Cissy Pao-Watari () is a Chinese artist, businesswoman, and arts administrator, living in Hong Kong. She was the chair of the Hong Kong Ballet for ten years, and is currently the honorary director of the

Hong Kong Arts Centre Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC; ) is a non-profit arts institution and art museum established in 1977. It promotes contemporary performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts. It also provides arts education. Its rival is the government-managed ...

. She is a real estate developer with business in Hong Kong and Shanghai, owns a private art gallery in Hong Kong, and is a recipient of the Bronze Bauhini Star, a Hong Kong Dance Award, and the Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award.

Career

Pao-Watari studied at art history at Washington University and earned an M.F.A. from the Cleveland Art Institute in painting and sculpture. She worked professionally as an artist, exhibiting her works in the U.S. and in Japan. Her work is a part of the collections in the Hong Kong Museum of Art. In 1992, she returned to Hong Kong and was invited by Lavender Thornton Patten, the wife of former Hong Kong governor

Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...

, to chair the

Hong Kong Ballet The Hong Kong Ballet () is a classical ballet company founded in 1979. History The company was created in 1979. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has concluded more than 30 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. ...

company. Pao-Watari chaired the ballet for ten years, and still the chairperson emeritus. In 2006, she was invited by the government of Hong Kong to chair the Hong Kong Arts Center, and continues in an honorary capacity today. Pao-Watari is also a businesswoman, and has developed an art and shopping gallery in Hong Kong called Ferguson Lane. She is involved in real estate development in Hong Kong and Shanghai, restoring historical homes for resale. Pao-Watari has received several awards for her contributions to arts in Hong Kong. In 2004, she received a distinguished achievement award during the Hong Kong Dance Awards. In 2006, she was awarded a

Bronze Bauhinia Star The Bronze Bauhinia Star (, BBS) is the lowest rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star, under the honours system of Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system In the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories, pers ...

from the Hong Kong government. In 2012, she received a Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award.

Biography

Cissy Pao is the daughter of

Yue-Kong Pao Sir Yue-Kong Pao CBE JP (; 10 November 1918 — 23 September 1991), was the founder of Hong Kong's Worldwide Shipping Group, which at one point was the largest shipping company in the world. Anticipating the seriousness of the shipping ...

, the founder of Hong Kong's Worldwide Shipping Group. She has previously resided in New York and Tokyo, before returning to Hong Kong. She is married to architect Shinichiro Watari, and they have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pao-Watari, Cissy Living people Hong Kong women artists Hong Kong art directors Hong Kong business executives Hong Kong businesspeople in real estate Year of birth missing (living people)