| Click here to view the Exhibition Catalogue | "MING STYLE - MILLENNIUM INTERIOR" EXHIBITION COMBINES ANTIQUE AND CONTEMPORARY TO GREAT EFFECT 42A Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong 26 April - 10 May, 2001 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (Mon - Sat) 1:00pm - 6:00 pm (Sunday) Chine Gallery's current exhibition "Ming Style - Millennium Interior" which runs from 26 April to 10 May, 2001 combines 21st century interiors with antique Ming-style furniture to great effect. The exhibition features sharp clean-lined contemporary interiors with a strong accent on colour and texture but furnished with Ming-style furniture. Anwer Islam, owner and director of the gallery, located in the Hollywood Road antiques district, just 30 seconds' walk from the Mid-levels escalator, has long been convinced that beautiful Chinese antique furniture and rugs can be used to great effect in a modern home or office. For this exhibition he has worked with interior designers Elaine Jamieson and Tania Chow of The Partnership, to demonstrate how the minimal lines of Ming-style furniture can enhance and personalise a contemporary 21st century interior decor. The four rooms featured in the exhibition are a living room, dining room, study and reception area. Ming furniture specialist, Wang Shixiang agrees. In his learned treatise, Classic Chinese Furniture, he says, "To my surprise I have seen some very modern European and American homes in which it (Ming and early Qing furniture) was used most harmoniously. Why does Ming-style furniture fit so well with modern western life and furnishings? It is simply because modern western taste favours a simplicity akin to that of the Ming and early Qing dynasty furniture. This shows the universality of the forms and artistry of classic Chinese furniture, which has become part of the cultural heritage not only of the Chinese, but also of the rest of the world." Anwer Islam has sourced the fine examples of Ming-style furniture used in the exhibition from all over China. They have been expertly restored in the workshop in Panyu, Guangdong Province. He is careful to point out that the furniture on display was made following the dictates of Ming style by Qing dynasty craftsmen. (True Ming dynasty furniture is beyond the pocket of all but the museums and mega-rich collectors these days.) "It is becoming increasingly difficult nowadays to find fine examples of Ming-style furniture from the 17th to 19th centuries," says Anwer. "People who love the clean minimalist lines of the Ming style should not leave it too long before acquiring a few fine pieces." Chine Gallery is located at 42A Hollywood Road, Central. Opening hours of the gallery are from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday. Exhibitions featuring antique furniture and rugs from China and Japanese furniture are held twice a year in the gallery.