Five-character Calligraphic Couplet in Clerical Script

RAO ZONGYI (1917-2018)
Five-character Calligraphic Couplet in Clerical Script
A pair of hanging scrolls, ink on gold-flecked colour pattern paper
Each scroll measures 127.5 x 31.4 cm. (50 ¹⁄₄ x 12 ³⁄₈ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated jisi year (1989)
Dedicated to Jianxing (Kwong Kin-Hung)

Acquired directly from the artist, thence by descent.

Professor Kwong Kin-hung (1937-2023) was a renowned literature scholar in Hong Kong. Born in Hong Kong, he graduated from the Chinese Department of the New Asia College in Hong Kong, then studied at the University of Athens, Greece, where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree. He has taught at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University, the University of Hong Kong, and the Lingnan University. He has served as Professor Emeritus of Chinese at the School of Chinese at the University of Hong Kong and the Department of Chinese at the Hong Kong Baptist University, as well as Professor and Head Librarian at the New Asia Institute of Advanced Chinese Studies in Hong Kong.

Professor Kwong is a prolific writer and educator who has devoted his life to academic research and education, specialising in translating Greek antiquities and classical Chinese literature. He is also an avid enthusiast of ancient tunes and poetic rhythms. He and his colleagues founded the Pu She, a poetry society which brings together people who create ancient poems to discuss their poetic skills and promote their writing style. He has spared no effort in promoting the development of Hong Kong's culture.