We all are proud of our history and culture. All the historical buildings, temples and other important sites help us reflect on how far we have come as a human race. One always admires and is amazed by the old temples and skillfully artistic handmade sculptures. How artists in those era have done a marvelous job without use of any modern machines or techniques. Hanzhen, a super-gifted talented teen, is making sure to do justice to historical artistic building by drawing miraculously detailed sketches. After admiring his complex drawings one question can come to everybody’s mind, how can this young artist have such advanced skills. His artistic skills are not limited to building; his talent can be seen in sketches of animals, flags and so on. He also plays the piano well, is good with numbers, and remembers calendars. Hanzhen’s art is admired in many exhibitions and he actively participates in various autism awareness programs. We are so proud of his parents Yvonne and Yap Yew Peng (P) who have dedicated their life to raise a confident extraordinary brilliant teen like Hanzhen

You have drawn very detailed buildings? How do you decide to draw any building? What is the process involved once you pick a building to draw? How long does it usually take to finish the drawing?H: I like to draw in a series. First I will research the buildings in the series. Then I search the locations in Google Maps. I go and visit the sites and take a lot of photos. After that, I decide which is the best view to draw.
For the Singapore High Commission drawing, I took 11 days because it's difficult. For a cat... easy, just one day.
P: Hanzhen has overcome many of the challenges of an autistic person (eg. difficulties in maintaining eye contact and basic communication skills). However, he is still much obsessed with repetitive behaviours and routines. Completing a series of drawings, replete with a numbering list (which he keeps very detailed records) gives him much pleasure and satisfaction. It is an incentive for him to start drawing.
Hanzhen will take photographs of the object from many different angles and then he will select the angle that he prefers to sketch. In the case of a building, the ideal situation is when he is able to visit the site and spend some time there to absorb the atmosphere and the feel of the place before he starts on his drawing.

How has your life changed from when you began drawing until now?H: I started drawing (professionally) in 2011. It's been good... a lot of exhibitions, I get to go to many places. It feels nice and (I feel) clever.
P: Although Hanzhen is not very good at expressing himself, he brims with pride when he is praised for his work.

Can you tell us more about disabled art exchange programme entitled “JB-Tokyo ParaArt Exchange 2015”?H: Ms Segawa and friends (Hiroki, Chiho and many others) came from Tokyo to visit us. They brought their beautiful paintings. We held an art exhibition together at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel in JB.
P: Earlier in Oct 2013, Hanzhen's sketch was among the winning entries in the 2013 Asia ParaArt Tokyo competition which attracted more than 1000 entries from countries all over Asia. He was invited to Tokyo to receive his prize. That was when we met and befriended the organiser, Ms Otome Segawa. In 2015, she planned a visit to JB with 6 disabled artists from Japan. Hence the “JB-Tokyo ParaArt Exchange 2015” was initiated.

How many books have you published so far? Which one is your favorite and why?H: I have published three books. My favourite is “Johor Bahru . My City . My Heritage”. I like it because it's my CITY!
P: Born and bred here in Johor Bahru(JB), Hanzhen is very proud of this beautiful sketch book. It is a collation of sketches of JB old historical buildings and it also serves as a documentary record of our local built heritage.

Which is your favorite drawing so far and why? Have you ever experimented with colors in your art?H: I have drawn 453 drawings on art papers and 616 drawings on my sketch books. My favourite... (eh, so many)... one of them is “Arulmigu Temple” because it's very nice, has a lot of details. Yes, I'm trying out watercolour. I am still learning.
P: Hanzhen loves details. Somehow this has always been the right formula for him - the more complex is the object, the better is the outcome. Hanzhen is referring to his favourite sketch of the Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Temple in Johor Bahru. This small Hindu temple serves the vibrant Indian community who owns some of the busiest and ethnically colourful shops around that area. Hanzhen seems to have captured the essence of this vibrancy in his sketch.

Who is your favorite artist? Name the artwork of your favorite artist you admire?H: My favourite artist is Stephen Wiltshire. I like all his drawings.
P: Hanzhen had had the opportunity to watch Stephen Wiltshire in action when the artist was in Singapore to draw the city skyline in July 2014.

What are your other hobbies?H: Swim, Play piano and Watch youtube videos!

What is your favorite place to visit?H: I like Sydney and Tokyo.
P: These are some of the cities that we had visited and which Hanzhen has started a series of drawings on. You can view these sketches on his website www.hanzhen.org.

What do you like to do when you are with your family?H: We draw together... each of us draw on own sketch book. I also like to play the piano and my family sing along.

Any special message for our community?H: His drawings give a lot of hope to gifted special artists. It opens up possibilities for parents seeking a future for their kids. In the recent “6th Walk For Autism” organised by Malacca Kanner Association, a non-profit organisation based in Malacca, Hanzhen was invited to lead 1000 walkers. The organiser named him “The Ambassador of Hope”. What an honour!