Zeng Zaocai may be a Hong Konger over 40 years old, a well-known little figure. His handwriting can be found all over the electric light street boxes, lamp posts and walls of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Is he a madman, the "Emperor of Kowloon", or an artist? Graffiti-style street works that have never attracted attention before. Tsang Choi (November 12, 1921 - July 15, 2007), who called himself the "Emperor of Kowloon" and whose real name was Tsang Choi, was a street graffiti artist in Hong Kong, China. His graffiti creations were all Chinese characters written with a brush. The article tells about the past deeds of himself and his family, and "declares" his "independence" on Kowloon, so he gets the title "Emperor of Kowloon". Although he was not good at writing, his handwriting can be seen in various districts in Kowloon, including Kwun Tong, Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier, etc., as well as in Central and Western Districts on Hong Kong Island, China, outside Kowloon. Tsang has been graffitiing for more than 50 years. His handwriting can be found in various districts of Hong Kong and Kowloon, and his unusual content has left a deep impression on the citizens of Hong Kong, China. Tsang's graffiti works were also exhibited at the 2003 Venice Biennale, and he is the only person from Hong Kong, China whose works have been exhibited so far. On July 25, 2007, after the news of the death of the "Kowloon Emperor" came to light, newspapers in Hong Kong, China, reported it extensively. Liang Mandao, a member of the cultural industry, believes that Tsang "is definitely the collective memory of Hong Kong people and has inspired us to rethink what art is." Street artist MC Yan also expressed his appreciation for Tsang Tso-choi's works, "He was the first to use the streets as a canvas, and he was very successful. ” Calligrapher Yi Fei agrees that Tsang Tso Choi’s works are part of the culture of Hong Kong, China and deserve respect, but in terms of artistic beauty, they are “hard to reach the level of elegance.” Although most of the graffiti had been cleaned up by the government earlier, after the news of Zeng's death was made public, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China stated that it would not clear away the remaining graffiti works and would consider ways to preserve them. (***) Biography Zeng Zaocai was born in Liantang Village, Zhaoqing, Guangdong. He and his 15-year-old wife Wen Fucai had four sons and four daughters. Three of the children have passed away, and the eldest daughter and second daughter married to the UK and the Netherlands respectively. Tsang settled in Hong Kong, China, to live with his uncle at the age of 16. His leg was crushed while working at a construction site and garbage dump, and he has had to rely on crutches to move around ever since. When Tsang Tso-choi was sorting out his ancestors' relics, he discovered that before part of the land in Kowloon (Kowloon City) was ceded to the British, it was granted to him as his ancestors' fiefdom. After Hong Kong became a British territory, they were no longer the landlords of Kowloon. Zeng was dissatisfied with the "occupation" of her land by the Communist Party, so she began to file complaints and often painted "Declaration of ***" graffiti near her home. In 1997, the famous Hong Kong fashion designer Tang Tat-chi used Tsang Tso-choi's graffiti to design fashion, triggering social discussion on the copyright issue of Tsang Tso-choi's works. Deng Dazhi said that he only used the graffiti on the street as the subject of fashion design, and these graffiti are the property of the public, so they do not constitute an infringement. However, the counterargument is that the graffiti creator is still alive and his identity is well known, and it is considered an infringement to adopt the work without the original creator's consent. Afterwards, Deng Dazhi withdrew his fashion creation. In 2001, Tsang Tso Choy received a small amount of remuneration for filming an advertisement for the cleaning product Lan Weibao. The Social Welfare Department subsequently deducted the advertising remuneration from Tsang's Comprehensive Social Security Assistance amount, which was accused of "taking food from a beggar's bowl." In 2004, Tsang Tso-choi was admitted to the United Christian Hospital due to a recurrence of foot problems. Later, friends and social workers arranged to move out of the public housing and move into a private nursing home in Sau Mau Ping. At the end of October 2004, his works were auctioned by Sotheby's. Half of the money went to Zeng Zaocai, and the other half was used to organize art exhibitions. The reserve price was 10,000 yuan, and the bidding price was 1,000 yuan per lot. Due to fierce bidding, it was later changed to 1,000 yuan per lot. The price is 2,000 yuan. The final work was sold for HK$55,000, and was won by a wife named Kang. When reporters interviewed Zeng Zaocai afterwards, he asked, "Are you a descendant of Kangxi?" On the afternoon of July 15, 2007 , Tsang Tso Choi died of heart disease in Kowloon Hospital at the age of 86.
Graffiti-style street works
Now they have graced the halls of elegance and become art exhibits. Art critic Liu Shuangyang, one of the organizers of the exhibition, said: "Zeng Zaocai's writing is definitely calligraphy." He believes that Zeng's calligraphy has a strong personal style and a childlike innocence, which is suitable for ordinary adults. and what calligraphers lack. On the other hand, his ink strokes are thicker than those of children, the structure is tight, and the large and small characters are consistent in shape, which can be said to be a seamless piece.