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Squatters

Yip Yan–chuen (Ye Yinquan, 1903–1969)ca. 1950s–1960s

Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong

In the late 1940s to the early 1950s, a large number of refugees fled to Hong Kong. They were poor, and temporarily stayed in squatters. Those residents were about a quarter of the population at that time. In 1950s, some tenement buildings were forced to be rebuilt so that numerous residents also moved to the squatter area.

In Squatters, the Lion Rock stands tall in the background, while wooden huts, yards, and factories huddle under the valley. Ramshackle huts in Kowloon City are represented with mere black and white, while bald, grassy slopes and soil are depicted in bright green and red respectively. In this small world of monotonous colours, people lead peaceful lives walking their dogs, raising children, and chatting with their neighbours.

Details

  • Title: Squatters
  • Creator: Yip Yan–chuen (Ye Yinquan, 1903–1969)
  • Date Created: ca. 1950s–1960s
  • Physical Dimensions: 37.6 cm × 28.8 cm
  • Provenance: Gift of the Yip Family
  • Type: Painting; Vertical scroll, Hong Kong Landscapes
  • Rights: Collection of Art Museum, CUHK
  • Medium: Watercolour on paper
  • Accession number: 2008.0375

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