Amidst a changing Chinatown, Serena Chu is building art, community and a bridge to what comes next

When Serena Chu first opened her storefront Chu Chu Chinatown just over a year ago, she was a little daunted by all the space.

Until that point, the ceramic and mural artist had worked in a number of different Vancouver studios, most recently in a 350-square-foot space in a shared building. But the move to 247 Keefer Street meant she had tripled the size of her space, which also meant increased opportunities.

Today, she operates a thriving retail store that runs workshops and sells art supplies and artwork from local Asian and BIPOC artists. In the back is a thrifted, gently used art supplies area that financially supports the free and affordable arts classes she puts on for local seniors.

Once she moved in, Chu says she was immediately invited to join the local business improvement area and felt warmly embraced by Chinatown — a community and neighbourhood she describes as a “hidden gem” that is often misrepresented. 

“They hooked me up with so many people, just to network — ‘If you need help with this, do this, if you need this, do this.’ And it was really lovely to get all that support,” says Chu, who was asked to design tote bags for the BIA and invited to paint a mural on her gate in August as part of a graffiti reduction project spearheaded by VPD Const. Freddy Lau. 

“I really feel like they're treating me like ‘the artist of Chinatown.’ There are loads and loads of artists in Chinatown, I am not the only one. But I think I'm one of the few that are forward-facing — like street facing, open to the public,” says Chu. In this role, she is one of many new businesses in the area that seeks to function as a bridge between the “old” Chinatown and the new one that is emerging.

Chinatown will see a lot of change in the next few years. The new St. Paul’s Hospital, set to open next year, will employ approximately 10,000 people and is expected to bring new residents and dramatic changes to the area. A controversial condo project on Keefer Street, next to Chinatown Memorial Square, was approved by the city’s development permit board in November, and local residents have been concerned about sweeping gentrification, saying that revitalization of the area is impossible without changing the root conditions that destroyed it.

“I do find that Chinatown still embodies the Chinese culture so hard, and Chinese people are bold,” says Chu. “We have a loud voice, we take up space. And I think that is really great for me, because I think Vancouver as a whole — I mean, I am from Toronto — but Vancouver can be a bit soft.”

Chu’s parents immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in the early 1970s and she grew up in Toronto before moving to Vancouver in 2009. Though she grew up speaking Cantonese at home, it got a little rusty over the years, and since she moved to Chinatown, she’s welcomed the opportunity to speak with and learn from the older residents.

“Chinatown — a lot of it reminds me of my childhood and how my parents raised me, and what my family is like,” says Chu. “It definitely, over the past year, has really tapped into my childhood quite a bit, because the way that people speak, the way that people act and mannerisms, is very much indicative of how I grew up as a kid. And I don't get that experience here in Vancouver, except for in Chinatown. It’s really nice.”

There’s no doubt the area is changing, but Chu also wants to preserve what she has come to love about her neighbourhood, which is that it is a network of resilient small businesses that support one another.

“There's no big conglomerate, corporate store in Chinatown. It's all businesses that are run by regular people, and more often than not, the owner is the one that's working in the store,” she says. “It's very rare that the owner isn’t around, which is why everyone knows each other.”

In addition to the seniors classes, Chu Chu Chinatown also offers ongoing art lessons, including a pottery wheel class that starts on May 13, and a one-day fluid pour painting workshop that takes place March 21.