{"id":12086,"date":"2021-05-13T11:04:41","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T11:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yhginverness.com\/staging\/7602\/?p=12086"},"modified":"2021-05-13T12:04:13","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T12:04:13","slug":"altar-signboards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yhginverness.com\/staging\/7602\/altar-signboards\/","title":{"rendered":"Altar Signboards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Sun Toi, or ancestral altar, is a major feature in a traditional kung fu school. It is usually a main focal point upon entry to the training area. There are many features to the Sun Toi. You can read more about the Sun Toi in our article, “The Sun Toi – Ancestral Altar”<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sun Toi with signboards hanging above and to the sides.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hanging above the altar and down the sides, you can find the school’s signboards. These are boards with carefully carved Chinese characters that have a special meaning that relates to the style of kung fu. The top board, above the altar, is usually the name of the style itself, such as “Hung Ga Kuen,” meaning “Hung Family Fist.” They are read from right to left, in the same way that Traditional Chinese text was written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vertical boards down the sides are read from top to bottom. These demonstrate a theory, philosophy, motto or poem that relates to the kung fu style. They have an equal amount of characters on either board for symmetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aimee and her mum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meet Aimee Williamson, owner of HollanDesign<\/a>, and her mum, “Without her, no work would get done.” Aimee was commissioned to make the signboards for Yee’s Hung Ga Kung Fu Academy, Inverness. Aimee does everything herself. From taking the orders, to designing, buying timber, marking and preparing timber, operating the CNC machine, painting and finishing. Aimee sends her designs through her computer to her CNC machine. This carves the boards to the exact specifications of the design. The inner vertical black boards are coated with an ebony timber treatment. The top, horizontal and outer vertical boards are carved in American white oak and have been coated with Treatex UV oil. All the carvings are painted with acrylic paints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n