Hoi Sham Temple

A remembrance of things past, Zhang Hong projected his imagination on another tourist attraction nearby—the Hoi Sham Temple. Travellers at the time usually went there by small ferries from Chi Kiang Street in To Kwa Wan to Hoi Sham Island. They would visit the Fish Tail Rock for fortune in love, walk up the hill for a view, and then feast on shellfish dishes in outdoor stalls among various streets and alleys. Zhang did not intend to record details of his trip; instead he conveyed the leisurely mood of the travelers with concise and minimalist brushstrokes, and the liveliness of lush vegetation and extraordinary rocks with unadorned and varied brushwork. The bird’s eye view perspective of the painting highlights the broad width of the islet and the sharp steepness of the Fish Tail Rock. The inclusion of a wide expanse of sea and mountains in the composition creates a sense of immense space. The artist’s inscription that the Fish Tail Rock was a pearl left by the dragon in primordial time serves to connect Hoi Sham Island to ancient history, as if the still rock was bearing witness to this everchanging world since time immemorial.