Huang Suibi (1879 – 1937)
Huang Suibi, also known as Rui Bai, was born in Xiamen, China in 1879. Huang nurtured an interest in drawing from an early age and was selected by the academy’s Dean to receive a scholarship for an art education in the Philippines. In 1921, Huang returned home from his studies to become one of Xiamen’s foremost art educators. Starting from a modest art studio where he would teach the art of drawing and painting, his growing number of students soon encouraged Huang to establish the Xiamen Academy of Fine Arts with his fellow artist peers, Yang Gengtang and Lim Hak Tai. Huang served as the founding principal of the academy until 1935 and went to Singapore the following year to start an advertising studio. In 1930, Huang was commissioned to design and sculpt a landmark sculpture for Zhongshan Park, the oldest park in Xiamen that was built in honour of the Chinese revolutionary figure, Sun Yat Sen. The stone lion, standing on a giant ball, still stands today and continues to be an iconic public sculpture in Xiamen. Huang passed away in 1937.
