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Since the COVID-19 pandemic, racial discrimination against Chinese in Greater Vancouver has intensified, and in addition to verbal denigration and attacks, the murals in Vancouver's Chinatown have become living targets. Suddenly, many racists destroyed, smeared, and damaged the murals, and even appeared graffiti that "headshots" the Chinese in the murals.
Photo credit: CTV NEWS
The mural "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" on the outer wall of the Liangyou Bookstore in Chinatown was destroyed in March this year. A large number of black graffiti covered the fresco, and the original appearance can no longer be seen. This is not the first time the fresco has been damaged, but it is by far the most serious.
After the destruction of the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" mural (below)
Photo credit: CTV NEWS
Original appearance of the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" mural (below)
Photo credit: Bagua Artists Association
Completed by four artists from the BAGUA Artist Association, Cao Shuo, Yi Mengyuan, Liu Yuan and Feng Xingyue, the mural is the first mural of the same genre in Chinatown.
After the mural was painted, the Chinese community and the Chinese media made many appeals and criticisms on the matter, but unfortunately the results were minimal. On Saturday, April 16, residents of Vancouver's local community expressed their support for the Chinese community with practical actions.
From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., dozens of volunteers lined up in the laneway at 218 East Georgia Street to repaint the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" mural on the wall of Liangyou Bookstore.
Photo credit: GLOBAL NEWS
At the restoration site, large areas of black graffiti on the mural have been washed away, and the exposed parts need to be repainted. The Bagua Artists Association set up a working tent on the spot, encoded each part of the restoration of the mural, and distributed the corresponding coded paint, so that the spontaneous citizens did not need a painting foundation and could contribute to the restoration work.
Local resident June said: "There is a sense of ownership, and that's what the community effort is about. ”
Another resident, Savannah, said, "I have lived in this neighborhood for more than forty years and I attach great importance to the culture and symbols around me. "I felt the need to pick up a paintbrush to fix it, even though I had never painted anything before.
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Some Chinese citizens said that since learning that the mural was graffiti, she has been looking online to find out how to participate in the restoration of the mural. "I hope that this beautiful mural will no longer be a target for outlaws, and I also want to make a contribution to Chinatown Live Chemical."
Terry, a resident of Chinese descent, said Canada is a democracy and should not allow racism to spread in the community, "I am very angry that these graffitiists have targeted the destruction of Chinese culture." ”
Cao Shuo, one of the original authors of the mural, said: "I am very touched that there are so many people who support us. Cao Shuo said that the graffiti has been cleaned with the help of the authorities, but after cleaning, the original pigment is also washed off and needs to be repainted. After the completion of the restoration work, a protective film will be applied to the mural oil, which can be easily cleaned up if it is patronized by graffiti in the future.
Peter Lau, the head of the Liangyou Bookstore, where the mural is located, said he had personally launched a campaign against graffiti signatures, collecting the signatures of more than 800 residents, hoping that the Vancouver city government and police department would come up with some powerful measures to protect these works of art. Otherwise, after painstaking repair, it is easy to become a target of destruction again, and the symptoms are not cured.
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