What lies forgotten or not known by many is the mural of a Sampan boat that was painted in 1970 in Chinatown for the celebration of the first August Moon Festival. The mural was covered up 10 years ago during the renovation of the adjacent public park, named after community activist Mary SooHoo. This vinyl wrap was taken from a tiny 14th Century Chinese traditional landscape painting on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. From what I can tell, the only connection to the community is that the scene is Chinese in origin.
When the park underwent renovation 10 years ago, a decision was made to cover up the mural instead of restoring it. Probably after 40 years, the mural had faded and needed to be restored. MassDOT, which owns the Vent Building is, planning on doing extensive repair work in the next couple of years. We in the community need to advocate to restore the mural so it does not get washed out or covered up again.
Last month, a mural “Roxbury Love” was demolished to make way for an affordable housing complex. Although the plans had been in the works for a while and the old industrial building where the mural was painted had been vacant, residents were sad to see it gone.
Murals can have special meaning for communities to where it exists. It can represent a particular period of time that symbolized a part of the neighborhood’s history and pride.
Over the years, community members have expressed disappointment that the Sampan mural was covered up and not restored. This mural represented Chinatown’s history and accomplishments. The 1970’s was a waking period in Chinatown. It was painted by a local artist, Daniel Heung, and with the help of neighborhood youths from the Chinese Americans for Tomorrow. Those involved included Stephanie Fan, Cynthia Yee, Peter Chan, Jeffrey Wong, Karin Wong Ching, James Bing Fong, Jenny Ng, Jimmy Ng. Wilson Wong and Dana Wong.
The late Tunney Lee conveyed that Daniel Heung told him the meaning behind the Sampan mural was, “Sailing towards Adversities”. This truly depicts the historical experience of Chinese immigrants that is filled with hardship and discrimination.
Although it was commonly known that coming to America would mean hard labor, the Chinese were willing to make the sacrifice so that their families would have better opportunities. America used to be referred to as” Gum San” (Golden Mountain). Early Chinese came to the U.S. to dig for gold in California, and later were commissioned to build the railroads through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Northwest. In 1870, 75 Chinese laborers were brought to North Adams, Mass., to work as strike breakers at the Sampson Shoe Factory. It is believed that after their 3- year contract had finished; some made their way to Boston. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, practically terminating most Chinese immigration for the next 80 years. Those stuck here resorted to menial work that no one else would do.
Sampan literally means “3 boards” in Cantonese. Describing a construction with one board in the middle and two boards on each side. In China, such boats were typically used for fishing or transportation. In the mid 1900’s, Hong Kong Harbor was filled with Sampan boats where families resided. Most Chinese immigrants came from Canton, and after the China revolution, the majority of immigrants came via Hong Kong since most contact was cut off from the mainland.
Inspired by the Civil Rights movement of the ‘60’s, a new generation of American-born and college-educated Chinatown activists emerged and saw the many inequities in their own community, and still reeling from the neighborhood land takings as a result of the construction of the Southeast Expressway and the Mass Turnpike. Occurring a decade prior, when Chinatown had no clout to stop the bulldozing, almost 50 percent of Chinatown’s footprint was lost, but young activists sought social justice. Displaced were hundreds of families and businesses, with blocks of Chinese occupied tenement row house, buildings, and churches destroyed. The activists organized, demanding that Chinatown’s needs be equitably addressed
It was also a pivotal time in Chinatown, when a group of young leaders emerged and complained about the lack of available services to Chinatown residents. This new brand of activists led by Frank Chin formed the “Grievance Task Force” where forums were organized and government officials were invited to hear the underserved needs of the Chinatown community, which included: affordable housing, health care, elderly care, English as a Second Language (ESL), translation services, and economic opportunities. According to Peter Chan one of the Task Force members, the activists clashed with the mindset of the traditional leaders (old guard) who felt that Chinatown could take care of their own and didn’t like airing its problems to outsiders.
As a result of this, 1970’s activism and agencies were formed to address the issues that were laid out by the Grievance Task Force. These organizations included: The Golden Age Center, South Cove Health Center, Chinese American Civic Association (now AACA), Asian Community Development Corporation, the Chinese Economic Development Corp, the South Cove Manor Nursing Home. Developments such as Tai Tung Village and Mass Pike Towers brought low income housing which the community desperately needed.
The aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement caused rioting in many urban cities across the country. “Summerthing”, initiated in 1968, was the brainchild of newly elected Mayor Kevin White. His vision was to channel the energy of young people, providing positive outlets through the arts, as part of invoking neighborhood pride and community celebration. It was an effective means to ease racial tension and social strife.
Kathy Kane was Mayor White’s Director of the Arts and Culture Department. It started out using public art, such as murals that would have special meaning for each neighborhood. The goal was to have a mural in each community that would dress up dreary brick or concrete walls and promote positive feelings. Peter Chan said that the Sampan was a symbol of Chinese culture, where immigrants crossed the ocean to come to this new country. Amy Guen, who was the interpreter for the Grievance Task Force, said that the sun and moon on the mural represented hope and good fortune. Something the Chinese always wished for.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Sampan Mural. Because of the pandemic, there will be no August Moon Festival. The Sampan Mural represents a special time in Chinatown, it is a nod to our Chinese American heritage, and it is the birth of Chinatown activism that directly spawned the many successful not-for profit service agencies which have improved the quality of life in our community. To obtain funding to restore the Sampan mural, the Boston Landmarks Commission will need to deem it historically significant to Chinatown. Once this is done, the project can be eligible for funding from the Community Preservation Act, which is managed by the City of Boston and other foundations.
