LADISLAV Kesner is a member of that fearsome category - a man with a mission. He is driven by his passion and, after a few minutes in his company, it is obvious that this is a man who does not like the word ''no''.
During the six days he has been in Hongkong, after an awkward seven weeks of research in China, the Czech curator has gone knocking on the best doors he can find with only one purpose in mind; to find a home for 5,000 of the most precious works of Chinese art ever assembled in Europe.
''It saddens me. It really does,'' the head of the Asian Arts Department of the National Gallery in Prague said yesterday, ''that these wonderful pieces have been sitting in boxes in Prague for so long and have never been exhibited.
''I don't have any children yet but I imagine you would feel the same way about them. You want the best for each of them.
''I feel the same way about this collection. I want the best for each piece. For them to have a home, even if it is a temporary one.'' And that is the young Czech's immediate goal. In his home country, the Government has little sympathy for expensive projects such as housing a rare Chinese collection of paintings, sculpture and ceramics. After all, their country has just split in two.
They have an electorate that is screaming for better food supplies, proper transport services and jobs. Art galleries, or renovations to existing art facilities are low on the list of priorities for the public purse.