Qin Shu Bao & Wei Chi Jing De

shubao.jpg
Artist: 
Aw Eng Kwang
Patron: 
Hilton Hotel
First Placed in Singapore: 
1975
Current Location: 
In front of the Hilton Hotel, Orchard Road
Label
Text of label: 

Qin Shu Bao together with Wei Chi Jing De (statue on the other end) were generals during the Tang Dynasty in 618 AD. Possessed with special powers, they were called upon to project the Emperor Tang Tai Zong, from the Dragon King who swore vengeance on the Emperor during a conflict. \lIn popular Chinese belief, Qin Shu Bao and Wei Ching Jing De are regarded as guardians of doorways. These statues were built in 1975 and weigh 3 tons each.

Please Do Not Touch

[repeated in Chinese]

entry: 

This work was fashioned by the owners of the famous Aw Pottery in Ayer Hitam, Malaysia, and it displays considerable liveliness, a quality that almost outweighs its clumsiness. The work, and its necessary companion ('on the other end'), have also weathered their quarter-century here very well, in front of the first major hotel built on Orchard Road.

One popular guidebook says of these figures that they are here to frighten those who would otherwise not declare their minibar consumption. The makers are credited with a little tag affixed to the back of the figures that says ' Made by the Aw Pottery, tel 235-6546'.

Location Notes: 

Remarkable in their longevity in front of the building. Must be good feng-shui!