Flushing artist honors the Year of the Tiger with dynamic work
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 4 - FEB. 10, 2022 25
usually spoken in Hong
Kong, Guangdong Province,
and places nearby.
Nowadays, you can hear
this greeting in many
Chinatowns.
Young Simon was already
painting and writing
calligraphy at age 12,
learning the ancient art
forms passed down by
the masters. He even won
national awards. But his
creativity was stifled.
“At that time, China
was going through a very
tough phase when people
weren’t allowed to engage
with the traditional culture,
and a lot of books
and artworks were destroyed
due to political
reasons,” Zeng recalled.
Like many Queens
artists, Zeng said his
pandemic experience has
been quite challenging.
Yet it hasn’t stopped him
from doing what he loves.
“I have been staying
home with my family,
my children are taking
classes online, and many
of my art exhibitions
have been canceled,” he
noted. “But I created artworks
for more than a
year, praying every day
that the epidemic will
disappear soon.”
Those paintings reflect
the emotions he’s
experienced as COVID-19
continues. According to
Zeng, “The cats” is inscribed
with calligraphy,
meaning: “In the summer
of 2020, the pandemic in
the United States is serious.
I feel sad and weep.”
“The Amaryllis” is
inscribed with calligraphy,
meaning: “The
vaccine was successfully
invented during
the Christmas period of
2020, and is on its way.
I sincerely wish the
vaccine to be delivered
smoothly, and human
health and peace.”
Zeng hopes this
mighty Year of the Tiger
brings better results.
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
It’s the Year of the Tiger!
Be sure to share joy
and love during this festive
time. Chinese New
Year falls on Tuesday,
Feb. 1, this year, and celebrations
culminate with
the Lantern Festival on
Feb. 15.
Artist and calligrapher
Simon Zeng, a longtime
Flushing resident,
has kept the beloved traditions
of his native land
and looks forward to another
Lunar New Year.
He’s hoping it’s a lucky
one.
“The dawn is ahead,”
he said. “The Year of the
Tiger will come in a few
days, and I hope our world
will recover to peace and
prosperity.”
Since moving into his
home studio in Flushing
almost 26 years ago,
Zeng has enjoyed living
and working in that
vibrant area, which reminds
him of his childhood
home in the historic
town of Jinzhou District
of Dalian, in the Liaoning
Province of southern
China.
As a tribute to each
Chinese New Year, the
artist has been creating
symbolic works depicting
different animals.
Describing his dynamic
creation for 2022 — a watercolor
painting titled
“Tiger family” (brush,
ink, color on paper 27”
x 27”) – Zeng said the
pattern on the tiger’s
forehead constitutes “a
king character, which is
a symbol of majesty and
power.”
“In Chinese legends,
tigers are believed to be
extremely powerful animals
that ward off three
major disasters in the
family: fire, theft and
evil,” Zeng explained.
“Tiger paintings are often
hung on the wall facing
the gate, so that demons
are afraid to enter. Even
in contemporary China,
some children wear tiger
head hats and shoes to
ward off evil spirits, and
some people sleep on tiger
head pillows to make
themselves stronger. In
the Year of the Tiger,
children have the word
‘King’ written in red on
their heads, which seems
to boost their energy and
vitality.”
Zeng added, “People
believe in mascots very
much, and tiger talismans
and flags painted
with the shape of a tiger,
are often treasures to
frighten the enemy. And
people will use the god
Humen, to pray for blessings
and ward off evil
spirits.”
Across Queens and
the rest of New York City,
excited families, like
Zeng’s, are getting ready
to celebrate a new year.
Usually, two fish dishes
are prepared, one for dinner
and one for the next
day (considered “surplus
for the new year”), for
Chinese New Year’s Eve,
which falls on Jan. 31.
And the orange is one of
the most popular Chinese
New Year foods.
When they meet during
this happy time,
Chinese people greet one
another with lucky sayings
and phrases to wish
each other health, wealth
and good fortune. “Gong
hei fat choy” (a Cantonese
saying that delivers
a wish of prosperity) is
Flushing artist Simon Zeng spoke about celebrating the
Year of the Tiger Queens-style with his family.
Photo courtesy of Simon Zeng
/QNS.COM
