Artist’s Biography
Formerly known as Hao Cheong, a native of Xiangshan (now Zhongshan), Guangdong, Lok Cheong was an autodidact. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he created sets, installations and posters for theatre groups. Afterwards, he worked as an art designer at several cinemas in Macao and created the Macao Cinema Workers Union with fellow workers. Since the founding of New China in 1949, he had been in charge of the construction of National Day Pailou (ornate archways) for many years. In 1956, with fellow painters, he established the Art Research Association of Macao (the predecessor of today’s Macau Artist Society). In his early years, he specialised in drawing largescale figure paintings, as well as watercolour portraits, and his illustrations for novels are also vivid both in the form and spirit. Later, he preferred to create watercolour landscapes and Chinese paintings. His work won a special prize in the 6th National Art Exhibition of China and was collected by the National Art Museum of China. In 2001, he was awarded the Medal of Merit for Culture by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government.