Sim Poh Yaw
KUCHING (March 4): Prominent Chinese calligrapher Sim Poh Yaw passed away at the age of 96 at the Sarawak General Hospital here around noon today.
Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations president Datuk Richard Wee called Sim’s passing “a great loss to the community especially the Chinese community”.
“His contribution to Chinese education and his influence on Chinese cultural heritage, particularly in the area of calligraphy, was well-known in the Asian region, including China.
“He is definitely the most famous Chinese calligrapher that Sarawak has produced. We mourn the passing of a great Anak Sarawak,” he told The Borneo Post.
Kuching South mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said Sim contributed tremendously to the development and heritage of Chinese calligraphy in Sarawak.
“Every stroke of his represented a profound understanding and delicate expression of the art of calligraphy. His calligraphy pieces are like exquisite paintings, timeless and with rich emotions,” said Wee.
He said Sim’s passing is a great loss to the calligraphy community, but his artistic spirit will always shine in the hearts of many.
Wee recalled Kuching South City Council (MBKS) recently distributed Spring Festival couplets printed with Sim’s calligraphy for the Lunar New Year.
He added MBKS had planned to hold a calligraphy exhibition for Sim, who was born in the Year of the Dragon.
“Now he has left us, but his works will become more meaningful with the passage of time and will always be engraved in our hearts.
“We will always miss Mr Sim and be grateful for the valuable legacy he left for the art of calligraphy, and pass on his artistic spirit so that his glory will never be erased among the future generations,” he said.
Wee and Sim show the latter’s calligraphy.
Former Federation of Kuching and Samarahan Chinese Associations president Dr Chou Chii Ming said the Chinese community in Sarawak and Malaysia has lost a brilliant scholar in Chinese literature, poetry, and calligraphy.
“After retirement, he exerted himself fully in promoting Chinese literature studies, writing many Chinese poems in ancient and modern formats and frequently exhibiting his super skills in Chinese calligraphy.
“His poetry and calligraphy works are famous in Malaysia and China. He won prizes from China for his poetry writing and many of his Chinese calligraphy works have been given as gifts to political dignitaries,” Chou said when contacted.
He said the Chinese community in Kuching will always remember Sim’s invaluable contributions to the development of Chinese literature and calligraphy in Sarawak during the last two decades.
“May his soul rest in peace,” Chou added.
Born in Kuching in 1928, Sim, who graduated from a teacher training institution in Fujian province, China, was a founding member of the Calligraphy Society of Malaysia.
Prior to his retirement, Sim served as a teacher and principal for several Chinese-medium primary and secondary schools in the state over a period of 36 years.
He was a former Sarawak Calligraphy Society vice president and also an advisor to the Kuching Chinese Calligraphy Society as well as Kuching and Samarahan Calligraphy Society.
In 1968, Sim and other calligraphers jointly organised the inaugural ‘Hui Chun’ activity in Sarawak and later founded the Sarawak Calligraphy Society.
In 2010, the Kuching Chawan Association organised a calligraphy exhibition for Sim, an event which helped raise RM220,000 in aid of the three Chung Hua middle schools here.
Sim also served as an executive secretary of the Kuching Hockien Association.
He authored several books including ‘Shen Zhou Qu Lai’, ‘San Se Shui’, and ‘Mu Di’.
In January, Sim’s couplet was unveiled at the Malaysia-China Friendship Park here to mark the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations.
