Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Chenlin Cai and his team, Xingzi Liang, Sean Bryant and Damon Bain spent the week high atop a five-story building in Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood installing a new mural.
The mural is called ‘The History of Chinatown.’ It shows the struggles the community has been facing the past few decades concerning over-development and different aspects of the neighborhood’s vibrant culture.
For artist Damon Bain, murals are the ultimate form of expression. “The goal of any art, music, visual, creative writing is to have the fullest expression of yourself. Philadelphia is the mural capital of the world. We found this to be a melting pot for different styles of art and different forms of expression.”
Chenlin Cai is the artist behind the project. He was born in China and emigrated to the U.S. in 2014. He calls Philadelphia is home. His murals span the globe and feature an advocacy for Chinese culture and themes.
This mural is replacing a decades old mural about the history of Chinatown that would have been covered up by a new building. This gives Chenlin the chance to add more to the history and legacy of the community.
“Philadelphia is famous for murals, but we don’t have many murals for the Asian community.”
He adds, “I consider Philadelphia my new home. So, the history of Chinatown is my experience. I really want to bring my personal emotion and understanding here. It’s not just a place for Chinese immigrants. It’s a hub for all Asians.”
Chenlin expertly blends Western and Eastern influences and themes into his murals. His works have spanned the globe from China, to Florida to New York City and now 9th Street in Philadelphia’s famous Chinatown neighborhood.
His role as a cultural advocate for China and Chinatown in this city are the ultimate expression of his passions and fit well with his background as a teacher.
“This has a purpose. This platform can tell people without needing to walk into a museum. I want people to understand who we are.”
You can check out more of Chenlin Cai’s projects by visiting his Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/chenlin.cai