限华 / Chinese Only
Paul Wong, 2018
48″ x 26″ x 3.5”
neon, glass and steel with dimmer.
This is a unique series designed for interior display and fitted for easy wall mounting. It is available in pink, yellow, red, and white, mounted on black plexiglass. All electronic components are hidden inside the plexiglass box, and is CSA certified.
In simplified Chinese Characters, 限华 / Chinese Only is a neon artwork in Chinese characters. 限 translates to “limit”, and 华 translates to Chinese. 限华 / Chinese Only takes the form of a ‘sign’ where it references a time when local white-only establishments blatantly refused and restricted Chinese people.
The sign, however, can also be interpreted as “Chinese Exclusion” as, the characters 限 and 华 are often used to describe the country’s historical exclusion of Chinese people.
