Smiling panda, weeping dragon: China's Banksy brings life to city sprawl

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/25/chinas-banksy-brings-life-to-city-sprawl-qi-xinghua

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Armed with a bag of spray paint, a gas mask and a box of chalk, Qi Xinghua has embarked on a one-man mission to beautify urban China.

Since April this year the 34-year-old artist has been roaming cities across the country, including his home in Beijing, searching out derelict buildings or rubbble-strewn construction sites that are in need of a makeover.

“I want to add some fun to our lives,” says Qi, who has been chronicling his quest on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, where he has nearly 200,000 followers.

Born in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, Qi started painting when he was four and went on to study at the prestigious central academy of fine arts in Beijing.

He found fame as China’s number one 3-D painter and has broken four Guinness World records for his breathtaking “anamorphic” artwork.

Qi cites China’s 20th century master Qi Baishi and the Renaissance painter Michelangelo among his influences, as well as Kurt Wenner, a 3-D pavement artist from the United States.

But more recently he has looked to the work of British street artist Banksy for inspiration as he seeks to spruce up China’s glum urban centres.

Qi’s first piece of street art – thrown up on a crumbling wall in north-eastern Beijing in April this year – is a whimsical Banky-esque portrait of two smiling pandas, one of whom clutches a rainbow-coloured lollipop.

“I used to pass through that area all the time,” the Chinese artist says. “I felt it was just too ugly. I wanted to paint something funny on it, to play around a bit ... I wanted to bring some fun and vitality to that area.”

A few months later Qi took his campaign to a demolition site in Shanghai’s Yangpu district, daubing a weeping dragon onto the side of a semi-destroyed home.

Elsewhere, in cities including Nanjing and Xiamen, he has painted whales, lions, crocodiles and mermaids, in a bid to breathe new life into dreary pollution-stained walls.

Qi said he hoped his artwork would bring some joy to the drab monotony of urban China where decades of economic growth and urbanisation have seen traditional hutong communities, such as the one where he grew up, bulldozed and replaced with identikit tower blocks.

“China is undergoing a period of rapid development. This high-speed development is constantly accompanied by demolition and construction,” the artist says. “Sometimes it brings a sense of fragmentation. In the same area, you’ll see high-rise blocks on one side and one storey homes on the other side... you might see a lively residential area over here, but reinforced concrete buildings over there. It leaves you with a sense of separation.”

Chinese authorities have not always taken kindly to Qi’s attempts at urban acupuncture.

Graffiti is not illegal in China and police have largely left Qi unmolested during his painting missions. But the artist accused jobsworth officials of destroying three of his recent projects.

“They don’t care whether it is good. They smash your paintings just so they don’t get into trouble. It makes me very angry,” he complained.

Qi said he would not be deterred.

The artist said he was tired of seeing those in the art industry speaking out against the ills of society but then taking no practical steps to improve the world around them.

“Nobody is listening to your appeals,” he said, addressing his fellow artists. “You’re better off taking action instead of making these appeals. As an artist it’s much better to produce a meaningful work of art than to say anything.”