HK Memories | 香港長憶

Title	HK Memories \| 香港長憶
Artist	Hou Beiren
Medium	Ink on paper
Dimensions	80 cm × 72 cm
Year	2019
Provenance	Donated by Hou Beiren in November 2019
Collection	University Museum and Art Gallery, HKU
Catalogue	HKU.Ca.2019.2460
Inscription	In 2019, when Hou Beiren was 103, he made this work of calligraphy to commemorate his time in Hong Kong. In autumn 1949, my wife Zhang Yunqing and I left Beijing and settled in Diamond Hill, Kowloon, where I made a living as a writer. In 1950, my son Hou Yilong was born and then my daughter Hou Dagang in 1952. Making a living as a writer was quite challenging, but the effort I put in was fruitful. I wrote numerous articles, individual prose works and books. During this period, I first met many famous artists such as Zhang Daqian and Zheng Shiqiao, from whom I learned much during our discussions on painting. Many of the articles I published at that time are still valued among the literary community. It has now been half a century since moving to California in autumn 1956. Time waits for no one. I have spent my whole life painting, and now realize that I indeed have grown old. I can still hold a brush, though my hair has turned white. I made this work of calligraphy to express my feelings for all of the renowned individuals and friends who I came to know, and for the University of Hong Kong. Hou Beiren at Old Apricot Villa, 8 August 2019
Seals	Hou Beiren's Seal (square relief), Old Apricot Villa (square intaglio), MISSING 1