Born in China, C.C. Lee was educated in Hong Kong and America. She studied Chinese painting in the Fine Arts Department of New Asia College, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. After immigrating to the United States, she attended the University of Minnesota and subsequently received her Masters and Ph.D. in the field of Art Education.

C.C. Lee has taught art at many institutions including the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Smithsonian Institution. Currently, she is Professor of Art at Howard University. Her specialties are Chinese brushwork and computer generated art.

The subject matter of her paintings is mostly based on nature. The following computer works are of a "surrealistic naturalism" style. Her works have been exhibited in China, Hong Kong, Bonn, Hamburg, Paris, Toronto, and many U.S. cities. Her paintings have been collected by private patrons, corporations, universities, galleries and museums.