HONG KONG - DAY AND NIGHT

The Langham hotel is only minutes from the harbour in Kowloon. The harbour is actually a showcase of culture in Hong Kong. In close proximity you will find the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Cultural Center and the Hong Kong Space Museum, all are on Salisbury Road facing the harbor.

As you walk passed the cultural complex you arrive at the boardwalk. By day, the boardwalk offers a panoramic view of Victoria Harbor on Hong Kong Island on the other side of the strait. As you walk along the boardwalk you will eventually arrive at the avenue of stars. All of the stars are Chinese which is understandable. Some of them I recognized because they are Chinese actors and actresses whom I like, Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau are a couple. It is interesting to note that the only actor to be immortalized with a bronze statue was Bruce Lee. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me at the time so I did not take a picture of Bruce Lee's statue.

Later in the evening, I returned to the boardwalk to watch A Symphony of Lights. It was the second time that I had seen the show and it was just as impressive the second time as it was the first time. Here are a few pictures that I took.

Of course the show is much more spectacular when you see it in person. It would highly recommend taking the time in the evening to see A Symphony of Lights when you are in Hong Kong.

ART AT THE LANGHAM HOTEL

Being stranded in Hong Kong for a few extra days was not all bad news, there is lots to do and see in Hong Kong. On of the things that I want to point out is the incredible work of art that is in the lower lobby of the Langham hotel.

When you first see it from a distance you are not quite sure what you are looking at, it is some kind of three dimensional object tilted at an angle inside a glass box. Upon closer inspection you realize that it is a chair constructed entirely of old Chinese coins.

the art work is called "Prosperity - Position II". The chair was designed by Jiao Xiao Mei and Liu Da Shun, two Mainland China artists. The chair measures 78X29X69 cm and all the Chinese coins are held together by stainless steel wire. Although I did see that some of the coins were welded or soldered together, to give it extra strength and stability, I would imagine.

It is a fascinating work of art and I am frustrated that I cannot find out anything more about the work of art or the artists. The only things that I could find out on the Internet were that they were included in a book called, "A new horizon : contemporary Chinese art = Xin jing jie : Zhongguo dang dai yi shu zhan / National Art Museum of China ; National Museum of AustraliaA new horizon : contemporary Chinese art = 新境界 : 中国当代艺术展"

They had a similar piece that was called Flouishing Age. It was also constructed of Chinese coins and housed inside a glass cube. This piece was in the shape of a traditional Chinese gown. this piece was put on auction on June 11, 2011 for 180,000 to 220,000 CNY ($27,773 - 33, 944 USD). It gives you an idea of how much Prosperity - Position II must have sold for!




Flourishing Age, 100cm x 120cm x 174cm.

I did find some biographical information about the two artists.

Liu Dashun was born in Beipiao, Liaoning in 1973. He graduated from the Sculpture Department of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in 1988. In 2005, he obtained his master's degree from the Sculpture Department of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts. He is now working in the Sculpture Department of the Fine Arts College of Shenyang University.

Jiang Xiaomei was born in 1972 in Panjin, Liaoning province. In 1997 she graduated from the Sculpture Department of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts. In 2009, she graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University.

If you are in Hong Kong, drop by the lower lobby of the Langham Hotel to see Prosperity - Position II.