The previous owner of this collection was Mr Wang Lieh Hsien, who was born in Shanghai in 1913. Wang was a businessman but was also very active in the literary and art circles in Shanghai until the early 1950s when he moved to Singapore. A decade later, the renowned metal factory Wing On Cheung hired Wang to expand their antiquities side business. Wang subsequently helped build a new branch for this business at the company's South Bridge Road premises in Singapore. As a result of his work, Wang visited Shanghai frequently between the late 1960s and the 1990s to acquire Chinese works of art to bring them back to Singapore. As Chinese overseas in Singapore had little exposure to Chinese high art and culture until the early 1980s, Wang was one of the few pioneering figures who introduced this appreciation to Singapore. He did this by organising exhibitions at the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Exhibition Hall, where he displayed fine Chinese paintings, calligraphy and works of art. His contribution has significantly advanced the interests in Chinese culture amongst the local Singaporean population.
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