Born in a small Hakka village in the New Territories of Hong Kong, Lee, at the age of 14, moved to England where he worked in his family's restaurant and studied modern art. In 1992, Lee returned to Hong Kong and set up an art studio in a 300-year-old schoolhouse in his native village. He works primarily as a sculptor, using wood and other natural materials to create both formalist and functional art, including musical instruments of his own invention. Many of his recent sculptural works incorporate concepts derived from traditional Chinese culture, such as the logographic form of Chinese characters.  Lee Man Sang's works have the quality of a sophisticated craft though it is his profound concept and subtlety that distinguish him as a sculptor from his contemporaries.
 Lee is also active as a performance artist and improvisational musician, collaborating with Hong Kong artists in various performances.