Painter of Chinese descent awarded Cuba's National Prize of Visual Arts

Cuban painter of Chinese descent Flora Fong was awarded Cuba's National Prize of Visual Arts, the country's Union of Writers and Artists announced Tuesday.

"The decision was based on Flora's outstanding

artistic work, her contribution to the Chinese roots, along with her systematic teaching activity," the union said in a press release.

Fong, 73, was selected among 19 Cuban artists nominated for this year's edition of the prize.

Born in the central province of Camaguey, Fong was granted a scholarship to study at the National School of Arts in Havana in the late 1960s. She has garnered several awards and recognitions during her professional career, including a prize from the International Association of Visual Artists.

Over the past decades, Fong's works of art have been exhibited in a number of cities around the world, including New York, Beijing and Shanghai.

In her paintings, she blends the spirit of the Caribbean environment with her Chinese roots inherited from her father, who was from south China's Guangdong province.

Running through mid-December, a solo exhibition of the Cuban artist, titled Masked Tropical Lady, is on display at Shanghai Xspace.

It comes as China and Cuba this year mark the 175th anniversary of the Chinese arrival on the island.