25/09/2025

LYFE THURSDAY | SEPT 25, 2025

23 Passage through time, different worlds I F anyone could recreate the atmosphere of Admiral Zheng He’s 15th-century voyages, it would be globetrotting o Artist commemorates Admiral Zheng He’s travels with art installation Ű BY T.C. KHOR

died as a result of this misadventure. The floor, strewn with driftwood, ropes, shells and scattered debris, mimics a tidal shore of shipwreck remnants. Several parts of the enclosure have exposed bricks, adding to the age-worn atmosphere. A vast painting of a junk’s broadside covers nearly an entire wall, highlighting its colossal scale, nearly five times larger than Christopher Columbus’s vessels of a later era. Tan himself became part of the installation, blending himself into the narrative as a living participant by wearing a scarf around his head, suggesting the appearance of a shipmate. The installation also incorporates references to Zheng He’s maps and Mediterranean voyages. Tan explained there exists a copy of a world map inscribed during the Qianlong period, which is a copy of Zheng He’s original map. “He has the world map... a copy of Zheng He’s map. It’s in the 1434 book,” Tan said, supporting Menzies’s suggestion that this world map may have influenced Columbus in navigating to the Americas as an indication that knowledge of these routes predated European exploration. Tan also pointed out that if Zheng He voyaged through the Straits of Malacca, it was highly likely they stopped in Penang and Malacca, more than a hundred years before European explorers reached the region, a belief echoed in local folklore that tells of Zheng He’s giant footprints found in both places. “There are records that the Song and even the Han were already trading in this part of the world. So, if they were trading, they must have been here,” he said. Ultimately, this art installation portrays Zheng He’s travels not as a triumphant conquest but as a dialogue between human ambition and the mysteries of history. In the context of today’s migrations and cultural movement, it succeeds in bridging Eastern narratives with the Chinese diaspora through shared memory and heritage. Tan’s work offers a reflective pause in the ongoing conversation of intercultural exchange, compelling viewers to consider how history is told, whose voices dominate and what is forgotten. A sojourn through the stars and seas is on display at The Courtyard Beach Street 1786 until Sept 30.

landscape artist Tan Kwank Liang. In conjunction with the second edition of the Commonwealth of World Chinatown (CWC) conference held in Penang from Sept 2 to 6, Tan, a China-based Singaporean, was commissioned by CWC co-founder Lee Khai to put together an art installation that portrayed the migration and dissemination of Chinese culture through maritime trade routes. Tan frames the installation as a passage through time and different worlds, where visitors travel from the present into the past in a sensory-filled “expedition”. The journey begins in a narrow, dark passageway lined with dried coconut leaves. Just as the eyes adjust to the dimness, a doorway reveals a glimpse of the past, as natural light pours into the gallery. The epic voyages of Zheng He, whose seven maritime expeditions spanned 28 years from 1405 to 1433, form the basis of Tan’s installation. Zheng He’s journeys are also chronicled in Gavin Menzies’s book 1434: The year a magnificent Chinese fleet sailed to Italy and ignited the Renaissance . The book highlights the extensive reach of these expeditions and how the Ming Dynasty expanded its influence across Southeast Asia, India and Africa, reshaping global history. Titled “A sojourn through the stars and seas”, Tan’s installation also reflects his broader practice of infusing traditional Chinese ink washes with abstract interpretation. Born in Malaysia and educated in the United Kingdom, where he earned his Master’s in Fine Arts from

Ropes and driftwood strewn along the shore-like floor of the installation.

the Birmingham City University, he draws on both memory and imagination to challenge conventional narratives with fresh perspectives. The installation transforms a weathered but refurbished heritage space in a former godown into a participatory and sensory immersion of a harbour. Large white fabrics, suspended like sails from

fabrics are unexpected narratives. Central to the imagery is an ancient weighing scale, where the interplay of shadows, not unlike Kelantan’s wayang kulit , merges with its ink rendering, blurring the line between object and illustration, between present and past. The fabrics themselves form semi-transparent layers, allowing glimpses of other elements behind them, especially when they sway to the “sea breeze”. Another narrative features a depiction of Wan Hu, the legendary Chinese figure said to have strapped himself to gunpowder rockets in an attempt to soar to the heavens in the 16th century, while another portrays a flying contraption. Tan describes Wan Hu as the first “astronaut” who actually flew a short distance with gunpowder rockets. “He tied all the gunpowder to a chair, and he sat on it... Then, instructed his men to fire him off. And he did. The first flying man,” Tan explained. According to legend, Wan Hu

the ceiling, dominate the space, their surfaces adorned with ink drawings. Replicas of Ming Dynasty artefacts, exposed scaffolding and weathered textures further conjure the magnificence of Zheng He’s treasure fleets navigating vast oceans and expansive trade networks. Tan integrates visual, auditory and sensory effects to heighten the illusion, inviting visitors to stand in specific spots to experience contrasts and shifting views. Pumped water with small fish mimic seawater, beach sand underfoot, drifting fog, dramatic lighting, piped-in music and even an air circulator stirring the gallery such as sea winds all contribute to the immersive illusion. Tan explained these elements were carefully orchestrated to transport viewers back into the ancient world. Tilting the head upwards, the large white fabrics suspended from the ceiling capture the shadows cast by the light. Among these hanging

Replicas of Ming Dynasty artefacts. – ALL PICS BY T.C. KHOR

Tan wearing a scarf around his head.

Portrayal of Zheng He’s map.