Leng Joon Wong, Thian Hock Keng Temple, 1980

Watercolour on paper
63.5 x 49.5 cm (visible), 90 x 77.5 x 3 cm (framed) 
Condition: Very good
Artwork located in California, USA

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Leng Joon Wong 凌運凰 (Singaporean, b. 1947) moved from China to Singapore when he was nine years old and graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1964. In 1969, Leng became one of the founding members of the Singapore Watercolour Society, whose work laid emphasis on topographical scenes of Southeast Asia and fast-disappearing urban landscapes. His involvement reflected his commitment to preserving cultural memory through art. His subjects include attap buildings, street markets, traditional river craft and shophouses.

Leng’s paintings have been exhibited locally and regionally, and his contributions to Singapore’s watercolour tradition continue to be appreciated by collectors and heritage enthusiasts.

Thian Hock Keng Temple, located on Telok Ayer Street, was gazetted as a national monument in 1973. Mr Tan Tock Seng and Mr Si Hoo Keh led the building of the temple in 1839 to house the Hokkien clan. Originally facing the sea, it served seafarers and immigrants who gave thanks to the sea goddess Mazu (妈祖婆) for a safe arrival into Singapore. The deity depicted in this work is Bao Sheng Da Di (保生大帝), who is worshipped on the right of Mazu in the main hall of the temple. Bao Sheng Da Di is worshipped as the Medicine Deity, who people often prayed to keep ailments away and for good health. 

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The seller, currently based in San Mateo, California, spent her teens in Singapore and returned to live there and raise her two daughters.  She had commissioned the artist, Leng Joon Wong, to paint a watercolour work of her childhood home (one of the historic old colonial homes that no longer stands) before moving to the United States in the 1980s. She loved Leng’s work and acquired this Temple scene alongside it.

The work is in its original frame from the 1980s.

(Photographed July 2025)

Watercolour on paper
63.5 x 49.5 cm (visible), 90 x 77.5 x 3 cm (framed) 
Condition: Very good
Artwork located in California, USA

-

Leng Joon Wong 凌運凰 (Singaporean, b. 1947) moved from China to Singapore when he was nine years old and graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1964. In 1969, Leng became one of the founding members of the Singapore Watercolour Society, whose work laid emphasis on topographical scenes of Southeast Asia and fast-disappearing urban landscapes. His involvement reflected his commitment to preserving cultural memory through art. His subjects include attap buildings, street markets, traditional river craft and shophouses.

Leng’s paintings have been exhibited locally and regionally, and his contributions to Singapore’s watercolour tradition continue to be appreciated by collectors and heritage enthusiasts.

Thian Hock Keng Temple, located on Telok Ayer Street, was gazetted as a national monument in 1973. Mr Tan Tock Seng and Mr Si Hoo Keh led the building of the temple in 1839 to house the Hokkien clan. Originally facing the sea, it served seafarers and immigrants who gave thanks to the sea goddess Mazu (妈祖婆) for a safe arrival into Singapore. The deity depicted in this work is Bao Sheng Da Di (保生大帝), who is worshipped on the right of Mazu in the main hall of the temple. Bao Sheng Da Di is worshipped as the Medicine Deity, who people often prayed to keep ailments away and for good health. 

-

The seller, currently based in San Mateo, California, spent her teens in Singapore and returned to live there and raise her two daughters.  She had commissioned the artist, Leng Joon Wong, to paint a watercolour work of her childhood home (one of the historic old colonial homes that no longer stands) before moving to the United States in the 1980s. She loved Leng’s work and acquired this Temple scene alongside it.

The work is in its original frame from the 1980s.

(Photographed July 2025)