Heartfelt love, sharing a bowl of rice.
Heartfelt love, sharing a bowl of rice.
Toiling Farmers
By Li Shen (Tang Dynasty)
Farmers weeding at noon,
Sweat down the field soon.
Who knows food on a tray，
Thanks to their toiling day?
2 December at 2pm , “Share – A Bowl of Rice” art exhibition and charity auction was held at the Punggol 21 Community Club. Mr. Ng Chee Meng, Minister for Education (Schools) & Second Minister for Transport attended as the Guest of Honour. Other Special Guests included Mr. Toh Soon Huat, Chairman, Sian Chay Medical Institution, Mr. Tan Kay Nguan, famous Singaporean artist, Mr. Pang Lim, Chairman of Koufu Pte Ltd, Mr. Teo Ngiang Heng and Mr. Chua Swee Wah, Directors of Sian Chay. The event raised $122,000 which was donated to century-old charity organization, Sian Chay and Punggol 21 Community Club.
Minister Ng said: “Thank you for everyone’s care for the society. I am grateful to Mr. Pang Lim for organising this event to support Sian Chay and Punggol North CCC. The Punggol North branch has been in service for nearly one year. I am deeply touched by your generous donation to Sian Chay and Punggol North. I wish to thank all the entrepreneurs here, and thank all fellow colleagues of Koufu. Thank you all!”
Mr. Pang Lim said: “This programme is in its ninth year. Since last year we started charitable activities with the artist Tan Kay Nguan. There are three key points of this programme; ie, whether we can do something for the society besides our daily job, how we can create value for society, how we can create value for our employees. Giving back to society is an important part of the enterprise. We regard art as a particularly excellent form to reflect the society, which can be directed at the soul, bringing people deep insights. The event of “A Bowl of Rice” was thus inspired. Rice is the power of life and rice is the foundation of happiness. We hope that, through this programme, every household can make a living and enjoy happiness. We also donate funds raised from every event to charities so that they can better serve and help the poor people, among which Sian Chay is such one.”
Mr. Toh Soon Huat said: “This event is very meaningful. Good deeds are not measured by money. It is from the heart, it is compassion. We are grateful for the devotion from Koufu team and Mr. Tan. The programme today will benefit Sian Chay with over $60,000, which can help 6,000 senior patients to enjoy free consultation and medication, meaning it can help 6,000 families. This programme not only help the poor, but also enable Koufu team members to learn the meaning of unity, contribution and giving back. Next year will be the tenth anniversary and we hope that this programme can be on larger scale, which is very meaningful. We wish more people could do good deeds. And we are grateful to Mr. Pang Lim and his wife for always supporting and helping Sian Chay.”
Mr. Tan Kay Nguan said it was a coincidence that he produced an artwork combining rice and oil paintings. He thought that for Asians rice was the heritage of meaningful lives from ancestors. Rice at the same time represents a kind of happiness, letting successive generations to enjoy and have happiness! He was then inspired by the idea of putting “A bowl of rice” as theme of artworks for charity auction.
The creative idea of “A bowl of rice” is to draw a ceramic bowl and background on the canvas, and to apply the processed rice grains, finishing with a protective surface layer to create a piece of art that belongs to oneself. Though it seems simple in concept, the works varies colorfully, full of joy and hope. This year’s theme is “A hundred chickens”, Koufu team gathered staff from different departments to work together to create different designs of chicken pictures. Their keenness and hard work are shown in every painting, hoping to help the disadvantaged and low-income families with the simplest artistic methods. The programme with Punggol division also attracted the active participation of many benevolent people.
An old saying says “Those who share a bowl of rice are families”. Singapore races unite through the sharing of rice. It is a method. It is a gratitude. Everyone is a loved one. We shall care for our loved ones with real actions.
It’s also reported that Minister Ng lovely created the artworks ‘Share’ and ‘Perfect’ on the spot. Koufu team collected “Perfect.” “Share” was acquired by Dr. Teo Hark Piang PBM, Managing Director of Trans-cab Service Pte Ltd, at a bid of $ 33,333.
Sian Chay actively promote the 5 core values of “Forgiveness, Universal Love, Compassion, Gratitude and Blessing” and the beliefs that “Nation Progresses, Family Prospers; Family Harmony, Successful Endeavours. Forward with the Nation, Bonding with the People.” Sian Chay’s spirit is also promoted and inherited from its long term charity spirit , which is “Trust, Action, Attitude, Conduct, which forms the integrity and virtues of charity work.”
With the full launch of 15 branch , Sian Chay will be helping more residents by relieving them from pain and fostering peace and good health. Helping an individual means helping the whole family, as each family member’s sickness will surely affect the mood of a family. Our mission is to help patients to relieve from pain and create a healthy and blissful family to build social harmony.
At the end of the event, Minister Ng took group photo with all guests and staff for memory!
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