She loves the history and culture of the past, but is angered by the present.

So is angry at the pace of Hong Kong's rapid development, the relentless demolition of buildings, and what she feels is the government's indifferent attitude towards the disappearance of local history.

'Why has the government allowed old buildings to be torn down? They are beautiful and special. It's tragic to see good things destroyed,' she said.

She believes that all artists are motivated by a passion which reflects in their work.

'I think people who like to draw or create usually possess this kind of fire,' she said.

It is this fire within her - a love for Hong Kong's lost history - that drives her to create art and encourage viewers to take a trip down memory lane with her.

The 29-year-old artist is about to publish her first book Hong Kong Powder - a collection of illustrations that she creates weekly for a youth magazine.

Her inspiration comes from touring Hong Kong's old neighbourhoods, taking photographs of old buildings, streets, schools, restaurants and tai pai dongs.

She talks to residents and uses their words and feelings as inspiration for her work.

'I'm not a nostalgic person. I just like beautiful things and I can't stand seeing them being wiped out,' So said.

Her disappointment at the destruction is well reflected in Very Fantastic, the top winner in the animation category at the 8th Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards (IFVA), and Lonely Moon Tram, released at the I-city Festival last year.

This series of short films, comprising old buildings, streets and objects in surreal styles, are aimed at teaching people about the importance of preserving the local heritage.

'It's like bringing these old places and people back to life.'

But she also realises that she's not about to change the world. 'My powers are limited, and I have no means to stop the government from tearing down the buildings.'

So started drawing at an early age. Her father, a primary school teacher, gave her a comic book which he confiscated from his student one day. From then on, comics became a part of her life.

As a result of the Tiananmen incident in 1989 when she was a Primary Six schoolgirl, So created a series of drawings containing disturbing images to vent her frustration.

'I couldn't understand how something like this - people of the same country killing each other - could happen.'

So graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a design student in 2002.

She worked for a youth magazine as illustrator and designer before concentrating on her own work.

So knows she lives in a less than perfect world, but says one thing holds true for all her work: 'As long as you put your heart into it, your drawings can touch people even if they're not perfect.'