A legacy of elegance and generosity
Wong family’s collection finds new home in CUHK Art Museum
6 October 2025
In the bustling Lychee Bay of early 20th-century Guangzhou, a sanctuary of art and scholarship took form and flourished. The Xiaohuafang Zhai – “Studio of the Small Pleasure Boat” – came into being in 1902, created by young scholars and art aficionados of the Wong family.
More than just a residence, Xiaohuafang Zhai was a beacon for artists, intellectuals and the literati. Equally vital was its preservation of some of the finest classical paintings, calligraphy and rare books, mainly from the Ming and Qing eras, through turbulent times. The family’s cultural legacy, cultivated over generations, is now celebrated in the CUHK Art Museum exhibition, “The Wong Family: A Century of Collecting”, via a generous donation that transforms a private heritage into a treasure for all to enjoy.
The exhibition’s opening ceremony on 8 September was graced by Dr George Wong, a descendant of the family. “The Wong collection was largely made in Guangzhou between the First and Second World Wars,” he said. “Our family is honoured to present the Wong collection to the CUHK Art Museum.” He was delighted that these works, after years stored in their old flat’s attic, were finally seeing the light of day.
Together, the more than 100 exhibits tell of the development of Chinese art over the Ming and Qing periods, as well as the taste of the Guangdong elite in art collection, in an enriching presentation made possible with the support of Lee Hysan Foundation and the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
The Wong family’s rise can be traced back to Wong Ah-fook, who built his fortune working in Southeast Asia and had an open mind to both traditional and Western learning. His eldest son Siew-nam came to China to receive classical Chinese education, while his third son, Siew-chan, was among the earliest batch of young Chinese men sent to study in Britain in the early 20th century.
The brothers, both passionate art lovers, started to collect exceptional pieces of classical Chinese art. Their family home Xiaohuafang Zhai in Lychee Bay, on the west side of Guangzhou, became a haven for the like-minded from 1902 until the 1940s, a time of political upheavals across the country. Eventually, it earned a reputation as a significant cultural landmark in Guangdong, playing an essential role in preserving and enriching the province’s history and cultural life from late Qing to the early Republican period.
Siew-chan’s avidity rubbed off on his nephew, George’s father Peng-cheong, who kept the collection intact. On Peng-cheong’s passing in 1997, George and his siblings began to gift the family collection in batches to the CUHK Art Museum.
Compiled by Hu Yuanzhi in 1173, the ninth year of the Qiandao period
Song edition
22.3 x 15.5 cm
Collection of CUHK Art Museum
Rare books are among the artefacts that the family members had amassed. In particular, Siew-nam and Siew-chan embraced the collecting trend sparked by Guangdong merchants at the time and became prominent rare-book collectors themselves.
A highlight of their rare books is a Song-dynasty edition of Selected Entries from the Commentary of Zuo – the country’s only known surviving copy. The Commentary of Zuo is an ancient Chinese narrative history covering events from the late eighth to early fifth century BCE. This volume is of such cultural importance that the Art Museum is considering applying to have it listed in the National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books.
Artworks from the orthodox masters of early Qing paintings are also featured. One of them is Feng’e Mountain Villa by Wu Li. It depicts an idealised retreat that exists only in the mind. Wu employs clean and refined brushstrokes to articulate trees, rocks and trails, constructing an immersive space that draws viewers into the scene as if they were walking through a villa.
Wu Li (1632-1718) and others
Feng’e Mountain Villa
ca. 16841710
Album leaves, ink and colour on paper
Collection of Art Museum, CUHK
Another notable artwork is the Calligraphy after Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi by Bada Shanren, a descendant of the Ming imperial clan and one of the most important painters in Chinese art history. The piece shows his study of model calligraphy of the ancient masters Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. It is crucial research material for the Art Museum, offering insights into a calligraphy tradition that has been rarely discussed.
Calligraphy after Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi
Undated
Handscroll, ink on paper
Collection of Art Museum, CUHK
The Art Museum Director, Professor Josh Yiu Chun-chong, expressed gratitude to the Wongs for entrusting his institution with their family heritage, pledging his commitment to preserving, researching and promoting these significant works.
The Art Museum has published a catalogue comprising scholarly essays written by its own research team and other experts that expound on the collection and its historical background, as well as the significant impact on generations to come. The catalogue is available at the Museum’s bookshop and online store.
By Gillian Cheng
Photos courtesy of CUHK Art Museum
“The Wong Family: A Century of Collecting” exhibition
- Exhibition period: Now until 22 March 2026
- Phase 1: Now until 19 October 2025 at Harold and Christina Lee Gallery & Gallery 4, Art Museum, CUHK
- Phase 2: 20 October 2025 to 22 March 2026 at Gallery 4, Art Museum, CUHK
