About
Taiyuan
Sensan
關於
太原先生
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.
早年歲月
生於動蕩不安的1937年，太原先生經歷了二戰，內戰，飢荒，文革，殖民時期，最後成為一名移民。在嚴酷環境下成長的他當時在一次籃球賽中折斷了手臂，導致右臂癱瘓。
兩年後，太原先生已經把左臂鍛鍊得使用自如，同時，他服用了家鄉醫生寄來的三顆藥丸，右臂很快就復原了，成了名副其實的兩手同利，不論是筆，刀或筷子，他都能左右手並用。
不久後，他到一家電子廠上班，就在那裡，瀟灑的他遇見了他的初戀，也就是他未來的妻子。他們夫妻倆家族都是擁有茶園的地主(他們父母的故事可說是另一牽涉多代的故事），然而，戰爭，飢荒與革命，把原本家財萬貫的兩家人變成一貧如洗。
移居英國
當年僅二十六歲的太原先生，隨著六十年代香港人民的移民風潮，移居到英國的鄉下，如同早期廣東移民，他也在異鄉開了一家中餐館。那個年代是沒有互聯網絡的，任何與家鄉的聯繫都是以書信來往。
太原先生的書法作品如此純熟的筆法，還要歸咎於他成長的年代；筆墨紙就是當時的主要通訊工具。他的書法龍伸蠖屈，作品自小就被追捧，常用於各種用途，非常受歡迎。
他巧妙地在自己的中餐館運用了書法，設計標牌，廣告以及餐牌。好奇的英國人對他的書法橫幅最感興趣，他們常常會出錢向他購買，特別訂製，或甚至要求他把一些祝語翻譯成中文，再做成一幅書法作品。
他的這門技藝讓他能存夠錢寄回家，給一直還在家鄉的妻子和女兒安穩的生活。這一家三口雖然因為文化大革命，中國封閉，分開了十年，但最終可以在國外，一個沒有這麼艱鉅的環境下重新開始，而感到喜悅。
那時三十六歲的太原先生與妻子團聚後，不久兒子和小女兒就出世了。
倫敦生涯
三十多年來，太原先生一直都在一個非常種族歧視的英國養家糊口。他當時的作品充分體現出了濃厚的中華傳統文化，直到剛退休那幾年，他的作品開始國際化 - 傳統書法開始出現大膽的筆畫，保留傳統但帶有一絲現代化的色彩。他不時會和不同的藝術家，如攝影師或設計師合作創造出各類原創的多媒體作品。
落葉歸根
儘管經過戰爭，革命和貧窮的蹂躪，太原先生與妻子的中餐館生意做得不錯，把三個兒女撫養成人，保送大學後，他們便提早退休了。他們的兒女也都有很不錯的成就 - 其中小女兒還是高才博士學位畢業，兒子三十幾歲就已經半退休，大女兒三十不到已經是百萬富翁了。
剛步入黃金年華的他們精力充沛，決定回到香港定居。如今，太原先生除了旅遊，就是和妻子安享晚年，與子孫共聚天倫之樂。
太原先生到現在還是古靈精怪，两手俱利，福有靈感，對於書法應用的新想法、概念持有開放態度。
