He is Tong Wing Cheong, 34, Penang’s renowned woodcarver and owner of Keng Hwa Carving Studio in Ceylon Lane, Penang.

Tong’s intricate handiwork can be found all around the Unesco heritage sites in Penang, from plaques and ritualistic objects for religious use as well as reproductions and repair work for heritage Strait shophouses.

Charming and friendly, Tong tells FMT that he studied cultural anthropology and folk culture at the National University of Taiwan. “When I graduated in 2013, I worked on a project called Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), run by the Penang Heritage Trust.”

He says that it was through this project that he met Yeap Siew Kay, his “sifu”, who taught him the fine art of woodcarving.

While you may be forgiven for oversimplifying the art of woodcarving as nothing more than whittling a piece of wood with a knife, Tong assures FMT this couldn’t be further from the truth.

He explains that a novice woodcarver’s first and possibly only lesson for an entire year could very well be on how to sharpen one’s knife.

Until you ace this skill with the precision of a master, forget carving your way into the next phase of your apprenticeship.

“Sharpening your knife is way tougher than it sounds because you can’t use a machine. Honestly, apprentices would traditionally live with their sifu when seeking guidance and even then, it would take three whole months just to learn how to sharpen knives.

“In my case, it took me almost a year,” Tong says, roaring with laughter.

Another key element to woodcarving is familiarising yourself with different types of wood as certain types are easier to carve on, others not so.

There is also the issue of cost. “Now that the price of wood has shot up and tree trunks are smaller, a whole log can cost up to thousands of ringgit.

“It’s not an affordable business to start up. What’s more, you need passion and patience to learn a traditional skill like this,” he says, adding that not many his age are keen to pick up such a trade.

Looking around his studio, Tong says woodcarving began as a personal hobby he indulged in.

Once home from work, he would lay out his tools and throw himself into his carvings, working on orders from the odd customer, sometimes till midnight.

Soon he found himself restless at the office. Emboldened by the steady number of woodcarving orders streaming in, he decided to give up his office job for good and strike out on his own. That was in 2018 when he set up Keng Hwa Carving Studio.

He has not looked back since. In fact, apart from woodcarving, Tong is also skilled at woodblock printing, one the oldest printing techniques around.

This skill in particular is reserved for festivals like Chinese New Year when he creates auspicious messages that revolve around bountiful prosperity, good energy and the warding off of evil spirits.

Tong explains that the techniques of woodblock printing are tedious and precise – sketching, carving and printing – but always rewarding when the final image comes to life.

“The draft is first sketched and handed over to a woodcarver, who will then transfer the draft onto a piece of wood and carefully carve out the required design.

“Once the second step is completed, it will be passed to the printer. But at times it doesn’t stop there, there will be a paint touch-up of small detailed elements that could not be covered in the earlier printing process.”

Tong admits that he now collaborates with part-timers to help him out with the woodblock printing, training them along the way as he prefers to remain the woodcarver.

He sells an assortment of auspicious New Year prints ranging from Door Gods, Many Years of Abundance in both coloured and black options; Fortune Sea and Longevity Mountains; and Jia Guan and Jin Lu.

He explains that coloured prints require a lot more work simply because one woodblock can only be used for one colour.

Hence five woodblocks must be carved for a single coloured image – one woodblock for each colour, with each woodblock impressed onto the paper separately to create the finished image.

Intent on keeping the tradition of woodcarving and woodblock printing alive, Tong has organised numerous workshops in the hopes that the skill might pique the interest of those from the younger generation.

As long as locals and visitors continue to cherish these crafts, there might be a chance that these traditions will remain an essential part of Malaysia’s rich culture.

You can purchase Tong’s many beautiful works this Chinese New Year through his online store.

Keng Hwa Carving Studio
13, Lorong Ceylon,
George Town,
10050 George Town,
Penang.