Foreword

In the past, works of master artists were only collected by scholars, government officials and rich families, since they were the only ones privileged enough to afford the works. Rarely were these pieces passed down through the family line.

I was very fortunate to have many of these pieces passed down from my grandfather, master artist Deng Fen. I collected every precious inch of sketch and writing and restored it to their former glory. It would be a shame not to share such prominent pieces of original art with the world.

As the years go by, our future generations may not have the ability and knowledge to appreciate this quickly disappearing art form. We must start culture conservation now in order to protect art forms for future understanding, appreciation and consumption. Instead of recording the history of traditional Chinese art through traditional engravings and print, we are now able to manipulate computer technology to spread this wealth of knowledge en masse. Using new technologies, we are able to communicate the essence of this art to a greater audience, with more clarity and accessibility.

The purpose of this website is to share the knowledge of this relic with the world and make a contribution to preserve our cultural and artistic histories. Hopefully, interaction with more people from the art world would also generate discussion and feedback to further develop this project. I hope to serve this artwork and my ancestors due justice by restoring and sharing them to the best of my ability, and to serve our future generations by keeping this art form alive.

Tony Kwai Lau