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Mr. Khing
This is the gentleman who carved my chop. I’ve always been intrigued by chops, or personal seals. These are the square or rectangular red stamps often used by an Asian artist to sign his work. Personal and corporate chops can play a big role in some parts of Asia; I just think they are kind of cool.
In my one rather futile attempt to learn Cantonese (I learned how to say “rice,” “beer,” “thank you,” and “credit card,”) I found that the character for “long“ comes from a pictogram of long hair held back in a clasp. Hmm…I have long hair, and it’s one of the nicer descriptors people use for me.
In Hong Kong I saw lots of vendors willing to carve a chop for tourists. Most advertised how fast they could do it, and most showed samples with names in English. That seemed to me to be defeating the purpose of having a chop made. I could get a rubber stamp with my name in English for a couple of dollars in my home town. And I was more interested in having it done beautifully rather than fast.
The idea of having a chop that said “Long-haired Woman” in old (rather than simplified) Chinese
My chop
Long-haired Woman characters appealed to me. But I wanted to make sure that the chop I got actually said that, and not “Mean old ugly woman,” or some such. I got familiar enough with the characters that I was pretty sure I could identify the right words.
So, fast forward to today, a rainy Sunday afternoon in Singapore. I headed down to Chinatown to follow my nose along Smith Street, locally known as Food Street for it myriad food stalls. Before I got to the food, I came across a shop selling Chinese art, as well as advertising hand carved chops. (Calling it a chop shop just doesn’t sound right…)
I asked about having a chop made in the characters I desired. The carver’s assistant first wrote it in simplified Chinese, and then the man who would do the actual carving wrote it in ancient Chinese. He consulted a text to make sure he was right, and showed me the reference book to make sure I agreed.
The assistant helped me pick out the stone column that would be carved with my chosen characters. Since I was born in the year of the Dragon, and 2012 is the year of the Dragon, I picked a stone topped with a dragon – supposed to be good luck.
We agreed on a price and they asked if I could give them a little bit of time. Of course, I answered. Even I know better than to rush an artist, and besides, I was hungry! Come back in half an hour or so, he said, and it should be ready.
I had an excellent lunch of chopped crispy chicken with handmade noodles, and then walked around for a bit. Thankfully I had had them mark the shop on my map. It is very easy to get lost in Chinatown. When I got to the shop, the carver asked if I could give him a little more time. No problem on my part, and I went off to explore.
When I came back to second time, my chop was finished. The carver proudly told me he was very satisfied with his work, and was happy that he was given the time to do it right. I’m very satisfied with his work, too, and I expect my chop to be in use for a long time.
Possibly useful information: Mr. Khing
Ins Well Trading
12 Trengganu Street
Singapore 058466
FAX: (65) 6225 4138
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KathyE
non-member comment
Yeah! A unique experience
Your post was truly "off the beaten path." I just loved it.