Cyrildene used to be a predominantly Jewish suburb but has since become Chinatown where you will find Chinese South Africans most of whim speak Cantonese, English and Hakka. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

Many Chinese people often use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” (龍的傳人 or 龙的传人, lóng de chuán rén) as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

Now, Cyrildene houses a lot of newcomers who are in gold-rush mode and don’t have roots in SA. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

New Chinatown. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

When China met South Africa. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

Dion Chang. Photo: Provided

art on paper Photo: provided

44 Stanley. Photo: Provided

Photo: Provided

Art galleries. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

Dragon statue in Commissioner Street. Photo: Thuletho Zwane

Photo: Leigh-Ann Carey

Nothing good came out of today’s meetings. I am starting to think this project wasn’t well thought out. Is it not possible to write about the Johannesburg Chinese community without concrete information from them? I mean, why not, the West has been writing about Africa without bothering to ask for the African opinion.

My feature article was meant to look at the consumption of art by the Johannesburg Chinese community. All the interviews I had with members of the Chinese community said pretty much the same thing: we don’t do art.

For inspiration, my colleagues and I drove to Cyrildene, the new Chinatown in Johannesburg. The place where the project started.

Then I got the fabulous idea to door-step Dion Chang, a Chinese South African trend analyst, design consultant and journalist and Wilhelm, owner of art gallery on 44 Stanley called Art on Paper. Having stalked these two individuals, Fred (my mentor), suggested I change my incredibly boring feature article from Consumption of art by the Chinese community in Johannesburg to A quest to find a Chinese South African visual artist.