The landscape of Hong Kong is characterized by a beautiful harbor flanked by an increasing number of skyscrapers. It is a modern metropolis of glass, steel and concrete focusing on commerce and finance.

But to the people of Hong Kong, there is much more to their city. About 70 percent of Hong Kong's land is open space and the city is surrounded by the open waters of the South China Sea and the Pearl River Delta. It is a place that has been inhabited for at least 2,000 years and has an uninterrupted lineage to the ancient culture and arts of China.

There is a special culture that contrasts Hong Kong with the surrounding regions. It is from this milieu that Hong Kong artist and architect Raymond Fung has drawn his inspiration for his "china in China" series.

Now retired after a long career as a noted architect working for the Hong Kong government, Fung pursues his fine art full time while serving on an array of advisory committees that concern the development of art and art-related venues in Hong Kong.

Fung draws inspiration from the ancient masters of Chinese brush painting, but also acknowledges the influence of the 1960's New Ink Painting Movement in Hong Kong led by Lu Shoukun (1919-1975).

Using traditional materials and techniques in his compositions, and channeling ancient aesthetics such as the blue green landscapes of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Fung's modern atmospheric compositions bridge the variety and sometimes disparate elements of Hong Kong's unique culture.

Date: Till July 31

Venue: Gallery 456 in Chinese-American Arts Council, New York

Website: www.caacarts.org

(China Daily 07/20/2012 page23)