Tracing Chinatown follows a select narrative of Toronto’s Chinatown West through a colourfully illustrated, place-based lens. It examines the changing nature of this place as a space of cultural placemaking, moving from past, to present, into hopeful speculative futures. This zine was made with the support of the School of Cities Urban Leadership fellowship at theUniversity of Toronto. You can find it here.
“The zine offers a visual meditation on Toronto’s Chinatown West through its whimsical illustrations and hand lettering in gold and red, two colours we so often see in Chinatown. Wong shares some of the history of this well-known city landmark and explores the politics of placemaking — how spaces can mean different things to different people or change in meaning over time, how immigrant communities are often displaced by local government objectives and in response must constantly adapt to their changing circumstances. Wong asks ‘What does Chinatown mean to you?’ — a question that lingers and will hopefully resurface every time one steps foot in the place it’s dedicated to.” — Katie Gee Salisbury, Judge.
You can check out Charmain’s work here.