About
Taiyuan
Sensan
Early Years
Born in 1937 into a period of tumultuos history, Taiyuan Sensan experienced the impact of World War, Civil War, Famine, Cultural Revolution, Colonialism, and finally becoming an immigrant. Growing up in a harsh world, he then broke his right forearm completely in half during a basketball game, and was rendered disabled.
A set of three pills sent back from his home village Doctor by return post regained him the full use of that lame arm two years after the fall - by which point he had fully retrained himself using his left arm - making Taiyuan Sensan fully ambidextrous.
Wielding brush, chopping knives and chopsticks in either hand or both at the same time became the norm.
He then set about learning the ropes at an electrical factory where, being rather dashing, he met and successfully put a rock on the finger of his first love and future wife. Born into land-owning and tea plantation families (their parents’ story is yet another multi-generational epic), war, famine and revolution had seen to the reduction of the couple’s vast family fortunes, and a return to a hand to mouth existence.
Migration
After moving to the quaint English Countryside with the wave of migration from the troubled Hong Kong of the 1960’s, like many Cantonese settlers before him Taiyuan Sensan found himself setting up Chinese Restaurant in a foreign land. He was 26. Pre-internet, news to and from home was by the written hand.
Owing to his brushwork proficiency, and having grown up in a time when the brush was mightier than the pen; ink, brush and paper were the standard means of communication. Taiyuan Sensan’s calligraphy work was sought after for various uses throughout his childhood, teens and later life.
He who excelled with those tools at hand, was well in demand indeed.
He applied his skills deftly throughout his restaurant, to signage, advertising and menu design. His calligraphic banners were of special interest to curious British eyes, whom often bought or requested personal calligraphy and translations into Chinese.
His skills served him and his young family well, his wife and baby daughter with whom he was reunited after a 10 year separation, due to the missus and child being inadvertently ‘shut’ inside China when the government decided to close China’s doors to the world as another revolution kicked off, were overjoyed to find a new life overseas in a less arduos environment.
Now 36, Taiyuan Sensan and his Wife were shortly joined by the birth of their Son and youngest Daughter.
The London Years
His work reflects his traditional influences and having spent over three decades abroad, raising a family in a then very different and racially discriminate UK which only towards his early retirement years became increasingly receptive and cosmopolitan - his work also displays a modern and quirky twist, at times collaborating with creatives such as photographers or graphic artists to create original multi media work.
A Return to Roots
Despite the ravages of war, revolution and poverty, Taiyuan Sensan and his Missus did not do too shabbily with their restaurant endeavour and stopped working way ahead of retirement age after seeing all three kids through University in England, the youngest of whom scored a top level pHD, another semi retiring in the 30’s and the oldest becoming a millionaire by the mid 20’s.
Happily energetic and with decades ahead of them to go, they resettled back in Hong Kong. To this day he travels frequently and spends the time enjoying the extended early retirement with his Wife, grown up children and grandchildren.
Taiyuan Sensan remains quirky, ambidextrous and well inspired, open to progressive applications of calligraphy.
