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Evelyn Lip

Evelyn Lip Mong Har (Dr) (b. 1938, Malaysia - ) is a prolific author of more than 50 books ranging from architecture, Chinese geomancy or feng shui, the teachings of Chinese thinker Sun Zi to children's books. An architect by training, she lectured at National University of Singapore (NUS)'s School of Architecture for more than two decades and had the distinction of being the first person to obtain a Ph.D. (Architecture) from the faculty.

Early life
Born to a traditional Cantonese family in 1938, Evelyn Lip was raised in Ipoh, Malaysia. She was sent to a Chinese-stream primary school but studied in an English-medium secondary school. She obtained a grade one certificate in her overseas Cambridge examinations and went on to study architecture in Technical College, Kuala Lumpur. She worked temporarily for architecture company Booty Edwards & Partners, before winning a scholarship to further her studies in the UK. In London, she met and married her Malaysian-born architect husband, giving birth to her first child. They returned to Malaysia upon her graduation where she took up lecturing at Technical College.

In 1969, Lip and her husband migrated to Singapore. Lip joined the then University of Singapore's architecture faculty, lecturing on the history of architecture, architectural design and Asiatic architecture emphasising on oriental development. After obtaining her Masters degree in 1975, Lip went on to become the first person to obtain a Ph.D. from the architecture faculty, for her thesis Chinese Temple Architecture in Singapore in 1985. The first to survey over 120 Chinese temples in Singapore, her thesis traced the architectural, social and religious influences of Chinese migrants on temple building.

Achievements
Lim's interest in Chinese cultural traditions and its architecture include the influences of geomancy or feng shui on people and the environment. In its literal sense, feng shui means "wind and water". It is a belief that natural elements have to be taken into consideration before siting a building or a tomb as this influences the person's fortunes or luck. To Lip, feng shui is not so much a superstition but more a logical art of the placement of things so that one would feel harmonious with the environment. Lip has written about nine books on Chinese geomancy, including What is Feng Shui? Chinese Geomancy, Chinese Temples and Deities, Fun With Chinese Horoscopes, Feng Shui for the Home, Feng Shui for Business, Chinese Practices and Beliefs. Lim sources out research material for her books based on her ability to read Chinese classical works. This is because Chinese geomancers are often reluctant to share their trade secrets with her. Her books are written in simplified terms to cater to readers who are new to feng shui and its principles.

Lip is a talented artist specialising in Chinese brush painting. Not only does she write, but she illustrates her books as well. She has published around 20 children's books including picture books such as The Frog Family, Clever Kingfisher, The Greedy Sparrow, The Snake and the Eggs, The Magic Bowl and Ten Little Chicks. Often, her children's stories are based on a moral theme.

A woman of many talents, Lip is frequently invited to speak at clubs and associations. Lip juggles her time as an academic-architect, writer, painter, illustrator and researcher. Lip, however, is unfazed by her various roles, as she once said, "it's a matter of managing of time and work, besides, I am a fast worker."

Education
1958 : Grade One Certificate, Overseas Cambridge Examination
Technical College (now University Technology), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Regent Street Polytechnic, London, UK
1975 : M. (Arch), NUS
1985 : Ph.D. (Arch), NUS

Career
Booty Edwards & Partners (Architects)
Lecturer-in-charge (Architecture), Technical College
1969 : Lecturer, School of Architecture, University of Singapore
1976 - : Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, University of Singapore (now National University of Singapore)

Selected works
Non-fiction
1979 : Chinese Geomancy
1981 : Chinese Temples and Deities
1983 : Chinese Temple Architecture in Singapore
1986 : Feng Shui for the Home
1990 : Classic Chinese Legends
1995 : The Design and Feng Shui of Logos, Trademarks and Signboards
1997 : Personalise your Feng Shui: a step-by-step guide to the pillars of destiny
2000 : Chinese Practices and Beliefs
2003 : Choosing Auspicious Chinese Names
2004: Feng Shui: a layman's guide

Children's fiction
1981 : Ten Little Chicks
1981 : The Magic Bowl
1981 : The Waterfall
1981: The Green Monster
1982 : The Snake and the Eggs
1982 : The Greedy Sparrow
1982 : Clever Kingfisher
1982 : The Frog Family

Family
She is married with two children



Author
Nureza Ahmad



References
Lee, S.C. (1992, May 4). Harmony and geomancy. The Straits Times, Life, p. 6.

Mahbubani, G. (1982, September 26). Superwoman Evelyn. The Straits Times, p.19.

Tan, S. Y. (1999, February 12). Dos and donts when decorating your home. The Business Times.

Architecture, Building & Real Estate Masters & PhD Theses in NUS Central Library. (2001) Retrieved 12 August, 2004, from www.lib.nus.edu.sg/theses/clhdarch.htm 

The information in this article is valid as at 2004 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Personalities>>Biographies>>Artists
Women authors--Singapore
Singapore literature (English)
Arts--Singapore
Women architects--Singapore
History>>Asia>>Southeast Asia>>Singapore
Arts>>Architecture
Language and literature>>Fiction
Philosophy, psychology and religion>>Feng shui



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