Thank you for that flattering introduction.
Good afternoon everybody, my name is YABUUCHI Satoshi.

I am very glad for this opportunity to introduce my ‘Children’ to the people of Hong Kong for the first time.
These ‘Children’ that I create are not ordinary children, they are symbols of natural energy.
This means that they are to be seen hiding in the background of every type of natural phenomena.
They might be described as being closely related to the ‘chi’ that plays such an important role in Chinese medicine.

I know that a large percentage of the Japanese culture and customs that I love so much, can be traced back to roots on the Chinese mainland and it makes me very aware of being an Asian person.
I hope that my work will allow the people of Hong Kong to come into contact with Japanese culture and let them see how the religions and ideologies that were created in China have been developed in Japan.
I pray that this will lead to a deeper understanding between our two peoples and help to strengthen the ties between our countries.

Before I finish, I would like to thank the wonderful staff of the Hong Kong Sogo for all they have done to bring this exhibition to you, and also the people back in Japan who worked closely with them on the preparations.
And last, but by no means least, I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude and respect to Mr. Thomas Lau, for offering me this wonderful opportunity and for his unswerving cooperation in making this exhibition possible. Thank you.