Long before the compounds that make up modern pharmaceuticals were discovered and isolated, cultures around the world relied on the healing powers of herbs. They have long played a vital role in traditional Chinese medicine, and their curative properties are still under study. Herbs and herbal medicine also provide a creative foundation for local artist So Wing-po.

The fifth edition of Asia Society Hong Kong’s “Contemporary Chinese Female Artist” series features the works by Hoo Mojong. The retrospective: “Objects of Play” includes more than a hundred items, among them paintings, prints, drawings and archival materials.

The origins of the Middle Eastern zither known as the qanun lie far back in the past, in ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. The instrument, which has 78 strings, can be played either solo or as part of an ensemble. Turkish musician, Ahmet Baran is a qanun virtuoso. He started learning music at eight and soon developed a passion for the qanun. He began playing with orchestras in his teens and was designated Turkey’s “Youngest Soloist Qanun Player of Symphony Orchestras”. Still, he continued to develop his technique and take on an even wider range of music. He gave his first concert in Hong Kong at the end of last month. While he was here, he came to the studio with Kerim Sercan Evcin, the Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Hong Kong, to talk to us.