An artist can easily connect with the beauty of natural landscapes and is often inspired to translate them into paintings. Although Hong Kong is a small place by any scale, it does have a lot to offer in terms of natural scenery. Perennially exposed to the monsoons and erosions, the eastern stretches of the territory boast peculiar landforms such as giant volcanic hexagonal columns on Po Pin Chau off the East Dam of the High Island Reservoir, the rock cliffs of Bluff Island and the craggy shore of Long Ke. Back in Sai Kung, the pyramidal razor-like Sharp Peak is an unmistakable landmark.

Speaking of exceptionally charming islands, Ap Chau in Yan Chau Tong (Double Haven) and the solitary Ping Chau in the far east are unrivaled. Ap Chau, or literally Duck Island, got its name after its resemblance to a duck lying on its stomach. The illusion is made all the more convincing by a hole eroded by waves to form an eye in the head. Whether meticulous or casual, the paintings made by Huang Bore of the island are as endearing as the island itself.

Ping Chau is noted for its interesting landforms eroded out of sedimentary rocks and is the source of inspiration for Huang Bore’s Strange Rocks in Ping Chau. The horizontally layered texture of the rocks is represented by long interweaving lines that are immediately striking to the viewer. Here, Huang Bore had to rely on his own observation and imagination to create the visual impact since such rocks were unseen by the ancients and hence no models were readily available. It can therefore aptly be said that the painter partly owed his innovative attempts to the peculiar topography of Hong Kong.