Yu Un Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association of Macao
A poem by the great Chinese poet Du Fu reads, ‘The spring is overflowing the banks of the Jin River; the clouds over Mount Yulei keep changing shape as time flows.’ Human life is fleeting and brief compared to human history and the vast universe. Even if one lives beyond one hundred years, joy and sorrow will be gone in the blink of an eye. What counts is to pass on the spiritual wealth of human beings to future generations and encourage them to pursue the beauty of life. Many people and events have been widely praised and respected for seeking truth, virtue and beauty in the face of highs and lows throughout history.
Over fifty years ago, a group of calligraphy and painting enthusiasts sought to advocate Chinese culture in Macao under Portuguese colonial rule. Their work has allowed Chinese calligraphy, painting and seal carving to be passed on and promoted today. My late father, Mr Chui Tak Kei, founded the Yu Un Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association of Macao seven decades ago. He and his fellow art lovers often gathered and exchanged creative ideas with brush and ink. They started their small-scaled salons in the ‘Yu Un Restaurant’. Later, the growing association moved its base to Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro. Over these tumultuous seventy years, the association has significantly united local calligraphers, painters and seal carvers while nurturing many emerging artists. It has also been promoting cultural exchange in the Chinese mainland and the Chinese communities abroad. The association is one of the city’s two largest and most proactive art organisations. Its members have been working to pursue the beauty of art.
This year celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Yu Un Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association of Macao. In the warm spring, when flowers are blooming, these veteran artists of Yu Un are remembered admiringly for their contribution to the development of Macao calligraphy and painting. The Macao Museum of Art, the city’s most prominent art space, has organised A Gathering of Treasures: The 70th Anniversary Art Exhibition of the Yu Un Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association of Macao. The show displays 200 Chinese paintings, calligraphy works and seal carvings by seven revered artists: Chui Tak Kei, Deng Fen, Luo Shuzhong, Situ Qi, Gan Heng, Lin Jin and U Kuan Wai. The exhibits showcase the artists’ profound accomplishments in various subject matters and styles. Yu Un hopes the show allows the public – particularly those interested in Chinese calligraphy, paintings and seal carvings – to understand the association’s evolution while providing an exchange platform. On behalf of Yu Un, I would like to express my gratitude to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the Macao Museum of Art for putting together this exhibition. I also thank all sectors of society for their continuous support of the association.
‘Time flies as life events unfold one after another. Winter goes, and spring arrives.’ These seventy years have passed in a flash. I hope that the enthusiasm for Chinese culture and calligraphy, painting and seal carving will continue to be passed on from generation to generation and inspire more new talents.
José Chui Sai Peng
President of the Yu Un Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association of Macao