Yip Cheong Fun

Who was Yip Cheong Fun?

Yip Cheong Fun was an influential Singaporean documentary photographer, best known for his photograph “Rowing at Dawn”, which was taken in 1957 in celebration of Singapore obtaining self-government, and which in his words, was to show “the dawn of a new day, new hope and new life for Singapore”.

Although better known and admired for his seascapes, Yip Cheong Fun has also taken a lot of other award-winning photographs depicting the different facets of Singaporeans’ life with his keen eyes and his humanistic understanding of the people and events around him. Yip was awarded the Cultural Medallion for his outstanding achievements and contributions to photography in 1984, as his works "identified with the Singaporean society and mirrored the nation's way of life and history".