One of the often overlooked casualties of the pandemic is the loss of many of our nation’s vibrant, culturally rich Chinatowns. In the aftermath of mandatory closures of nonessential businesses, the tourism income for these areas was eliminated, and they became targets of developers. Not only are homes, businesses and livelihoods at risk, but in the process, the muralistic art of the Chinese community also fell victim. In a post-Covid world, we must try to resurrect the art we can and recognize its importance. Politically charged and irrevocably tied to Chinatowns, Chinatown public art is an important community resource that requires social protection.
Historically, early Chinese-Americans and their children held an ostracized role in American society as perpetual foreigners, divided from both their wealthy and often white employers and amongst other newly arrived migrant workers. They created isolated ethnic enclaves, Chinatowns, in urban cities, especially in major seaport cities like New York and San Francisco. They aren’t only centers of ethnically Chinese immigrants, but safe havens for the distinct Chinese-American culture. Chinese architecture began to appear as “signature markers of exoticism” according to Dr. Chuo Li, facilitating unique cultural developments. However, the patronizing portrayal of Asian Americans in the rising film industry (most famously in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Mr. Yunioshi) further decreased social acceptance of and alienated Chinese immigrants, whose homes urban planners targeted for urban expansion.
Chinatowns are sometimes neglected by local governments due in part to their isolated nature. They usually lack social welfare programs to aid the aging population, especially with the recent increase in anti-Chinese violence. The government continuously fails to assist Chinese immigrants — then, by enabling poor working conditions and now, by gentrifying Chinatowns.
In the 1880 Denver Anti-Chinese riot, racist sentiment caused the local community to blame the prolific prostitution and drug circles onto Chinatown. These issues culminated in a riot in which a mob targeted the Chinese people living in the area. The district later fell into obscurity with little effort towards social reform. The area suffered around $1.3 million in damages, with many Chinese residents moving away.
Though city planners were plagued with race-motivated inaction and civic irresponsibility, they later attempted to rebuild Chinatown by painting a mural over the historic riot spot a century and a half later. Much like the other art pieces in modern Chinatowns, this mural features Chinese railroad workers. The egregious history of brutal labor practices is highlighted through the red and yellow insignias and auspicious long noodles. The historically significant subject matter of Chinese-American art continuously symbolizes the social action it aims to take — Denver Chinatown hopes to rebuild itself from what once was merely a Chinese railroad worker collective.
The contemporary art of Chinatowns celebrates the found family of the Chinese-American cultural centers while commemorating the hardships faced by older generations. For example, the “Corky Lee” mural in New York uses a painting style reminiscent of blue porcelain wash, focusing mainly on a community figure. Corky Lee, a prominent artist and activist, died in 2021 after a long career photographing community injustices. His 1975 photograph depicting a Chinese-American man brutalized by police lit the New York Chinese diaspora aflame. Thousands protested the New York Police Department at City Hall — a New York Times article described as strange for a community that “doesn’t usually demonstrate that way.” Even in death, his legacy is one of community service and historical preservation. His immortalization through a public mural only reiterates his ethos – that art has the power to “combat indifference, injustice, and discrimination,” as reported in The New Yorker.
Chinese artists also use art as political statements to reject encroaching gentrification. The “History of Chinatown” mural in Philadelphia, depicting Chinese railroad workers on the undeveloped land of young America, was initially painted in 1966 in response to the construction of a highway that eventually split the borough into two. Years later, it would serve another symbolic purpose as the backdrop of a protest against a plan to construct a stadium within Chinatown.
Threatened with displacement, the Chinese diaspora collectivized to protect their neighborhood by vocally denouncing the construction plan, and shutting down local businesses to drive down tourist revenue. Along with this strategy, the protest itself was structured similarly to a Chinese festival with the traditionally celebratory colors of yellow and red on protest banners. The synthesis of culture in this protest “generated attention and clearly expressed the idea that Chinese-Americans with a distinct community culture would be hurt by the stadium plan,” according to Dr. Jian Guan and Dr. J. David Knottnerus. The choice to place this protest against the “History of Chinatown” mural references the continued subjugation of Chinese communities in America.
Antithetical to commonly portrayed traditional Chinese values — perpetrated by the model minority myth — emphasizing education and hard work, the modern Chinatown pulled its children out of public school in protest for the sake of the community. Considering the complex relationship that Chinese-Americans and immigrants as a whole hold with education and prestige, this is only indicative of a broader social shift; the modern Chinese identity is an amalgamation of Chinese values and Western social conventions viewed through an American lens.
Through community action and the power of public art, Chinese-Americans can subvert harmful expectations and carve a new identity. Chinatowns and their art serve as a powerful symbol of community pride. Given the development created by the problematic current environment in Chinatowns in Philadelphia, Denver, and New York City, the protection of these spaces is crucial to ensure the protection of livelihood and essence of creativity of an entire immigrant population.
