Created during the NY20⁺ residency, “Panda City – Chengdu” weaves together three powerful symbols of Sichuan culture: the panda, the hibiscus, and the city itself. At the center, a giant panda reclines gently on a bed of luminous hibiscus petals—a flower long associated with Chengdu’s identity and often referred to in local lore as the city’s emblem of beauty, vitality, and renewal. The panda, equally iconic, stands as Chengdu’s most cherished cultural ambassador, embodying gentleness, protection, and the deep ecological heritage of Sichuan.
Behind the resting figure, a stylized city map unfurls in geometric lines of blue, green, and orange. This abstract cartography evokes Chengdu’s urban rhythm—its expanding districts, flowing traffic grids, and the dynamic pulse of a modern metropolis. The contrast between the soft organic petals and the structured map creates a visual dialogue between nature and city, suggesting how Chengdu’s identity is shaped by both its ancient ecological guardians and its contemporary urban evolution.
In “Panda City – Chengdu,” the panda becomes a mythic storyteller, lying at the intersection of legend and landscape. The composition reflects the enduring narrative that the city and the panda are inseparable—each shaping the other’s cultural memory. Through gentle posture, symbolic color, and layered spatial design, the painting celebrates Chengdu as a place where nature, myth, and modernity coexist in harmonious tension.
