"Again, painting Hong Kong- This time its the present"

"Again, painting Hong Kong-
This time its the present"

(Or how he depicted the merging of both past and present Hong Kong
 through the canvas)

At first, this person is ought to say that the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong is known for its modernity, with all its skyscrapers and commercial stuff enough to entice tourists and investors; however, its remarkable heritage, ranging from its use of the English language to those of its bagpipe bands, all came from its past as a British colony and still surviving.

And in it also somehow made this person felt inspired by that rich heritage as he painted it, as many days ago, he posted on this page about his Hong Kong-inspired artworks, most of which were focused on its past such as those of trading ships in the harbour.

But in this post, this person painted another, but this time showing those of the present yet still carries those that is, historical as the sailing junks. Strange to most but for this person finds it rather interesting.

A legacy based from an old emblem

In this picture above this painting seems to be quite familiar especially to those who rekindle Hong Kong's British past, particularly through its lesser version of the old coat of arms. 

For as according to Wikipedia, the old coat of arms was made in the early 1950s, replacing the old colonial badge that was used in the 19th century. The old coat of arms featured two junks, that symbolises the importance of Eastern-type of trade on the sea surrounding the colony. While the naval crown symbolises Hong Kong's links with the Navy and the Merchant Navy, and the crenulated line acknowledges the brief but valiant defence of Hong Kong against the Japanese during World War II.

And because of that coat of arms it somehow made this person served as a basis for his artwork featured above; only to be "updated" as he replaced the crenulated line with the city's skyline, the naval crown with the bahunia flower that also reflects HK's current flag, and on the left side, a British sailing ship instead of a junk that signifies the past as a trading port used not just by the British but also by the west.

Sailing towards its chartered course

On the other hand, another Hong Kong- related painting is partially inspired by the actual setting this person did sought during his four-day journey last December of 2016.

From that painting features a sailing junk and the familiar Hong Kong scene that is, full of buildings like the International Finance Centre (IFC), Bank of China, and the old building of the HongKong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC).

However, this person rather finds the "mixed Art Deco and Stripped Classical style" appearance of the old HSBC building, stood from the mid 1930s to the late 1970s, "Classier" or even "Stately" as he painted out instead of the current one in an entirely contemporary setting alongside the IFC and of the Bank of China building.

And as for the sailing junk, Hong Kong, being an archipelago of 260 isles also includes rugged coastlines and deserted coves, and in it perhaps makes those who can afford wanted to sail one of the region's symbols, load a picnic and a cool-box of soda, beer, or even wine, and set off through the scattered islets. Drop anchor somewhere remote and dive off the deck for a swim.
However, that junk cruise finds it costly in spite of being known as part of Hong Kong's maritime heritage, but everyone, including yours truly, did see how that ages-old boat continues to sail over the city with its sceneries mostly those of glass and steel.

***

But all in all, these artworks, in spite of showing the contemporary, rather appears to be a fusion of both old and new, all according to this person's imagination if not his observation and his love for things historical.