Mural outrage: vandalism in Vancouver's Chinatown

When Cheng Shu Ren came to Vancouver from Shanghai 25 years ago, he wanted to learn about the history of the Chinese in Canada.

Two decades - and a lot of history - later (the Chinese have been in Canada since migrant workers helped to build the Canadian Pacific Railway line, in the 19th century), Cheng completed three murals charting the early history of Chinatown.

The first, 1884: Wah Chong Laundry, is a reproduction of a photograph taken just before a head tax of US$50 was imposed on Chinese arrivals in Canada, to deter immigration. The second is called 1905: Man in a Suit, and the third, 1936: Seated Men on Corner, shows smartly dressed Chinese men outside the Sam Kee building, which still stands.

Cheng says the murals represent times in Vancouver when the Chinese were under intense pressure from the government, and should serve as a reminder of how far society has come.

"Yes, there was racism in the past and it still exists to this day. But I believe we have all changed and it's not as bad as it was," Cheng says.

However, socioeconomic tensions, it seems, have returned to haunt the area.

Since being completed in 2010, the murals have been defaced a number of times. But this month saw the worst vandalism yet, with the 1905 piece being covered with scribbles.