The poem ‘fence’ is about the lofty ambitions in life and an optimistic view of the city. For this reason, I decided to use warm colour tone for the artwork.
Nowadays, we often drive on the highway. Therefore, I use the rear-view mirror to reflect our inner thoughts, including hidden dreams and goals. While driving, we can see lots of skyscrapers that symbolise our goals and achievements on our way. Yet, there are different barriers and challenges in life which are suggested by the fences in between.
Usually, a fence is not extremely high and there are holes on it. So, I drew a fence with the shape of an eye in the middle, meaning we can still see the skyscrapers through and beyond the fence. Despite the unpredictable difficulties we would encounter, we should overcome obstacles, jump over fences, and continue to pursue our dreams!

It was told that people destined to be close came from the same star originally, and they started looking for each other since they were born. The poem ‘Vanilla in the stars’ shows us our relationships with families and the close ones. Our fates have been decided at birth and we will be brought back together at last.
I drew the wonderful garden, burning stars and elegant vanillas mentioned in the poem to reveal the atmosphere of the sky. The stars near the figures represent humans themselves while the light beams symbolise their fortune. When fragments connect with one another, they assemble to form an intact star. People who are connected would look after and support one another.
We have DNA passed on from our parents and ancestors, which helps carry the family’s characteristics and spirit to the future generations. Although humans are mortal, family members would always be connected to one another and stay together once they reunite. I hope everyone could find the most suitable fragment in this whole wide world so that all parting, seeking and reuniting would not be a myth anymore.

My work is inspired by the poem ‘Rain Scene’ by Collier Nogues. I captured the scene of the poet and her daughter Opal enjoying the rain in the white-tiled park in their neighbourhood in Hong Kong. The mother smiles affectionately as she watches her daughter hug the tree and hold her ‘ocean’ with an infectious smile on her face. It is drizzling but the sky is still clear and bright, highlighting the delighted, peaceful and safe mood despite the heavy rain. I used mostly light colours in my piece to create a jubilant and refreshing atmosphere. Green is the major colour tone of my artwork as it has strong association with peace and cyclical nature of life. Even though the writer may sometimes reminisce about her hometown, she feels contented and comfortable staying in Hong Kong as long as Opal, her anchor, is around.

This artwork shows various planets representing different generations. The buildings symbolise Hong Kong, making reference to traditional food stores and the architectural style of old Hong Kong. The planets are all joined together by bridges and cable cars. The stars in the galaxy also encourage people from different generations to get to know each other. The flowers on the building and the cable car represent hope and spread the message of joy.
The artwork is painted using watercolour. Various techniques are adopted such as wet on wet, dry paint, blending and colour layering. The earth tone creates a vintage atmosphere, suggesting that the writer reminisces about her past experiences and heritage from her origin.
Other than the shift in tone, colour blends are also used to depict the spectrum of cosmic colours of the nebulae. The vibrant colours remind us that we need to be grateful for the little things in life and stay positive.

My work depicts the greatest irony of a bustling city – homelessness. The use of black and white around the homeless man in my artwork symbolises his deep-rooted loneliness, which is in stark contrast to the colourful street view.
I intend to visualise the scenes depicted in the poem ‘City’ by Louise Ho, which demonstrates a unique element of pain that cannot be experienced in our daily life, and I hope that through this artwork the audience could develop empathy for the homeless.
This artwork also strives to raise awareness of the issue of vagabonds and homelessness in Hong Kong, especially when the number of cases of homelessness has skyrocketed during the critical times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also serves as a reminder to the audience that they should be grateful in spite of the struggling situation. This is because we are more fortunate than a significant number of people who are struggling to make ends meet, such as the street sleepers. It is hoped that everyone can stay positive and offer help to those in need.

Reading ‘Vanilla in the stars’ by Agnes Lam, I am fascinated by her portrayal of the special connections between people and stars and the idea that those who are connected are actually descendants of the same star. The poem also explores the intrinsic links between the cosmic and earthly worlds.
In my artwork, I illustrated the writer sitting in a garden gazing at the stars above. She thought of myths in the cosmic world. The ‘astronomical butterflies’, which are painted in vibrant colours to show their beauty, come from burning cores. They drop hot ashes onto the earth to create the planet. The clocks represent time. By linking time with DNA fragments, I wish to show the idea that different generations are connected as they share the same DNA path.
The stars in the treasure chest, which are adorned with the butterflies, glow and dim with one’s fortune, symbolising transformation and hope. The artwork conveys the message that there is wonder, magic and hope in the world.

‘City’ is a poem about street-sleepers who make themselves a makeshift home somewhere in Hong Kong. In my artwork, I chose watercolour as the medium.
The poem conveys a sense of despair, disorientation and loss. It is set in a gloomy and sombre winter night. To visualise the depressing scenes in my artwork, I used cold and dark colours in some parts. The sense of being trapped suggested by words like ‘criss-crossing’ and ‘maze’ is depicted through the illustration of fences with criss-crossing patterns next to the street-sleepers and bushes.
I did not use any bright colours on the street-sleepers. Although the poem revolves around them, I did not highlight their presence as I wanted to convey a message that they often go unnoticed by passers-by. They may seem weak and lonely, but they are also part of society. Therefore, we should not ignore their very existence. Instead, we should offer help to those in need and build an inclusive society.

A girl grabs hold of a new-born star and levitates. Star shards scatter and create all things, echoing the idea: people who are close together were born from the same stars. Colourful lights shine through the ever-changing, beautiful, intricate kaleidoscope, symbolising the miracles that we experience in life. I have painted star shards falling onto blooming flowers and the sea to connect the earthly scene to the starry sky above, conveying the fascinating concept of a life cycle. When life burns out like flames, we return to the earth. Flowers grow and they face the sky to reminisce about the past or people encountered. The themes of regeneration and reincarnation of life in the cosmic cycle are explored in this artwork.

Pink, the theme colour of the painting, and the Impressionist strokes in the sky, create a dream-like atmosphere. The city in the sky, sitting on a massive cloud, is full of skyscrapers. They are reaching upwards to represent the hope and lofty dreams that we all have. There are single-eyed figures in different colours and sizes, implying that we are all unique and different. They each have their own dream and want to ‘go over the fence’ (obstacles) to the floating city. The rainbow bridge symbolises the path to success and the fulfilment it brings (‘golden lining’). Sometimes a dream is just a step away, so I have painted some people beyond the fence to show that they are ready to overcome the challenges. With hope, courage and commitment, every dream can be achieved.

Although tunnels are the veins of the city, not a lot of people notice them and they are separated from the prosperous city. The confinement of tunnels gives people a sense of oppression and restraint, which reflects the isolation and loneliness in the city. The tunnel is parallel to time and space of the ground, featuring criss-crossing lanes and fly-overs. The left wall has clear footprints and the right wall shows signature high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. All these help present a busy and crowded cityscape, which is in contrast to the quiet makeshift homes of the street-sleepers. In addition, the mesh lines on the left and the barbed wire on the right act as the merciless segregation between the homeless and other city dwellers. All these aim at creating a sense of isolation of their existence from the city, which show their helplessness and emphasise the fact that no one cares about them. There is a passer-by in the tunnel and she represents all of us. If we see a street-sleeper, would we choose to give them a hand or just walk away? With the help of the general public, a more inclusive society will be created. We, together, can make a difference.

The poem ‘Survival’ describes a tree which lives in a place where the air is foul and the noise is unnatural. Reading this poem, I admire the courage and perseverance the tree shows. It even flourishes under harsh conditions where buildings are knocked down, the air is filled with noxious gases produced by factories and emitted by cars. The gas is illustrated in the form of skulls to represent the deadliness and harmfulness of the air. Inside the tree, there is a heart showing the habitat where the tree should have lived in – a forest full of animals. However, even though the friends of the tree have left and the birds and butterflies are gone, the tree has an indomitable will to live in the city by itself. It remains solid, cool and green despite human mistreatment. I think we should all learn from the tree to be brave and uncompromising even when we are stuck in undesirable conditions. We should pluck up the courage and persevere even when we face challenges and obstacles. The faith in a brighter future would guide us through the darkest time.

‘Survival’ depicts the bravery of a tree, which flourishes in a foul environment of a city. In the upper part of my work, there is a tall tree with many clocks on its head. It represents the amount of time it has lived in the city. This is accentuated by the branches which replace the hour and minute hands. The smiling face carved on its trunk shows the idea that plants have emotions just as humans do. Although humans disregard the tree by sticking posters on its trunk and polluting its habitat, it has decided to close its eyes and smile, showing that the tree is optimistic and indomitable. I also used dark blue for the city and warm colours for the tree to create a contrast in order to highlight the indifference of humans to nature and the perseverance of the tree.
In the lower part of my work, I painted a reverse image of the tree to reflect the environment in which the tree is supposed to stay in. However, the tall tree still survives in this city.
The purpose of this artwork is to encourage those who are facing obstacles in life not to give up and they could learn from the tree in the poem to persevere. The state of mind is often the key to success, not the external factors.

‘Rain Scene’ is a poem about a mother watching her daughter in a park on a rainy day, which is also the main focus of the painting. The top part of the artwork illustrates the mother’s memories expressed in light colours. The mother’s hair rises and transforms into memory of her father buying her milk during the flood when she was young. The turbulent flood contrasts with the tranquility of Lam Tsuen River and the downstream villages at the bottom, representing different stages of the mother’s life. In the middle of the artwork, the shelter and the shell of a snail symbolise the protection of our family. The outer city protects the mother and she in turn protects the daughter, echoing the themes of acceptance and inclusion throughout the poem. The anchor and the bright light in the centre represent the daughter’s role as a spiritual shelter for the mother. The mother will still stay joyful even though it is rainy and stormy outside due to the presence of her daughter. At the upper right corner of the painting, the parents of the mother are illustrated. They are watching their daughter from heaven while she is watching her daughter playing. It depicts the bonding and protection among the three generations, which is the message I want to convey through this artwork. Even though we may face numerous obstacles and difficulties in life, our family are always there to support us and they will always be our shelter.

In my artwork, black and grey are chosen as the background colours to show the unpleasant conditions that the tree is living in. In contrast, the tree, which flourishes from a skull, is painted in vibrant and bright shades of green.
Butterflies and birds, which are presented in the form of skeletons, are flying away. This illustrates the line that ‘birds and butterflies – have gone’ due to the changing environment. But the tree chooses to stay. Despite the terrible conditions mentioned in the poem, the tree continues to grow and thrive amid the foul air and unnatural noise. The bright colours also represent the poet’s respect and gratitude towards the tree for its loyalty to this city.
I hope that humans can realise the damage they have caused to the environment and repaint our home with vibrant colours.

The poem describes a tree surviving in a polluted city. Pollution caused by human activities shown in the background has worsened the environment, which makes the tree not an ideal home for its ‘friends’ – butterflies and birds. Concrete buildings and poisonous chemical gases are drawn beneath the tree as well. Yet, the unpleasant conditions and its friends’ departure have not weakened the tree’s loyalty to this place. It stays sturdy and offers protection to its home. The roots look like a sunflower, depicting the speaker’s strong belief in a bright future under the shelter of the tree.
Despite the environmental pollution nowadays, the speaker still believes in the one last hope of nature, which is represented by the tree. I believe that humans should be more considerate and put more efforts in revitalising the urbanised city filled with pollution. We, humans, should stand together in saving our home, reducing the impacts we bring to the ecosystem.

This painting illustrates the close bonding between a mother and her daughter before going to bed. My fond childhood memories with my mother and the routine to be put to bed by her every night are the sources of inspiration for this painting.
In the poem, it says ‘On long summer nights you’d lull me to sleep in the breeze of your palm leaf fan.’ This line has particularly touched my heart as it was exactly what my mother did for me. I am truly thankful for her love and care. Without her, I would have never become who I am today.

In my painting, the place behind the tree is filled with sooty smoke. I used dark colours to show how tormenting human pollution is. Trash can be found near the roots of the tree, which signifies the threat the tree is facing. The city has become so unpleasant that it has driven birds and butterflies away. However, the tree stays loyal to this place despite the declining beauty of nature. The praying hands symbolise that we, humans, should all act together hand in hand to save our nature.
In the poem, the poet is expressing her gratitude and amazement of the tree’s survival in the harsh environment. The long-staying tree has witnessed the transformation of the city and will accompany us to the unknown future. I hope my artwork can raise people’s awareness of climate change and the harm they have caused to Mother Nature. It is high time we took action to save it before it is too late.

The poem is about welcoming changes, as well as accepting and embracing ageing. The father, who is old in my artwork, has grey hair and wrinkles all over his face. He is holding a yellow plastic box, which is used for storing his plucked grey hairs. To him, the yellow box is a reminder of his age and old appearance.
In the drawing, I captured the moment that he is setting the hairs free. It is a metaphor for letting go of his shame and embarrassment caused by ageing. He now even embraces it and rests his grandchild on his back. This shows his transition from being ashamed of growing old to the pride of being a grandfather.

The poem is about a helpless street-sleeper in this hectic city. In a cold evening, the street-sleeper is suffering coldness, helplessness and loneliness. Yet, he/she finds his/her own ‘peace of mind’ despite the harsh environment. In my artwork, his/her ‘peace of mind’ and loneliness are highlighted with the setting of a quiet country road, which forms a contrast to the hectic city. The only light source is the red sun, which hardly lights up anything but the specks of dust. Such scenario reflects his/her pain and isolation. Although the street-sleeper has to face lots of difficulties, I think he/she should never lose heart and should uphold the belief that a better future lies in his/her hard work and positive attitude. Hence, the main themes of my artwork are loneliness and helplessness, as well as hope and perseverance.

The poem I chose depicts a child’s gratitude and respect for her mother’s love and the strong bonding between them.
In my artwork, the daughter is being pushed on the swing by her mother. When the daughter flies high in the sky, she is still connected to her mother by the yellow leaves which symbolise the strong bonding between them and the warm memories shared between them. Other symbols, including the bucket of eggs and the lamp, illustrate the passing of skills from the mother to her daughter as stated in the poem. It represents the daughter’s appreciation for her mother’s wisdom. Even though the daughter is fascinated by the unknown world, she hasn’t forgotten her mother who brought her the experience of the world.
The scars on the girl’s right arm came from her mother’s caning. Although it hurt, it has led to the awakening of her bravery as reflected in her eyebrows as well as the dirt on her face. It signifies the effort her mother has put into raising her.
The green leaves clinging on the swing and the blooming sunflowers symbolise the high hope for the girl’s future and her mother’s love. The light shone on the girl reveals her persistence and confidence since she knows her mother is always behind her.

My drawing portrays a tree’s survival in a harsh environment. Although the friends of the tree have left, it is still standing there and protecting the city. This implies that it will continue to serve the city with dedication without succumbing to any challenges.
In my artwork, I used a cold tone like dark blue and grey to show how bad the environment is. I also used a drawing technique called shadow lining. I drew a few rays of sunlight using warm colours to show the hope and faith one should have in difficult situations. The tree can’t say anything but I believe it can feel. We should be grateful to the tree for its loyalty and appreciate its bravery for surviving in the changing city.
In these few years, our life may be as tough as that of the tree mentioned in the poem. Due to the pandemic, I believe all of us are worried, tired and sad. However, we should stay hopeful and uphold the belief that tomorrow will be a better day. I hope all of us can see the tree’s perseverance and be as strong as it. Lastly, I would like to thank the Environmental Protection Department for its constant effort in protecting the environment over the years.

The poem ‘Rain Scene’ tells the story of a mother who is watching her daughter playing in a park on a rainy day. The scene evokes her childhood memories.
In my artwork, I drew the images that she might see during flood seasons in different water droplets. For example, a droplet showing an orange floating on the surface of an ocean echoes the conversation between the fruit stand man and the speaker. At the bottom of my painting, the water reflects some familiar items of the speaker, including Circle K and her father’s tractor on the mud in different colours. Lam Tsuen River was drawn as the background while the speaker’s mother was placed in the centre. The colour of the background is mainly dark blue but light is shining from heaven, which makes her mother glow. We should express our love to our family and treasure the time spent together. Stay hopeful amid challenges as our family is always there for us.

In my design, I used a traditional street in Hong Kong as the background, showing the familiar items of this city. Although Hong Kong is a crowded city full of noise and air pollution, it is a vibrant place where different industries flourish. I drew a wide variety of shops, grocery stores and restaurants selling signature food. Such prosperity can be attributed to the ‘shelter’ provided by the tree which is the main character of the poem. It has dropped its anchor in this place and got over challenges. The tree represents faith, truth, silence and hope in the city. I appreciate its perseverance and am grateful that it is still here with us regardless of the constant changes caused by urban development.

This painting is derived from a poem about the tender moments between the poet and the father. The father has changed his attitude towards ageing. He gradually accepts the growing number of grey hair and enjoys the interaction he has with his grandchildren.
For example, in the painting, I drew the sunset at the bottom right and the father’s rough hand in the centre. I want to emphasise that the father’s love is warm and beautiful. However, it cannot be permanent and we must cherish it.
Money or age will not break a father and his child apart. The poet does not despise her father because he is growing old. I hope that this painting will make people feel the preciousness of fatherly and family love. I created this artwork on the computer as it can produce different types of lines and the contrast of light and dark precisely, making it easier for viewers to understand the details and focus of the painting.

A huge tree is standing in the middle of a city full of concrete buildings, noise and pollution. Buildings on the tree represent the destruction caused by humans to the natural environment. Due to the foul air and unnatural noise mentioned in the poem, the tree is struggling to survive in the harsh environment. The pollutions caused by human activities have turned the sky from blue to grey. The colour blue signifies the pleasant environment where the tree can flourish, while the colour grey symbolises the impacts of noise and air pollutants on the environment. Despite the unpleasant conditions, the tree still stays loyal to us. We should always be grateful for its loyalty and protection, which allow us to ‘flourish’ in this city.

In my artwork, I used dim and warm colours to show the night time. I also drew some scenes mentioned in the poem including the dream of a boy and perogies doing somersaults.
This poem reminds me of the first time I went to a Daipaidong with my family and the experience of eating Chinese bullfrogs. At first, I found its name and appearance disgusting, but I decided to get over my fear. It was not until I took a small bite of it that I realised it was delicious. This poem also reminds me of the relaxing moments with my family as well as my courage to try new things.

My artwork shows cultural appreciation and diversity. In the poem, the speaker expresses her affection for her Ukrainian mother’s dishes which are significant and irreplaceable to her. To display the speaker’s joyful remembrances about the Ukrainian culture, bright and vivid colours are used. The meals are painted as lively and realistic as possible to emphasise the precise details of those items that she remembers and how much she values them, such as the crackling of a pork roast and the cheese curds in the perogies.
As illustrated by ‘я не знаю’ (meaning ‘I don’t know’), she does not know Ukrainian but she still finds this culture appealing. In the painting, her sense of belonging to this place is reflected by the traditional dress, Vyshyvanka on her body. The space-themed background shows that different cuisines are intertwined in the same universe. Next to the speaker is a paper airplane representing her hunger for knowledge, and her ongoing journey in exploring Ukrainian culture. Despite not having a chance to visit her motherland, she still feels connected to her home culture.

My artwork tries to capture the idea that people who are fragments of the same stars in the cosmic world are destined to unite in the human world. This picture also summarises our life cycle, the fantasy of searching for our close ones, the mysteries and infinite possibilities of the universe. I have used both dark and vivid colours to present the mystique of the universe. Vibrant and lighter colours are used to draw the sky, signifying that ‘life’ coming from the stars is fascinating.
The idea that we are made of cosmic dust is shown by the biggest star connecting to the young girl below it. The girl would pass on the ‘stardust’, which is stored in the star on her chest, to her descendants. Moreover, the DNA strip circling the earth symbolises the star fragments passed down as DNA in different generations.
Furthermore, by drawing the giant celestial tree and plants in the garden where the writer always played in her childhood, the idea of cosmic dust nourishing life is shown. The dripping clocks signify that time goes on for eternity and our search for our soulmates will never end. The same idea is also reflected through the people in the galaxy, waiting to sense a whiff of something familiar. Lastly, the hourglass symbolises reincarnation, which means our life cycle is endless and we will be reborn once the hourglass turns upside down.

My artwork, which is created by paper cutting and painting, was inspired by the poem ‘City’ written by Louise Ho. My work is divided into two parts. In order to make a contrast with the dark alley, where the street-sleeper resides, I used a variety of vivid colours in drawing the flourishing city on the left hand side. The skyscrapers created by paper strips are reflecting a fiery sunset. This creates the image of a hustling and bustling city. On the contrary, I used dark colours to draw the items to create a gloomy mood on the right hand side. Such colour tone reflects the helplessness and isolation of the street-sleeper in the city. This piece emphasises the dichotomy between the rich and poor in Hong Kong, and I hope my artwork could raise people’s awareness of the socio-economic inequality.

The idea of the painting comes from the poem ‘Homecoming’, which shows a conversation between a foreign-looking middle-aged man and a Chinese boy on the plane. A line joining the things related to Hong Kong they discussed spirals around them in my artwork.
The Scottish man, although portrayed as a blond foreigner in a suit, has his heart set in Hong Kong. Though he has his roots in Scotland, he regards Hong Kong as his true home. To illustrate his love for Hong Kong, some famous local delicacies and iconic buildings in the city are included in the painting.
Furthermore, the colour scheme of the painting is bright and warm which accentuates the playful and humorous image of the man and his yearning for returning to Hong Kong. The enjoyable moments that the foreigner and the local boy spent together on the flight also reflect the congeniality and harmony between the two cultures.

I decided to choose ‘City’ by Louise Ho as the theme to focus on for my drawing at first sight. I was touched by this poem, which describes the long-standing problem of street sleepers in Hong Kong.
Nowadays, many people in Hong Kong live in subdivided flats. Some even settle near public lavatories. On the contrary, the demand for luxury stores such as jewellery stores has been on the rise. In the painting, the man who is looking at his phone on the stairs represents an urban dweller who seeks materialistic happiness. He just sees the bustling side of the city, but overlooks the pain of the street sleeper living beneath the stairs. While the man is wearing a down jacket to keep himself warm in the cold, the street sleeper just has a short-sleeved shirt. There is a sharp contrast between the lives of the street sleeper and that of the urban dweller.
To express the idea that the street sleeper leads a simple life, I drew the picture with just a mechanical pencil and chose black and white as the theme colour. Though neon signs almost fill up half of the artwork, they do not light up the world of the street sleeper. Despite all the harsh conditions, I made him less miserable than he should be because I want to express the idea of hope and my belief that people in this prosperous city will show him love and care one day. I think he should stay positive and hopeful while seizing the day to change his life.

In my artwork, I want to illustrate how the father’s attitude towards ageing changes for the sake of his grandchildren. At the top right side of the painting, the old man is turning some hair colour cream into a playground. The hot air balloon, the swing, and the monkey bars make the place a paradise for his grandson to play in. The old man’s left arm acts as a slide for his granddaughter to play on and he spreads his right arm to shelter the kids from rain. All these depict how the old man attempts to protect his grandchildren and provide them with a better place to have fun. While the candies on the left represent the sweet memories he is creating, the sun shown on his heart and the smile on his face indicate how he finds ageing a blessing to him. He is now full of energy and positivity. At the bottom of the painting, two ducklings are accompanied by a big duck, symbolising the old man’s eternal love for his grandchildren.

The themes of this artwork are the helplessness and isolation experienced by street sleepers as well as the indifference of the city. In ‘City’ by Louise Ho, street sleepers are the main focus of the poem. Similarly, my artwork features a man who is sleeping on the road inside a paper box, wearing some old clothes, and has nothing on his feet. It expresses the vulnerability, loneliness, and helplessness of the man through a contrast with the liveliness of the prosperous city – Hong Kong. In the background of the painting stand The International Commerce Centre, The Bank of China Tower and The Hong Kong Observation Wheel. The city lights, the traffic and the roads represent the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. However, homeless people are often isolated from the city. The hand that I have drawn on the bus shows that homeless people are asking for help, love and care.
I have adopted an ‘abstract’ style in this artwork. For instance, the roads are covering the street sleeper’s body and the water is gushing from the paper box, symbolising that the homeless man is entangled in a callous and indifferent city. The scenes create an irony. While street sleepers are living in a seemingly prosperous and hectic city, they are often neglected or almost ‘invisible’.

In response to the poem ‘Survival’, I created this drawing to express my views on the value and importance of nature to humans. The main focus of this drawing is the tall tree which pierces the clouds. The tree is surrounded by natural inhabitants like birds and butterflies and dazzling sunlight glints through its branches. The perspective of the artwork makes the tree look grand and sacred.
In fact, this scene, which represents nature, is an image shown on a piece of paper. The paper is being torn apart, symbolising the disappearance of the forest. The ash-grey cityscape signifies the destruction of the city, which is the main culprit for the degradation of nature. The human hands are drawn in black and white, representing the ruthlessness of the people.
Fortunately, the paper has yet to be completely shredded, symbolising that there is still hope in humanity. This is because nowadays people are becoming more aware of the need to preserve nature to ensure our future.

In my drawing, the skyscrapers are painted as the background in darker tones such as dark purple and blue-black, in combination with light colours like white and yellow. This symbolises people’s goals and dreams in life. I also added a fence that comes with holes, symbolising surmountable barriers or limitations in life. This suggests that despite all the difficulties, people who can focus on high aims will work hard in pursuit of success.
While different characters are mentioned in the poem, I decided to use the girl named Dorcas in the last stanza as the main focus of my artwork. The little girl who is practising the piano has a chain on her left foot, signifying the difficulties she faces when pursuing her own dream. At the bottom left corner, there is a red rubbish bin with paintings and exam paper in it, representing that she would overcome all the setbacks and strive hard to make improvement.
We may all be encountering some sorts of difficulties. However, as long as we try hard and persevere to achieve our aspirations, our efforts will eventually pay off and we could still transcend the barriers ahead of us.

This painting captures the goodbye scene of the last stanza of the poem ‘Mother and Child’ by Jennifer Wong.
A warmer tone is chosen, creating a cosy home-like atmosphere. In the painting, the mother and the child are hugging each other. It indicates that even though they will be apart, the mother and the child are not afraid of ‘separation’ because of their strong bonding and loving relationship.
On the right side of the artwork, photos of family life are displayed on the wall. Each photo captures a different memory which the speaker recounts in the poem. In the centre of the ceiling hangs a lamp, symbolising the life lessons that the child has learnt from her mother. For example, her mother taught her ‘how to tell a fresh egg by its shell’. The ceiling lamp also resembles the ‘knowledge’ passed down from the mother, which nurtures the child to become a youngster with dreams and courage.
There is a swing outside the window, which is also shown in one of the photos on the wall. In the photo, the child is standing on the swing, looking at the big city with the help of her mother. It denotes that the child is going to leave her mother to see the fantastic world. However, the child would never forget the lessons that her mother has taught her and the care that her mother has given her. A heart of gratitude remains even though the child is separating from her mother, echoing the last line of the poem ‘leaving but not leaving you’.

My work is inspired by Jennifer Wong’s poem ‘Mother and Child’. I tried to capture the love and care of a mother for her child by depicting different scenes in the poem, like the mother using her palm leaf fan to lull the child to sleep, steaming the fish to perfection, and the child playing on the swing. When I was creating this artwork, I imagined myself as one of the main characters in the painting and my childhood memories of my grandmother recurred, reminding me of the love, warmth and life lessons she had given me.
I applied dividing composition to visualise different scenes as fading memories. With her mother’s care and love, the little girl is growing into an independent adult who is about to leave her mother, but is still well-connected with her mother because of the close bond between them. I have chosen warm earth tone colours to create an atmosphere of love and care, and highlight the loving relationship between the mother and the daughter.

Despite being in a hideous environment, the tree in the picture stays strong and healthy, with vivid green leaves and sturdy roots. On the contrary, the black and white shades in the background are used to illustrate the loss of liveliness in the city due to rapid urban development, pollution and disappearance of green space.
In the rectangular boxes that represent the past, the tree was once the habitat for animals. Everything was colourful and the tree was accompanied by other trees in a tranquil forest. However, city development has gradually destroyed nature, turning the blue sky grey. The degraded environment forced the animals to leave, but the tree still stands firm in its place. While rubbish is piling up, graffiti is covering the trunk, toxic gases are filling the air, the tree remains strong and vigorous.
Trees are immortal regardless of the city’s endless cycle of destruction and redevelopment. They never leave us behind despite what we did. The present may be dark and blurry but trees remind us of the beauty in life. In the artwork, the growing new sprouts signify new lives and the possibility of a better future. We should be full of hope, just like the speaker of the poem.

My work explores the themes of ageing and familial love.
The clocks on the walls symbolise the passage of time. Specifically, the melting clock shows how time used to be distorted for the father, who was unwilling to accept the fact that he was ageing. Hence, he was trying to look younger by plucking and dyeing his grey hair.
The mirror image, in contrast, offers a glimpse of the present. The father is proud to look old and he starts to embrace his status as a grandfather since he thinks that ageing can be a sign of blessing.
The use of complementary colours highlights the father’s changing attitude towards ageing. While cooler tones are used to depict the past, a warmer colour palette is chosen to represent the future, creating a more jovial atmosphere, which stands in stark contrast to the blue-tinted melancholy of the past.
The change in mood is also portrayed by the range of emotions displayed by the characters. The girl, for instance, was once saddened by her father’s fading youth, but now she is smiling blissfully. This is because she knows that despite getting older day by day, her father has found joy and fulfilment in seeing his family and grandchildren grow. This loving relationship can be clearly seen in the image projected on the mirror.

This poem is dedicated to the poet’s daughter and our beloved city – Hong Kong. The speaker and her daughter are the main focus of the drawing while the background depicts the local street view of Hong Kong. A warm colour tone is used to show the vibrancy, friendliness and vitality of the city.
In addition, there is a striking contrast between the left and right sides of the drawing. It symbolises the cultural differences between Hong Kong and the speaker’s birthplace, showing that the speaker and her daughter are trying to discover, appreciate and adapt to the community. It also conveys the message that we should join hands to create a more inclusive society and be grateful and spread love to the people around us.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have been astonished by the unrelenting divergence of the mortal coil. It is to my deepest impression that countless aspects are left unveiled behind whatever is being shown under the spotlight.
As dazzling lights and rumbling traffic noises over the vivacious city become the great masks of the underground living, thousands of unregistered street sleepers remain silent. Those who seem to be the hopeless outcasts of a society have once been the bare roots of society at its starting point.
My work is deeply inspired by the poem ‘City’ by Louise Ho, as it further engraved the merciless, agonising aspect of the life of the neglected individuals in my mind. My work was done by computer, with the drawing consisting of 90 layers. The process includes the base sketch, value establishment, application of the base colour, lighting adjustment and detailed rendering as well as the application of lighting effects. Through the contrast of a grid of busy traffic lights with the dim light that casts over the homeless elderly man’s shadow, I hope to bring the homeless man in the poem to life and spotlight — to convey his pain of being neglected when he opens his palm towards the people of the city.

I created this artwork with reference to the poem ‘City’ by Louise Ho. I painted this piece with a series of art media such as ink pens, gel pens and watercolours. I used bright colours for the cityscape to attract the viewers of my art piece so that they will see the city at first glance. Then they may move their eyes to the homeless man perching on the ledge at the bottom right. I drew a fissure which acts like a dividing line between the street sleeper and the prosperous city. Even though I think the mood of the poem is rather pessimistic, I still believe that the poem wants to send us a positive message of love and care. I have painted the homeless man looking at the city with the hope that city dwellers will notice and embrace him one day.

The poem ‘Survival’ depicts a moving story of a tree surviving on the street of a bustling city despite the many destructions and pollution it has to face. My entry is to express my sympathy for nature. By accentuating the size and presenting the tree in an unrealistic manner, I aim to emphasise how nature struggles to thrive amidst urban development and air pollution. The colour of the tree bright and vibrant contrasts with the colour of the background grey and faded, highlighting the significance of nature. Despite living in an unnatural environment, the tree still manages to find its way to grow its roots through the bricks and paths humans have built, offering people, who believe that there will be a bright future, through the hole in the tree trunk, a glimpse of a world in which life is abundant and flourishing against all odds.

Through this artwork, I hope that the audience can empathise with street sleepers and feel about their lives, thus reflect on how they can help to relieve their miserable situation.
‘City’ is a poem that expresses the isolation and helplessness of street sleepers. Through this monochrome drawing with black and white colours, an indifferent atmosphere is created. The one-point perspective and high-rise buildings create a feeling of oppression. The shoeprints blocking the view reflect how the street sleepers are being trampled upon in the city. All these resonate well with the poem’s depressing mood.
I believe that we can all help to remove the black shoeprints and fill the city with colours and smiley faces instead.