View of the Idiot Pagoda from Tze Wan Shan

The Idiot Pagoda stands next to the peak of the Lion Rock against the fading red of the dusk. In 1959, several old folks who called themselves “idiots” spent eight months carrying sand and stone from Wong Tai Sin village up the hill every day and built “Idiot Pagoda,” for the purpose of expanding the scenic area. The artist made a record of the tower as well as portrayed the steepness of the Lion Rock with alternating blocks of black ink and verdant green. The striking dynamism of the image evokes the naive vitality of the “idiots.”