By Shirley Ng, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Another new colorful mural is going up to invite visitors and Instagrammers to come to Manhattan’s Chinatown.
It’s hoped the murals will return to the neighborhood some of the life and vitality which disappeared due to the xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiments that surfaced from COVID-19. Community activist Karlin Chan launched the Chinatown Mural Project in August with the help of donations.
Some business did re-open in the late spring and summer with outdoor dining, but visitor turnout still did not return to pre-pandemic times. Small businesses in the community continued to suffer financially as winter approaches. Restaurants hope to beat the cold weather by constructing outdoor dining structures.
AsAmNews stopped by to look at the progress of the latest unnamed mural yesterday, which began last Friday. Watch the video and let us know what you think about the new Chinatown mural.
Visitors are encouraged to take a selfie with the murals and tag @ChinatownMuralProject on Instagram.
Lead artist Peach Tao is working on this fourth mural located on 127-131 Division St. She is the same artist who created the three earlier murals in Chinatown which featured whimsical images of pigeons playing mah-jong, a rabbit serving noodles and a scene of animals eating dim sum in a restaurant. This one is no different. The latest mural includes on lookers such as a grandmother and children enjoying a dragon and lion dance performance.
Tao and her crew were busy and eating lunch in between brush strokes, so we didn’t want to interrupt them. We just stayed out of their way and absorbed what is to come.
Follow the progress on this fourth unnamed mural and all the Chinatown murals on their Instagram account, @ChinatownMuralProject.
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Thank you! Fantastic and so vibrant with color! We must all do what we can to bridge our communities and this is a wonderful choice. I and my husband are professional storytellers and we do it by performing ancient Asian folktales and inspiring contemporary Asian American stories – prior to the pandemic- around the world. We are now online and our intention and mission is to build those cultural bridges as a way to reduce anti-Asian racism. We can do this!!!
Delightfully refreshing…thank you.
makes me home sick!