Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin raising funds for charity through his photography
Singapore's 10th Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin has a rather poetic name that manifests itself in his photography and its purpose.
The Chinese character "chuan" means river and "ren" ("jin" in dialect) means benevolence.
Creeks and plains feature prominently in his landscape photography, and his hobby of over 20 years has become a way of serving the community.
This endeavour began with his first book The World We Live In published in 2014 to raise funds for charity.
Since then, Mr Tan has raised funds at charity events by auctioning off prints. He has raised over $3 million to date for various charities and causes.
To mark Singapore's bicentennial year – the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles' arrival in Singapore in 1819 – Mr Tan will be launching a fund-raising photo exhibition for local charities on Thursday, in partnership with Hope Initiative Alliance, arts@work, Far East Organization and Far East Plaza.
Titled "Our Place In The World", the display at Far East Plaza Level 2 Concourse will be open to the public from Feb 1 to Feb 28 this year.
It showcases photographs taken by Mr Tan in 20 countries over the last 20 years.
These include panoramic shots of landscapes and cities, with a focus on different peoples and communities who have made their homes in these spaces.
Mr Tan hopes to use the exhibition to raise funds for the poor, disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Singapore.
The public can support the efforts through donations.
They can receive a limited-edition exclusive metal print for a $10,000 donation, a premium photo book box set for a $5,000 donation, a special photo book box set for a $1,000 donation, or a postcard pack by giving $50.
All proceeds will go towards 13 partnering charities, which include The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, Care Corner Singapore, Centre for Fathering, HealthServe and The Turning Point.
Mr Tan's – who was an army Brigadier-General and head of the Training and Doctrine Command before entering politics – interest in photography started when he joined the army.
He also sees his hobby as a way to do what he can while he is able to.
"If it helps encourage someone, to nudge him or her to donate for a good cause, get a print or get a book, why not?"
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