Young Hong Kong real-estate mogul Adrian Chen — grandson of one of Hong Kong’s richest tycoons — says the Chinese are yearning for a different retail experience, something more than just walking around the same old shopping boxes.

So he’s creating a line of “K11″ malls” — he’s already got one in Hong Kong and another in the central China city of Wuhan — malls that feature local artists (and in Wuhan, urban farming). And he’s in Paris promoting the idea and promoting Chinese artists.

“I try to inject an art gallery, an art museum kind of experience into the whole retail experience,” said Cheng, an amateur painter who favours D&G and Yves Saint Laurent over grey flannel suits.

In Hong Kong, K11 is anchored to a bigger New World venture, the 64-storey Masterpiece luxury hotel and apartment tower in the Tsim Sha Shui district where a one-bedroom flat once sold for $3.16 million …

Its six floors are lit more like an art gallery, and between the trendy shops are large showcases for rotating exhibitions. On a lower floor, a towering tree-like sculpture takes pride of place.