Miniature art exhibition to showcase HK landmarks
A miniature artist on Thursday said that an exhibition showcasing unique Central and Western District landmarks would deepen people's understanding of Hong Kong's rich history and development.  The "Look Closer and Wonder: Central and Western District in Miniature" exhibition will display 22 artworks, with nine pieces new to the collection, in celebration of the 27th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR.  Carmen Poon, president of the Joyful Miniature Association, hoped the artworks could give people a fresh perspective of familiar sites in the SAR. "I think Central and Western District is very unique. First of all, because it is the heart of Hong Kong's political, economic, financial centre and it's also a cultural centre. From this area, you can see the earliest transportation, colonial architecture and also in terms of food, for example, you have cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong style cafe) and you also have a lot of declared monuments like the Man Mo Temple," she said. "On the one hand, you have the most classic and oldest [buildings], and on the other hand, you have the highest skyscrapers all at once. It's a melting pot of East meets West. You have Lan Kwai Fong out there, it's the gist of Hong Kong, everything that is the best is here, in Central and Western District." One artist Hung Fai-chan spent a year recreating the corridors of an old public housing estate called "We All Grew Up Like This". He said he wanted to capture the memories of childhood games, before electronics, that many Hong Kong people grew up with. "There are a lot of my own memories inside this piece too because I also grew up in public housing. I have a few siblings myself so I wanted to capture the childhood games we used to play, like rock, paper, scissors up the stairs," he said.  "There are also simpler games like marble shooting or even table tennis on the ground. These are all the games we would play as a child, like many children in Hong Kong." Another artist Tim Ho worked with a team to recreate the Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan. He said the project was challenging given its meticulous craftsmanship that took numerous site visits and extensive research to create the replica. He added the temple is an iconic landmark, so he hoped a lot of tourists would admire their artwork. "I want people to see that it is no different from the actual Man Mo Temple. We tried our best to really capture all the details of the temple. We want people to know that there is such a beautiful piece of architecture in Hong Kong," he said.  "The beauty of our artwork is that it captures an angle you can't see fully in real life. It is usually crowded at the temple so you can't see it when it is empty. You also can't see all the little details. You will see the entire structure from a giant's perspective." The exhibition will be held in Admiralty from June 21 to July 8.