Open Letter from the Chinatown Memorial Monument Sculptor, Arthur Shu Ren Cheng, against 105 Keefer
Your Worship Mayor Ken Sim, Vancouver City Councillors, and Development Permit Board members,
I am Cheng Shu Ren, 82 years old senior citizen and the Chinatown Memorial Monument sculptor. This letter expresses my severe concern and objection to the building application at 105 Keefer St., on the north side of the Monument.
Allow me to emphasize the significance of this public art to the City of Vancouver and multiculturalism in Canada. Back in 2000, to support the revitalization of Chinatown, the City of Vancouver funded a national-wide project selection event; the panel successfully selected the current monument design from the 96 designers. This extraordinary project was finally completed in 2003 with the collaboration from the City of Vancouver and communities.
The panel asked me then how I came up with the design. I answered, "this is a great historical and cultural space design in consideration of Chinatown Plaza, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and the Chinese Cultural Center and Museum, and the direction facing Main Street. The figures on the monument are the Chinese Canadian railway workers who contributed to building Canada, and on the other side are the Chinese Canadian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving Canada. The vivid figures on the bronze sculpture represent the Chinese Canadian ascendants stand fast and steady on Canadian soil and continue their legacies to protect and build Canada, affirming Chinese ancestors' contribution to Canadian history! The status carries significance in recognizing the Chinese Canadian's extraordinary contribution to Canada."
Now a serious issue arises. Many people have not realized the proposed design and tall buildings have catastrophic consequences on the cultural and historical site. The nine-storey high-rise building is way too close to the monument like two-meter basketball players standing next to a basketball. The significant height variation and modern exterior design of the proposed building cause the awkwardness of the scene, which is a sense of disgrace to the monument. Therefore, the critical issue in this development is for the community to consider creating an environment that fits into Chinatown's historical and cultural features.
According to the architectural environmental design concept, all buildings should keep distance from any monument. For example, the Queen Victoria statue and the War Memorial to the Unknown Soldier, installed outside the B.C. Provincial Legislation Parliament Buildings. In addition, Vancouver Victory Square seated on a small triangle of land where a noble granite cenotaph stands as a memorial to Vancouverites who lost their lives in the First World War. Therefore, ample space should be kept from the center of the Chinatown Memorial Monument. The minimum requirement is that the new north building should be set back more than 10 meters, and the height should not exceed the fifth floor. The new design should reflect the architectural concept of coordinating with the Chinese Cultural Center Museum and Chinatown Plaza.
To facilitate communities' understanding of the vital issue of this discussion and the consequences, I drew the blueprint drafts to show the potential effect if the current building design materialized in the future. Please see the pictures below for details.
If the current design carries on, it will compromise the years of hard work and collaborative effort to build and preserve culture and historic Chinatown.
Because Chinatown Memorial Square is a cultural and historic hub to serve multicultural community celebrations and memorial events, a place of glory, a landmark in Vancouver, and a tourist must-see place. Once the atmosphere is gone after the building's completion, Vancouver and Chinatown will forever lose this important multicultural function. In my humble opinion, if the outstanding architects in Vancouver (such as the architect Mr. Joe Y. Wai) were still here today, they would have given the same recommendations.
I highly recommend the city host a design competition to select the best project design to meet Chinatown's community and cultural needs. The City of Vancouver should seriously consider objection to this development application due to its catastrophic and long lasting impact to the Chinatown and Vancouver.
Sincerely,
Arthur Shu Ren Cheng
2023, May 24