Cao Yong

In 1962, Cao Yong was born into hardship in China. During the Cultural Revolution, his family was singled out for harsh treatment by the authorities because of their previously distinguished background. While other young children his age started kindergarten, little Cao Yong began working; at age five, he found himself ferrying heavy baskets of gravel at a construction site. One day a rock pit caved in, nearly crushing the tiny boy to death under the rubble. Luckily, he survived.

It was through drawing that Cao Yong found peace and consolation in those difficult years. At age eleven, he began studying with a noted artist from Beijing. In order to buy art supplies, he often pawned his clothes and skipped meals. Yet it wasn’t just poverty that Cao Yong had to contend against; discrimination from his community dogged the young artist daily…

Read more about this artist and see some of his works we carry at…

Artist’s Website: http://www.caoyong.us/ArtPrintHtml/BiographyArtPrint.php