The self-taught master of traditional lion heads

Free Malaysia Today

Siow Ho Phiew’s work has won widespread praise, with fans travelling from all over the world to learn from the master.    Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/02/10/the-self-taught-master-of-traditional-lion-heads/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTLifestyle #CNY2024 #MasterSiow #LionDance #ChineseTradition #ChineseNewYear

Transcript

00:00 In Sha Alam, the air hums with a sense of anticipation, brought about by the fervour

00:07 of Chinese New Year preparations.

00:10 Craftsmen are tirelessly bending rotund and painting intricate designs to meet a never-ending

00:17 stream of orders for lion heads.

00:20 Amid the bust of activity, one figure stands out, a bespectacled silver-haired artisan

00:26 with a magnificent beard.

00:34 He works quietly in a corner, skilfully stripping rotund, which forms the base of the lion heads.

00:51 Xiao established Wan Seng Hang in 1986, after years of teaching himself the niche skills

00:56 of putting together a traditional lion head.

01:01 But his talent doesn't just stop at crafting these intricate heads.

01:05 In fact, Xiao invented the high pole lion dance in the 1990s, which saw him acclaimed

01:09 as the king of the lion dance.

01:13 But how did Xiao become a master at the craft?

01:16 It all started with his love for wushu, which led him to join a lion dance troupe in Subang

01:21 at the age of 19.

01:33 Each year, with dozens of workers by his side, Wan Seng Hang is able to produce over 300

01:38 lion heads, an important component of every lion dance costume.

01:44 Taking an average of eight days, Xiao says the process of making a lion head is tedious

02:13 but not difficult.

02:34 Wan's build, Xiao enlists the help of his workers to stick bamboo paper to the frame.

02:40 The eyes and mouth pieces are painted before they are lined with fur.

02:44 This 69-year-old artisan could not be more proud of how far Malaysia has come in developing

02:49 the lion dance.

02:50 "The lion dance is a world-class art form that originated in Malaysia.

03:02 Our lion dance is a world-class art form that originated in Malaysia.

03:06 Our lion dance is a world-class art form that originated in Malaysia.

03:13 Our lion dance is a world-class art form that originated in Malaysia."

03:25 For Xiao, the lion dance signifies unity as the performance is dependent on the collaboration

03:30 of a group of people.

03:31 "It's a dance that is about unity.

03:32 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:33 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:34 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:35 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:36 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:37 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:38 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:39 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:40 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:41 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:42 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:43 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:44 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:45 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:46 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:47 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:48 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:49 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:50 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:51 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:52 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:53 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:54 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:55 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:56 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:57 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:58 It's a dance that is about unity.

03:59 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:00 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:01 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:02 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:04 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:05 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:06 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:07 It's a dance that is about unity.

04:08 It's a dance that is about unity.

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Transcript

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