多多沟通，须要克服许多困难。我认为，对它族文化和生活方式感到陌生和缺乏了解的兴趣，是两大障碍。

我们可以开始做的，是培养对它族艺术和文化的兴趣。如果我们对它族的语言和传统，有一些基本的认识，这肯定会是一个很有意义和愉快的经验。但是，知易行难，对老一辈的新加坡人来说，更是如此。

不过，我们可以把希望寄托在年轻一代的新加坡人身上。在年轻人的成长过程中，家长和教育机构在灌输他们正确的态度上，扮演着关键性的角色。

只要我们同心协力和持之以恒，种族和谐的关系必定能在将来更上一层楼。

蓝秉湖
(作者是一名退休律师·叶琦保译)