The Plumber King (渠王嚴照棠)
The Plumber King, also known by his birth name Yim Chiu Tong, is a well-known Hong Kong plumber-artist, whose unique hand-painted “Plumber King Advertisements" emblazoned on the streets of Hong Kong over many years have showcased his unique calligraphic style and secured recognition of his name in the hearts and minds of Hong Kongers the city over. He has been regarded as an iconic Hong Kong street artist in the same vein as the “King of Kowloon”, Tsang Tsou Choi, and has spearheaded a unique representation of local Hong Kong culture.
Since the 1960s, Mr Yim (Plumber King) has consistently used his unique but traditional calligraphic script to create street advertisements in order to promote his business. Through the consistency and durability of his works over half a century, his art reflects the perseverance of the Hong Kong people in pursuit of their life and ideals.
In addition to street advertisements, he also showcases his classic font creations through the official Instagram account: (@The.Plumber.King). This IG account records Mr Yim’s calligraphy in various districts over the years, allowing more local and overseas friends to develop a deeper understanding of “Plumber King Culture”, with the hope of preserving the precious Hong Kong aesthetic.
渠王，原名嚴照棠，是香港著名的資深通渠匠，多年來他在香港街頭上以手繪方法創作出家傳戶曉的「渠王廣告」，早已深入民心。他被視為是繼「九龍皇帝曾灶財」之後另一位甚具代表性的街頭藝術家，成為本地獨有文化之一。
自60年代開始，渠王一直持之以恆，為了餬口以傳統的方法在街頭書寫廣告，已經超過半個世紀，正正體現了香港人為追求生活理想鍥而不捨的拼博精神。
除街頭廣告，他亦透過社交平台 Instagram (@The.Plumber.King) 帳戶展示其經典的字體創作。帳戶紀錄了渠王多年來在各區的墨寶，讓更多本地及海外的朋友對渠王文化有更深入的認識，冀能令這份珍貴的香港情懷得以保存下來。
