RexKL, one of the area’s most prominent landmarks, is abuzz with foreign and local tourists, many of whom turn to glance at a curious sight at a table nearby.

Garbed in red traditional clothing, an elderly gentleman sits there, but he is certainly not idling his time away.

With a brush in hand and wells of ink within dipping range, he is hard at work, dragging his brush across large sheets of red parchment.

As he takes his time with his strokes, it may not be evident at first, but right here is a master at work.

Despite his age, his skills are very much intact as he creates gradients using only Chinese ink: darker shades simply by dipping his brush into the inkwell; lighter ones by diluting it with water.

In no time at all, a familiar creature begins to emerge on the paper. Why, it’s an adorable rabbit, ready to hop out off the sheet and into the street!

The artist is not yet done though, and soon, two more rabbits join the first.

Not before long, a trio of bunnies is complete, the newly finished artwork the latest in this man’s collection, ready to join the others already hung up on a nearby wall.

Just who is this artist, you ask? Well, if you ever happen to meet him, don’t be afraid to sit down to ask him a question or two.

Be warned, though: 78-year-old Long Thien Shih has quite the… long story to tell. But it is one worth listening to.

“I was born in Klang in 1945 during the Japanese occupation,” he told FMT. “A few months later, they surrendered. So, my parents said I was the boy who brought peace.”

The third child of seven, Long’s Hainanese father ran a coffee shop in Klang. For the most part, he lived a comfortable childhood.

When his older siblings began schooling, Long began to grow interested in the art they did for their homework.

“I wanted to do what they were doing. So I took their pencils and began to draw, too. Then I realised I could draw better than them!”

Despite recognising he had a penchant for art, Long did not think too much of it. But when he was in Form Three, a teacher acknowledged Long’s talent and submitted his work for an art competition in KL.

“I won an honourable mention! My father was so shocked when he saw my name in the newspaper!”

This fateful event would begin Long’s journey in the local art scene and his pursuit of an artistic career.

By 17, he was already working as a set artist for a national television department, a well-paying job then. “My father was so proud of me.”

Young Long was an ambitious man, though, and the sky was the limit. “My dream was to go to Paris one day,” he shared.

And, impressively enough, his wish came true. Long would eventually secure a scholarship to study in France and, by 1966, was in the City of Lights.

For the next decade, he honed his skills there, immersing himself in the world-famous Parisian art scene.

But things weren’t always smooth-sailing: in 1967, he found himself in a French lockup for a day, having been falsely accused of being involved in student protests.

“I don’t even understand your laws!” he told the police. Ultimately, he was released – but his scholarship was not renewed.

He would return to Malaysia in 1976, and here he has stayed for the past decades of his life, making a name for himself at home.

During this time, Long also started a family and had a son who aspired to be an artist like him.

Long, however, convinced him to try something else as there was a risk that Long Jr would constantly be compared to Long Sr.

These days, he is here in front of RexKL, painting to his heart’s content and looking forward to the Year of the Rabbit.

“All I wish for this Chinese New Year is for the country to have a stable government,” Long said. “Secondly, I would like good health.

“If one morning I find I can’t wake up, that’s the end of me! Keeping fit and healthy, that’s what’s important to me.”