Early Painting Masters were from Chinese Mainland

The early paining masters mostly came from Mainland, some arrived via Macao or came directly from Macao. In terms of native place, many of them came from Gaoyao, Gaoming and Kaiping in Guangdong Province, those from Kaiping were predominantly from the Situ (or Seetoo) clan. The founder of Guangzhou’s long-established and most prominent Yee Shun Loong Porcelain Factory, Situ Junzhou, was a native of Kaiping, and descendants of his family later came to Hong Kong to start businesses. There were also significant number of practitioners hailed from Teoswa region and surrounding places.

Occupation Background of the Painting Masters

Most early painting masters used to work in painted porcelain factories in Mainland; but there were also some who only started their apprentices at the factories after coming to Hong Kong, a notable case is Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre in Sha Tin, which provide training on porcelain painting to Buddhists who moved in from various provinces in the Chinese Mainland to learn a skill for livelihood, while also taking the opportunity to spread the Christian faith. Later on, as Hong Kong’s Gangcai industry grew and mature, some locals began to join the trade. This convergence of diverse talents in Hong Kong gradually formed a composite community.