The reasons are a whole lot more local.

In Sha Tin Park, local residents come to life in life-size photographs mounted on boards together with captions that capture their hopes and dreams. In Tuen Mun Park, a half-sunken boat forms the perfect playground for all the pet fishes that have been freed by their owners into the lake.

The project - part of the Budding Winter program funded by the Home Affairs Bureau to nurture artists - sees more than 180 students from Chinese, Baptist, Polytechnic and City universities take art beyond the walls of museums and galleries.

"By giving budding artists a showcase, the project encourages them to pursue a career in art and the public gets to experience how art can spice up our daily life," said Grace Cheng Sim-yee of Community Art Network, which manages the project.

"At the moment, few art graduates can afford to become full-time artists. The project helps cultivate art appreciation in the city, creating more opportunities for them in the future."

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts students will also be staging music and dance shows in the parks.

The HK$3 million project will finish on January 31, but that is not the end of the matter because the project is set to be an annual event .

"I'm pleased with the government's support. Although we live in a small city, this shows there's always room for art," said Joego Chan Yeuk-ming, a fresh graduate from Baptist University whose team created the half-sunken boat.

"The lake is like a public fish tank so we decided to give the inhabitants a toy. We hope the unusual scene of a sinking boat in the park's lake brings a smile to people's faces," she said.

Her instructor, Leung Mee-ping, says the project offers a great chance at hands-on art.

"From design to construction, they needed to do it all themselves at minimal cost. The artwork should interest the public while blending well with the park. It was a challenge from start to finish."

That might have been the words right out of Polytechnic University student Lai Chi-ling's mouth.

Her team cut words into metal plates and hung them on a wall so that when the sun is at the right angle, the poem shines.

"We first talked to local poets to understand the emotional theme of their works, then we came up with a feasible design to convey the feelings underlying them. We needed to strike a balance between different elements, which was a lot more complicated than our usual homework," said Lai, who takes a typography class as part of her arts major. "Lots of people have no idea what art students do. I hope to show them our ability to bring out life's little details," she added.

Free guided tours are offered at weekends. To register, go to www.buddingwinter.hk.