The Past Supporting the Future
The mural’s design is rich with symbolism, including real and paper cranes, that speak to different segments of the Asian American community while also showcasing the friendship and unity between different Asian countries. The mural features small paper cranes flying upwards, which transform into a large living crane poised to take flight. That represents the neighborhood’s growth and its bright future. The 54-foot tall Crane is the dominant image of the mural, a symbol of longevity looking into the future of Chinatown and the AAPI community. It rises on a pathway of paper cranes that emanate from a history scroll showing important events in Chinatown’s past; the original protest against the highway that galvanized the community, the creation of the Friendship Gate, and the completion of the Crane Community Center.
Surrounding the giant crane are images of contemporary Chinatown, a dragon boat team, a young girl performing the lion dance, the Monkey King (a popular figure from Chinese opera), a swallow (representing migration), and some of the delicacies that make the area a dining destination. Other images include traditional lanterns, which bring luck and protection; someone preparing for the Chinese Lion Dance, an indicator of good fortune; and a pipa, a stringed instrument that originated in China and has been in use for almost 2,000 years. The pipa is also popular in other East and Southeast Asian countries and is an example of one of the many cultural bonds between these nations.
The background is composed of peony petals embossed with textile patterns reflecting some of the many AAPI cultures of Philadelphia: Japan, India, Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Tibet, Bhutan, and the Philippines.
The mural was also inspired by the history of the Crane building itself. Completed in 2019, the building is located north of the Vine Street Expressway, the development of which divided Chinatown into north and south sections. The building took eight years to complete and symbolizes the community’s attempt to reclaim their land and reunite their neighborhood. Chinatown, Center City Philadelphia’s only remaining neighborhood of color, is 152 years old. Community members have been fighting off outside encroachments for at least half of that time.
The murals for Crane Chinatown are commissioned by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation as part of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority’s Percent for Art Program, in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC), and have been three years in the making. A second interior artwork is also a part of this project. Soon after the artists were chosen, the project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, when many Chinatown businesses were closed because of the economic slump and the prevailing anti-Asian sentiment, it was especially important for the artist team to reach out to the community and ask them to tell their stories of migration, adaptation, and hopes for the future. Pandemic restrictions meant in-person outreach was not an option, and the artists had to be creative with inventing virtual workshops to reach various communities. Inter-generational oral history workshops were held virtually to gather stories of migration. Later, the artists also held a mix of virtual and in-person art workshops, all of which helped inspire the final design.
Painting began in the summer of 2022, with the help of over 100 volunteers of all ages from the Chinatown community and other AAPI organizations, as well as a team of Mural Arts Interns, including:
VOLUNTEERS: Jessica Lin, Philadelphia Chinatown Dragonboat Team, Marina Borker, Peral McShane, Aanand Shah, Jaime Weisner, Ella Zhou, Vicky Lam, April Qiu, Karen Zhou, Ellen Zhou, Zikuan Guo,
Ziqian Guo, Vivian Ma, Kelly Wang, Miranda Gao, Frank Li, Linna Shi, Angela Wei, Guofung He
YOUTH: Asian Arts Initiative summer youth, Asian Americans United summer youth, Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia summer youth