Seven murals celebrating the Thai and Chiu Chow heritage of Kowloon City in Hong Kong will be installed in the district, known for its ethnic Thai population and traditional stores. This initiative is part of a public scheme aimed at encouraging building renovations in the area.
The first on Jenford Building has been completed on South Wall Road in the heart of the city’s “Little Thailand”, featuring a purple cartoon elephant dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt, grinning with its trunk lifted as if greeting passers-by.
Against a vibrant yellow background, smiley emojis amplify its joy while pink lotuses float above the monochrome street below.
“I’m happy with the mural. It looks so lively and energetic, the colours look great,” Wong Siu-yung, chairwoman of the Jenford Building incorporated owners’ committee, said.
Jenford Building is one of the blocks under the Urban Renewal Authority’s district-based building rehabilitation pilot scheme. Under the scheme, the authority subsidises renovation works and pays for beautification works on the exterior.
Wong said she wanted the Jenford mural’s theme to centre on Thai culture, as the building was surrounded by Thai restaurants and grocery stores along South Wall Road. Her only request was for the artists not to depict ferocious beasts, such as tigers, on the mural.
“This whole street is lined with Thai shops. It’s been harmonious,” Wong said.
The 80-year-old flat owner has lived in Kowloon City for more than 70 years. She grew up in the district before leaving to get married, then returned to buy a flat when her children had grown up.
After the building was selected for the scheme, the authority invited a team of artists from Thailand to paint the mural.
Lead artist Jahdub, whose visit to Hong Kong in March to create the mural was his first, said he intended to present Thai values of kindness and joy to Hongkongers through a modern style.
“We Thais like to smile and greet others, we’re very friendly. The mural’s theme is easy to understand,” Jahdub said.
Traditional Thai cultural symbols – the elephant and lotuses – were chosen as motifs to convey the community’s hospitality.
Mauy, an artist in Jahdub’s team, said that purple and yellow were chosen not only as complementary hues, but also because of an artistic association with the Thai national flag.
“The Thai national flag is composed of red, deep blue and white. If we mix the colours together, we get purple,” Mauy said.
While his team had completed the mural in just seven days, Jahdub said the project was “more challenging than usual” as Jenford Building was encased in bamboo scaffolding and netting for renovations.
The three artists could only work within the narrow spaces between the wall and the scaffolding, and could not view the entire work from a wider perspective during the process.
“We would walk up to the rooftop of the building and from there, we would lower ourselves down,” Jahdub chuckled.
While he did not find the process “scary”, the work was strenuous, with the artists climbing up and down the gaps to finish the mural through a partially blocked view.
During their brief stay, the three artists also interacted with Kowloon City residents, whose friendly faces reminded them of their homes in Thailand.
“It’s like a second home,” Jahdub said.
