Dominic Lam Man-kit's Olympian journey began with a single step in 2002: he accepted an offer that changed his life.
President Jiang Zemin had ordered the Fangfeiyuan Villa built in the Diaoyutai State Guest House compound in Beijing, and Feng Shusen, its director general, invited Lam to provide three paintings. 'It was an honour considering I had been living in the United States and had American citizenship,' says Lam, now 64, who assumed he was selected because he combined a contemporary style of painting with traditional Chinese training.
Three years later, the Shantou-born artist's name again came up when the mainland authorities were looking to create a modern face for the 5,000-year-old civilisation, to be presented at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This time, Lam was asked for a logo and a painting.
His logo had the Chinese character for 'humanity' sitting atop the five Olympic rings.
The painting, titled Millennium Odyssey: From Athens to Beijing, was about a journey - one Lam assumed would end for him at the Beijing Games. He was wrong.
Last year, the International Olympic Committee of Fine Arts Commission requested a sequel painting to represent Hong Kong at the 2012 London Olympics.