People look at the newly painted ground mural in Doyers Street in Manhattan's Chinatown, New York City, July 20, 2018. Doyers Street, a 200-foot-long street in the heart of Chinatown, is being covered with a vibrant mural by artist Chen Dongfan titled "The Song of Dragons and Flowers." (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
NEW YORK, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A large-scale public art project is attracting more visitors to one of the oldest streets in Manhattan's Chinatown in New York City.
The Song of Dragon and Flowers, opened to public over the weekend, is a large-scale public art project created by Chinese artist Chen Dongfan on the 200-foot-long (61 meters) Doyers street in the heart of Chinatown in Lower Manhattan from July 13 to 20.
The asphalt mural directly painted on the 4800 square foot (about 450 square meters) Doyers Street was done with the assistance from the New York City Department of Transportation's Art Program and Public Space Unit, Chinatown Partnership, Fou Gallery, and ArtBridge.
The artist chooses to capture the soul and spirit of the dragon, as a visual embodiment of the area and the lasting Chinese cultural heritage. The flowers are a symbol of peace in response to the rich history of Chinatown. Together they compose a song with exuberant and dynamic rhythm.
The project is part of New York City Department of Transportation's Seasonal Streets program. Seasonal Streets temporarily transform streets into vibrant public space during warm weather when people use them the most.Doyers Street was infamously known as the "Bloody Angle" in the early 20th century.