LIANG QICHAO (1873-1929)
Nine-character Calligraphic Couplet in Regular Script
A pair of hanging scrolls, ink on paper
Each scroll measures 239 x 38.5 cm. (94 ¹⁄₈ x 15 ¹⁄₈ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with one seals of the artist
Dated winter, eleventh month, bingshen year (1896)
Dedicated to Suitian

He Tingguang (19-20th century), courtesy name Suitian, was born in Xiangshan, Guangdong, and was the founding manager of the newspaper Zhixin Bao. He was naturalised as a Portuguese citizen when he was young, and supported reform and revolutionary ideas. In 1896, when Kang Youwei (1858-1927) went to Hong Kong and Macao, He Tingguang was deeply influenced by his innovative ideas and invested in the founding of Zhixin Bao, which served as a media to spread revolutionary ideas in South China. He also established hospitals, schools and enterprises in Macau, and was a prominent figure in Macau society in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.