Langham Place and Cordis HK bring Jin Yong sculptures to Mong Kok

Langham Place and Cordis, Hong Kong have jointly launched "Art in the district" (藝術落區), a public art initiative that places three groups of sculptures depicting iconic characters from Jin Yong's famous Chinese martial arts novels, wuxia (武俠), in the mall and hotel spaces of Mong Kok.

The sculptures are the work of Ren Zhe (任哲), a contemporary Chinese sculptor who became the first sculptor to hold a solo exhibition at Beijing's Imperial Ancestral Temple. The installation marks the first time Ren's Jin Yong-themed works have been presented in a commercial and public setting in Hong Kong, following major exhibitions at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and MOCA Singapore.

The initiative aims to reimagine the role of art in commercial and public spaces, positioning the mall and hotel as platforms for cultural experience rather than purely transactional destinations. The project is designed to encourage visitors to spend more time exploring the connected properties, with potential spillover benefits for surrounding dining, retail and hospitality offerings in the district.

The installation is set against the backdrop of Mong Kok, a district known for its dense mix of old and new, energy and stillness. Langham Place and Cordis, Hong Kong have framed the project as part of a broader effort to bring museum-calibre art into everyday city life and add a cultural layer to one of Hong Kong's busiest neighbourhoods.

In "Guo Jing and Huang Rong" from The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳), Ren contrasts Guo Jing drawing his bow in frontier garb with Huang Rong, disguised as a young beggar from the Western Regions riding a small red Ferghana horse. Omitting the bowstring and arrow, he conveys power through movement alone, while spare lines of the bamboo weapon show Huang Rong poised for action. Like a Möbius strip, the sculptures suggest their souls are already connected, with detailed costume folds and precise movement bringing heroic spirit and pure love to life.

The choice of Jin Yong's wuxia characters is intended to resonate across different audience segments. For local Hong Kong residents and mainland visitors, the figures of Guo Jing (郭靖), Yang Guo (楊過) and Linghu Chong (令狐冲) are part of a shared cultural memory, requiring no introduction. For overseas travellers unfamiliar with Jin Yong's work, Ren said the sculptures convey universal themes of honour, loyalty and inner pursuit, drawing parallels between Eastern and Western chivalric traditions.

“Truly outstanding art and culture find new life through integration and coexistence. Mong Kok is a place where old and new coexist, and where energy and stillness come together. When this body of work encounters such a vibrant space, it creates a dialogue across boundaries - between tradition and modernity, and between East and West," Ren said. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Langham Place and Cordis, Hong Kong, for more information.

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