Chao Shao-Ang, alias Shuyi, was born in
1905 in Panyu of Guangdong province. He took tuition from a private
tutor in his village during childhood. At the age of' sixteen, he
learned painting from the famous Lingnan painter, Gao Qifeng at Gao's
private art school. He became a teacher at the Fushan Art Academy when
he was twenty-three. In 1930, his work was awarded a gold medal at the
Brussels International World Fair in Belgium. In the same year, he
founded the Lingnan Art Studio at Guangzhou. He held three one-man
shows at Guangzhou in 1933. A year later, he went on a tour of North
China. He traveled extensively through Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu,
Anhui, Shandong. Hebei and Shanxi provinces. He visited a number of
historical sites, such as the Caves of Stone Buddhas in Yungang and
the Great Wall. During the tour, his works had been exhibited in
several large cities, like Nanjing, Tianjin and Beijing.
Zhao became the head of the Chinese
Painting Department of the Guangzhou Art Institute in 1937. He later
moved to Hong Kong. He held one-man shows in Hong Kong, New Zealand
and Lisbon in 1939. In 1941, he left Hong Kong for Guangzhouwan, via
Macao. During the war time, he went to Chongqing, via Guilin, Liuzhou
and Guiyang. On his way, be had the opportunity of viewing the scenic
beauty of the landscape in Guilin. At Chongqing, he was accorded
professorship at the National Central University and the National Art
Academy. During his stay in Sichuan, Zhao visited many scenic spots of
artistic interest, such as the Mount Emei and the three gorges of
Chang Jiang. His scope of painting was widely broadened as a result of
such extentive traveling. From 1941 to 1944,
his works had been exhibited in various cities he visited, including
Guang述houwan, Liuzhou, Guilin, Qujiang, Guiyang, Chongting
and Chengdu.
In 1946, after the Sino-Japanese War,
Zhao returned to South China and organized
one-man shows in Hong Kong and Macao. In 1948, he was appointed the
professor of art at the Guangzhou University. He later moved to Hong
Kong and re-established the Lingnan Art Studio. In 1951, he was
invited by the Korean Japanese News Association to hold a painting
exhibition in Tokyo. In 1952, he traveled throughout Southeast Asian
countries and his works were exhibited in Singapore,
Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang. In 1953, he toured Europe and an
exhibition of his painting was held in Switzerland. Exhibitions of his
works were later shown in London, Manchester, Paris and Rome in 1954.
From 1960 to 1971, over thirty exhibitions of his paintings were held
in Canada, West Germany, Australia and U.S.A. Two exhibitions of his
paintings were held at the City Hall, Hong Kong in 1962 and 1979.
