Share
Amidst Hong Kong’s towering skyline, butterfly gardens offer vital bursts of greenery, breathing new life into the urban landscape.
The Butterfly Garden Installation Design Competition 2025, organised by the Environmental Association’s Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve and sponsored by Link Together Initiatives, has sparked vibrant engagement across the butterfly gardens of Chung On Shopping Centre, Choi Ming Shopping Centre and Kai Tin Shopping Centre. The competition not only brings artistic vitality to these urban oases but also weaves communities closer together while promoting awareness of ecological conservation.
The competition invites the community to design art installations for the three butterfly gardens, encouraging the use of sustainable elements to symbolise the harmonious coexistence of humans and the natural world.
Dr Yau Wing-kwong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Association Limited, articulates the vision: “Our aim is to create a joyful environment where the community can reimagine a butterfly garden that belongs to everyone – blending creativity, eco-friendly concepts and thoughtful design, while strengthening their sense of belonging and happiness within the community.”
The competition attracted a broad spectrum of participants, from children to professional designers. “We received everything from hand-drawn submissions by children to detailed designs by seasoned professionals,” notes Dr Yau. “The sheer diversity reflects the community’s profound enthusiasm.” Entries were judged against rigorous criteria, including creativity, feasibility, durability, integration of environmental elements, relevance to the butterfly ecological theme and their capacity to evoke a sense of comfort and happiness.
“The judging panel carefully reviewed each entry – whether a professional design or a heartfelt concept – ensuring a balanced consideration across all criteria,” Dr Yau explains.
Channel 823 spoke with several winners to delve into their inspirations and creative journeys. Among them was architect Kenneth Wong, whose work Glass Butterfly was awarded first runner-up for its inspired use of recycled materials and delicate evocation of a butterfly’s poise.
Kenneth was drawn to the competition’s intersection of public art and environmental protection: “I particularly enjoy projects that connect public spaces with nature. The emphasis on incorporating sustainability into design made this competition especially appealing.”
His installation features recycled glass bottles and stainless steel, artfully capturing the moment a butterfly perches in the garden. The mirrored steel reflects the natural surroundings, while the glass fragments form the butterfly’s graceful silhouette. “I wanted to capture that fleeting moment when a butterfly alights,” Kenneth shares. “By integrating public participation and environmental elements, I hoped to create a dialogue between the visual and natural worlds.”
Although passionate about nature, Kenneth admitted that he initially knew little about butterfly gardens: “I studied the information and photographs provided by Link to better understand the environment. It became a learning experience in itself.”
Another winner, Dora Chan, secured second runner-up with her playful and colourful design inspired by her children’s imaginations. Dora recounts how the idea blossomed: “Last year, my daughters and I participated in a photography competition at the butterfly garden. I had no intention of participating in this design competition at first. When I later saw them playfully spreading bottle caps across a table, their innocent creativity inspired me to enter.”
Her work arranges recycled plastic bottle caps into a child-sized butterfly motif, set against a vibrant background of yellow, white and green – symbolising sunshine, purity and vitality. “I have always loved colourful butterflies. Through this project, I wanted to channel that joy and convey an environmental message using recycled materials.”
Reflecting on the butterfly gardens themselves, Dora adds: “Watching children run and play amidst the butterflies fills me with happiness. I wanted to capture that spirit of carefree delight and the significance of butterfly gardens in my design.”
Dora believes that even the smallest objects can have transformative potential: “Even a discarded bottle cap can become a child’s toy or a work of art that inspires reflection and action when approached thoughtfully.”
The Butterfly Garden Installation Design Competition 2025 has ignited a new wave of ecological awareness and community pride. Whether professional or amateur, every participant’s work embodies the gardens as a living symbol of coexistence between humanity and nature.
Within these flourishing green pockets, butterflies dance freely, spirits are lifted and a quiet symphony of community blossoms.
