The SchoolHouse

The SchoolHouse

Spend my Christmas with my family last week in the mountain resort called The SchoolHouse near the Mutianyi Great wall.
The house we stayed was called Stone Forest, re-constructed from an old existing farm house.

Jim Spear & Liang Tang, his wife started this project many years ago. Check out http://www.theschoolhouseatmutianyu.com/




This building used to be a school, which is now turn into a check in office for the resort. It also housed a glass making studio, art room and also a restaurant.


This typical fireplace is designed in the middle of the house, a toilet and coats closet was built just behind so that they are kept warm all the time.

This is a "KANG" , in the old days, the farmers will burn woods underneath the raised bricked bed to heat it up during winter.
The breakfast cabin is located in one of the many interesting house called the BrickYard.
This place was use for making bricks and the kilns are now used as office and holidays chalets with full height glass view of the Great Wall.
A view of 'Bei Gou' village nearby.

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THE WOLSELEY

Saturday, December 4, 2010

THE WOLSELEY

High tea at THE Wolseley at Piccadilly, London. Nice silver wares.

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MY PAINTING (ARCYLIC)

SKETCH BOOK 2008

Meet the correspondents: BEIJING > Teo Cheng Huat

Friday, February 26, 2010

Meet the correspondents: BEIJING > Teo Cheng Huat

"My real interest in sketching started back in Singapore in 1980, when I was in the armed forces serving as a medical orderly for a military school. Every three months, a new batch of officer cadets would be trained at the school. My main duty was to be embedded to their field training as part of the medical support team. Since I had a lot of free time when they are out in the field doing their training, I began to spend time drawing everyday scenes and stuff that trainees do during training and in their off hours. Just like writing a diary, I sketched hilarious things like what the trainees would do behind the back of their officer or faking illness just to get a medical excuse for training. Two years ago, I selected some of the sketches, have them printed and call the sketchbook ‘My Army Daze.’

After graduating as a interior designer from Singapore in 1985, I got involved in restoration projects and landscaping. Most of these projects are best expressed in the form of hand drawn sketches which eventually I was able to create in my own style.

My home is now in Beijing. However, I am spending a lot of time in Hong Kong recently. Hong Kong is an exciting place to be and shopping and eating are favorite pastime. Since I grew up in Singapore , soon these pastimes are not for me anymore so I begin to explore the least popular places. I try to spend time on weekends visiting old streets, houses, shops and markets as well as some of the outlying islands around Hong Kong . Sometime, we can still find an old tea house, Tim Sum’ restaurant, barber shop and tiny hardware store in up-market area like SOHO or Central district. I hope to draw and sketch them before they are demolished and give way to new commercial and expensive residential development. Back in Singapore, old historical buildings are turned into shopping centers, hotels and posh restaurants. It is quite sad to see these things happening in Hong Kong as well and these places are disappearing every day. I hope I can draw and record these scene as much as possible. My wife introduced me to Urban Sketchers earlier this year and ever since, I am very happy and glad to share my sketches with others.

During my time in Beijing, I will visit the art districts. One of the popular area is 798 Arts District. Other time in Beijing , I will often visit some nearby farms and small towns far away from the city and do sketching of the quiet and peaceful countryside. Traveling to other parts of China is always a great experience because every time there are so much changes in the same city or town due to the rapid changes and developments. In Shanghai, The Bund and in Tianjin, Caozhuangzi Village are good places to do sketching, there are many Western influenced architecture and markets where some varnishing trades still exist.

Beside, I like to cook and most of the time I will sketch my menu and also planning to do a illustrated cookbook soon."

• Teo Cheng Huat's art on flickr.

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YAU TONG HONG KONG

Monday, March 1, 2010

Yau Tong, Hong Kong

Yau Tong is an area in the eastern part of Hong Kong well known for its seafood restaurants. It is also a good place to spend time on weekend doing sketching and painting or reading a book. Nearby there is a fishing village called Lei Yun Mun with many tiny houses and fantastic sea views. I would come here whenever I have the time to draw and visit some old store that still sell the traditional ‘milk tea’ and ‘toast.’ More and more seafood restaurants are popping up and fishing boats are now used as ‘water taxi’ mainly use for transportation between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Eventually, this place is going to give way for expensive residential development, private yachts, cool restaurants, cafes and bar and probably the village nearby will become another up-market sea view residential property.

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SOHO HONG KONG

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Soho, Hong Kong

It was really chilly this morning. Packed my sketch book, I set off with some friends to SOHO area in Hong Kong looking for nice restaurant for brunch. Took the tram and after 40 minutes, we reach this place called The Real Bread Company at no. 14 Kau U Fong, SOHO. Cozy decor and good food, this place is also very popular and famous for their fantastic french style bread and pastries.




Sketch some interesting spots nearby after our brunch. The Man Mo Temple is popular among the locals and nice new fancy cafe like Lotus and old traditional one serving 'snake meat dishes'

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