“Since times of old, China has had a tradition of worshipping and respecting nature. Gardens were born of people's fascination and yearning for nature, miniaturizing landscapes and positioning them nearby due to the desire to be surrounded by nature. A garden is a re-creation of nature. This is a physical representation of the idea that man is an integral part of nature. Although man-made, it resembles a pristine utopia. It is truth embedded in reality, at the same time like a dream, a vast and boundless, mysterious fantasy. Amber Palace is in the real world, and yet like being in an enchanted land. This was constantly on my mind as I created this piece. I used mainly Nihonga Japanese painting techniques and pigments, adding in Chinese painting lines and sculpting characteristics used in stone images to represent the buildings and the rocks.”