Contrasts 對照

Grandmother Wong is a resident of Vancouver Chinatown. It is a place she remembers as lively, family-oriented, architecturally prominent, beautiful, and having a strong sense of Chinese culture. Now, the few streets that remain are renowned for homelessness and graffiti. They have become a place where hipsters, with an abundance of pocket cash, go to partake in “authentic” Chinese culture (to which, barely any remains).

As she walks, cane-in-hand, along her memory of the gorgeous buildings that once lined Chinatown’s streets, she momentarily gets interrupted with the cold truth of what Chinatown has become. On one hand, she is living in a memory and remembering everything that Chinatown was. She thinks of its rich history, the enthusiastic residents, the vibrant architecture, and her family. On the other hand, as her cane beats along like the ticking of a clock, she starts to think about the rampant crime, loss of culture, empty houses, lack of people, and the new silence that fills the streets. Until finally, our heroine no longer exists. Similarly to how graffiti has covered the Chinese culture in Chinatown, she has been engulfed and overwhelmed by the paint-like ink.