The Garden of Foolish Indulgences is a new work by Koh Hong Teng and Oh Yong Hwee based partly on an academic essay "Rambutans in the Picture" by Dr Lai Chee Kien.
In 1915, Han Wai Toon left Hainan Island to seek his fortune in Singapore. Through hard work, self-study and ingenuity, he became a global expert in diverse fields from ceramics, agriculture to Taoist deities. His rambutan orchard was particularly well-known and frequented by Chinese literati then, oddly because the rambutans were cultivated to taste like his hometown lychees.
Some 90 years later, Ye Feng’an came to Singapore with his family to seek better prospects for his son. One day, his encounter with a fruit seller set Feng'an to delve into the world of little-known Han Wai Toon.
Inspired by the biography of Han Wai Toon, this story explores the struggles of integration and retaining identity in an adopted country.
The Garden of Foolish Indulgences is a new work by Koh Hong Teng and Oh Yong Hwee based partly on an academic essay "Rambutans in the Picture" by Dr Lai Chee Kien.
In 1915, Han Wai Toon left Hainan Island to seek his fortune in Singapore. Through hard work, self-study and ingenuity, he became a global expert in diverse fields from ceramics, agriculture to Taoist deities. His rambutan orchard was particularly well-known and frequented by Chinese literati then, oddly because the rambutans were cultivated to taste like his hometown lychees.
Some 90 years later, Ye Feng’an came to Singapore with his family to seek better prospects for his son. One day, his encounter with a fruit seller set Feng'an to delve into the world of little-known Han Wai Toon.
Inspired by the biography of Han Wai Toon, this story explores the struggles of integration and retaining identity in an adopted country.