The sound of lions in Chinatown > created in collaboration with Hannia Cheng, Chinatown Chinese Lion Dance Group, and Northern Legs Southern First>  installation, performance > curated by Charlene Lau > Nuit Blanche (Toronto) > 2025 

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​​​In the 1950s, Toronto’s first Chinatown was expropriated and razed to build City Hall. A decade later, community activist Jean Lumb and the Save Chinatown Committee formed to successfully stop another wave of violent erasure. At the same time, the emergence of martial arts societies demonstrated another form of strength in Chinatown. Inspired by this campaign and the bravado of kung fu clubs, the sound of lions in Chinatown reimagines the use of the traditional paifang (village gates) as access points into the neighbourhood’s historical and contemporary fight against displacement. Taking the shape of entrances used by local grocers, this large-scale installation and opening lion dance procession pays tribute to a legacy of cultural survival and political activism that continues to shape the future of Chinatown today.

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The artist acknowledges the support of the Toronto Art Council, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto.

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Photo documentation by Roya DelSol and Ibrahim Abusitta.   

Videography by Connor Wan. 

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