Born in 1941 Guangzhou China, Lee Ching-man relocated to Hong Kong in 1949. In the 1950s she began her painting career as an illustrator. In the early 1960s, she began learning western painting and enrolled at the School of Continuing Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she learned Chinese water and ink painting, Chinese traditional painting and theory; at the Extra-mural Department of the University of Hong Kong she learned lithography. These courses and practical work experience laid a solid foundation for her career as an artist. Her teaching career began in 1964 when she founded the Lee’s Studio an art school for children. She later taught and held painting classes at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in the 1970s. From 1990-93, Lee taught in the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. In 2002, she became the instructor of an art teachers training programme organized by the Art Education Association. From 2003-05, Lee offered courses in Chinese water and ink painting and painting technique at the School of Continuing Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since 1973, she has been engaged in a number of large-scale wall painting projects, both local and overseas. Examples include the retrospective projects for both the old Hong Kong History Museum (formerly located inside the Kowloon Park) and the new one in its current Chatham Road site. Since 1974 she has been awarded many accolades for her paintings and artworks, which include both local and overseas awards such as the Hong Kong Urban Council Art Award, the United Kingdom Art Award, and the Japanese Housing Design Award . Lee has taken part in over 100 solo and joint exhibitions since 1970, and her paintings and artworks have been collected by many museums in Hong Kong and abroad, including the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Art Museum of Harvard University, USA, and private collectors.
