Aw Eng Kwang Legacy and Aw Pottery’s Milestones
Aw Eng Kwang Legacy and Aw Pottery’s Milestones
1910 to 1920 1918: Aw Eng Kwang was born in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province,
China.
1920 to 1930 1928: Worked as an apprentice with a master in blue-and-white painting
and in making ceramic figurines.
1930 to 1940 1938: Went to Indonesia to escape Japan’s invasion of China.
1940 to 1950 1945: Moved to Malaysia. Worked in Kuala Lumpur for Goh Bang Huat
Pottery, and later for the Johor Pipe Company in Air Hitam as a mold
specialist and designer.
1949: Bought existing pottery studio in Machap. Started the Nanyang
Pottery Company; later changed the name to Aw Eng Kwang Pottery
Studio.
The products included coffee cups and St. Bernard beer mugs with a frog
inside (this was a hit with the British army).
Soon the product line included animal ornaments such as rabbits,
roosters, dogs, etc.
1950 to 1960 Joined a group of friends to produce terrazzo garden furniture.
1955-56: Left Machap for Singapore due to the communist insurgency.
Created Japanese charcoal stoves.
Created King Kong figurines to sell as souvenirs after the original King
Kong movie was finally released in Singapore.
1958: Returned to Machap to produce rubber latex cups.
1960 to 1970 The company’s golden decade began.
1963: Returned to Singapore and, with a partner, bought Thow Kwang
Pottery to produce sanitary ware.
1965: Went back to Machap to continue producing rubber latex cups, clay
water pipes, and flowerpots.
1967: First group art exhibition at the Singapore National Library. With
him were the late Mr. Ng Eng Teng, Cheong Soo Pieng, Lim Yew Kuan,
Vincent Hoisington, and Yeo Hwee Bin.
1967: The premiere Solo Ceramics Fine Art Exhibition at the Samat Art
Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1970 to 1980 1970: Began construction of the Aw Mosaic Public Toilet/Restroom, as
well as two large Malay dancers at the company’s front entrance.2
1970 to 72: The Aw Restaurant and Minangkabau-style long house were
being constructed. Designed by the founder, the only building materials
were wood, canes, attached grass roofs, and ceramic mosaic tables.
1971: Exhibition in Art Museum, University of Singapore.
1972: Supplied ceramic lampstands and silk lampshades to Singapore’s
Shangri-La Hotel.
1973: Opened Aw Pottery Singapore. Supplied lampstands, tableware,
and giftware to hotels such as the Mandarin, Hyatt, Hilton, and Equatorial.
Aw Family group exhibition at Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore,
sponsored by the Singapore Art Society.
Opened Aw Restaurant, Machap; famous for wild boar meat and lemon
chicken.
Thousands of tourists from Australia and Europe began visiting Aw
Pottery.
1974: Ceramic Fair, Robina Building in Singapore.
1975: Opened Aw Pottery Kuala Lumpur.
Commissioned by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to make Sir
Stamford Raffles statuettes and Merlions as memorabilia for tourists.
Exported to Australia and New Zealand.
Commissioned by Hilton Hotel on Orchard Road, Singapore, to create
and install two door guardians (Wei Jing De and Qin Shu Bao, Tang
Dynasty 618 A.D.).
Exhibition at the Stadium Negara (National Stadium) in Kuala Lumpur.
1977: April, Brussels Fair in Belgium.
Trade mission to promote Asian pottery in Australia (Sydney, Adelaide,
and Melbourne.
1978: Exhibition by Aw family and four Japanese guest artists at the Hotel
Equatorial in Kuala Lumpur.
1979: Exhibition by Aw family and five Japanese guest artists at the
Goodwood Park Hotel in Singapore.
1980 to 1990 1980: Opened Aw Pottery USA in Berkeley, California.
1983: Joint venture to start Emerald Tiles in Machap.
1984: Aw Pottery “Gold Rush” began from Air Hitam with many local
vendors.
1990 to 2000 1991: Opened Aw Pottery Northwest in Seattle, Washington, USA.
1993: Opened Aw Pottery Chao’an, Guangdong Province, China.
Designed and manufactured a new rustic line of pots for export to the
USA, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere.
1993: Opened Aw Pottery USA warehouse in Oakland, California.
1996: Opened Aw Pottery Atlanta, in Georgia, USA.
1996: October: Aw Eng Kwang passed away in Berkeley at age 78.
1997: Started Aw Pottery Yixing, Jiangxi Province, China. Designed and
manufactured many lines/styles of pottery for the USA, Europe, and
Australia.
2000 to present 2013: Aw Eng Kwang Pottery Studio underwent a major renovation and
facelift. The Aw Museum was built, and the Aw Mosaic Toilet was
remodeled, including the installation of new glass roofs.
2014: New and old visitors began to visit the Machap studio. Pottery
workshops began for visitors and students.
2023: Started the Kopi-Aw Café on 31 August – Merdeka Day, Malaysia’s
Independence Day.