Yap Hong Ngee was born in 1944 in Mentakab, Pahang. He received secondary education at the Confucian High School, Kuala Lumpur, subsequently furthering his studies in Japanese Arts at Tokyo Arts University, Japanese Arts History and Physical Engineering in Waseda University from 1966 to 1972. Yap shares his passion in art with many of his fellow countrymen through his participation in various societies and associations such as the Malaysian Shui-Mo Art Society, International Contemporary Ink Painting Association, and Malaysian Art Centre. He is also a regular contributor to various Chinese dailies and magazines and has conducted flower arrangement programmes in the Mandarin Channel of Radio Malaysia. Yap remains an art teacher in Kuen Cheng Secondary Girls School, a post he has held since 1981. Yap is famous for his watercolour paintings on various topics, particularly those of sparrows as his favourite symbol as well as peony flowers.