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Ho Yiu Kwong

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Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 July 202510 sources

Ho Yiu-kwong, MBE, was a Hong Kong businessman, philanthropist, and collector of Chinese paintings and calligraphy. He named his study "Zhile Lou" (Hall of Utmost Happiness), which housed his collection of Chinese artworks.

Biography

Ho's ancestral hometown was Yongding, Fujian Province. His father, Yeung Kwai-wing, was adopted into the Ho family due to poverty. Ho was born in Nanhai County, Guangdong Province. In 1925, his elder brother Ho Yiu-chuen (1897–1927) returned to Guangzhou to participate in the patriotic “Canton–Hong Kong Strike” movement. Ho followed and enrolled at the National Guangdong University (now Sun Yat-sen University). Later, he returned to Hong Kong alone to make a living. Through the introduction of his secondary school classmate Leung Kam-cheung, he joined Kin Lee Construction Company as a salesman and eventually became its manager. Over more than ten years, he made significant contributions to the company’s success.

In 1934, he married Kwok Pui-chun from Guangzhou and had five sons and five daughters. In 1938, he founded the Welfare Construction Company in Hong Kong. He later established the Hong Kong Building Contractors Association, schools, clinics, Welfare Properties Ltd., and Welfare Real Estate Ltd., becoming a notable figure in the construction industry in Hong Kong. In 1952, he served as chairman of the Hong Kong Building Contractors Association. Ho published works including The Collection of Dawn, Principles of Conduct and Reflections on Life, and Fifty Admonitory Poems.

He was enthusiastic about philanthropy and donated tens of millions of dollars to education in mainland China. In the 1990s, he donated HK$3.5 million to the Social Welfare Institute of Haizhu District in Guangzhou. To honor his contributions, the institution was named the “Madam Ho Kwai-wing Welfare Institute of Haizhu District” after his mother.

Positions held and honors received:

  • Director of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
  • Honorary President for life of the Chung Sing Benevolent Society
  • Founder of Tung Lin Home for the Aged
  • Recipient of the British M.B.E. honor
  • Honorary citizen of Guangzhou

Zhile Lou Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

Ho Yiu-kwong named his study “Zhile Lou” to house his collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy. It is one of the three major private collections of Chinese art in Hong Kong (the other two being "Xu Beizhai" by Low Chuck-tiew and "Pak Shantang" by Lee Shau-kee).[1]

The name "Zhile Lou" expresses the profound joy he found in appreciating ancient works of art and also conveys the meaning “doing good is the utmost happiness.”[2]

In terms of collecting philosophy, Ho prioritized personal character over artistic technique. He believed that “the works of those who are loyal, righteous, benevolent, and filial naturally contain an upright spirit within the brush and ink.” Viewing their works allowed one to admire their character and develop respect. Conversely, if the artist lacked moral integrity, their works, no matter how technically impressive, would not be collected. Most of his collection consists of works by loyalist artists from the late Ming to early Qing dynasties.

Key exhibitions and donations:

  • 1962: "Ming Loyalist Art Exhibition" at Hong Kong City Hall
  • 1975: Co-organized "Zhile Lou Collection of Ming Loyalist Paintings and Calligraphy" with the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum
  • 1992: Co-organized "Zhile Lou Collection of Ming and Qing Paintings and Calligraphy" with CUHK Art Museum
  • 2010: Co-organized "Elegance of Brush and Ink: Selections from the Zhile Lou Collection of Late Ming and Early Qing Paintings and Calligraphy" with Hong Kong Museum of Art
  • 2011: Co-organized "Artistic Revolution in 17th Century China – Zhile Lou Collection of Ming Loyalist Works" with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
  • 2018: The Ho family donated 355 items from the collection to the Hong Kong Museum of Art[3]
  • 2019: The Hong Kong Museum of Art established a permanent "Zhile Lou Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Gallery"
  • 2020: Hongkong Post issued a special stamp series themed “Treasures from Hong Kong Museum Collections – Zhile Lou Collection”[4]
  • 2021: Donated 8 additional pieces, bringing total donations to 363 sets of works[5]
  • 2021–2022: Co-organized “Painting Apart from the World: Monks and Scholars of the Ming and Qing Dynasties” exhibition with Musée Cernuschi in Paris[6]

Anecdotes

  • During his years of collecting, Ho Yiu-kwong forged wide connections with artists and collectors. Some Zhile Lou pieces were gifts from figures such as Zhang Daqian and Chan Yan-tou, and Guangdong artists such as Heung Hon-ping, Lee Yin-shan, and Wong Bon-yok. Splashed-ink Landscape (1966) was painted by Zhang Daqian (1899–1983) to celebrate Ho's 60th birthday.[7] Ho often sought opinions on authenticity and value from fellow art enthusiasts such as Lee Yin-shan.[8]
  • Ho Sai-chu recalled that his father viewed the painting Spring Dragon Awakens by Qiu Ying three times before purchasing it due to the high asking price. Ho ultimately bought it for HK$350,000—a sum that could have purchased several properties at the time—after hearing that another buyer was interested. The rival buyer, it turned out, was a mainland Chinese agency assigned to prevent the work from leaving the country. After learning Ho Yiu-kwong had acquired it, Beijing authorities were relieved.[9]
  • As Ho aged into his 90s and his eyesight declined, he reduced his direct involvement in managing the collection. His children took up the responsibility, airing the paintings every November to check their condition and ensure proper ventilation. The rest of the time, the works were stored in temperature- and humidity-controlled conditions.[10]

Named Facilities

Institutions and buildings named after Ho Yiu-kwong and his wife:

  • Ho Yiu Kwong Building, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • Ho Yiu Kwong & Kwok Pui Chun Plaza, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • Zhile Lou Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Hong Kong Museum of Art
  • Confucian Tai Shing Ho Kwok Pui Chun Secondary School
  • Ho Kwok Pui Chun Elderly Centre, Hong Kong Women's Foundation

Ho Sai-chu Family

Ho Yiu-kwong was the father of Ho Sai-chu. The Ho Sai-chu family established the Ho Yiu Kwong Charitable Foundation to continue his philanthropic legacy.

Ho Yiu-chuen, Ho Yiu-kwong's elder brother, was a workers’ rights leader and a key figure in the Canton–Hong Kong Strike. He was Vice-Chairman of the Committee and a member of the first All-China Federation of Trade Unions Standing Committee. He was arrested and executed in April 1927.

Ho’s daughter-in-law Ma Helen is a well-known entertainer.

References

  1. ↑ Zhile Lou Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy: Ming Loyalists, published by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR, November 2019, p. 16.
  2. ↑ Zhile Lou Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy: Ming Loyalists, published by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR, November 2019, p. 10.
  3. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-3
  4. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-4
  5. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-5
  6. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-6
  7. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-7
  8. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-8
  9. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-9
  10. ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%80%80%E5%85%89#cite_ref-10

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