A tourist from China recently stirred anger online after she recorded herself painting a panda onto the famed “Girl on Scooter” mural at Penang’s Chew Jetty, where many accused her of showing disrespect.
Following the public outrage, the creator of the mural has since stepped forth to provide further details of the incident, adding that it was all a misunderstanding.
Was invited by mural creator
Speaking to Sin Chew Daily, the mural’s original artist Zhou Huaxing (transliteration) said he personally invited the tourist, Shen Shishi, to come paint the panda on the mural itself.
I came across Shen’s artwork on Xiaohongshu and found it creative, so I invited her to add a touch of her style to the mural.
“I’m actually a car dealer, but I’ve always had a passion for art and even told Shen that she should specialise in painting pandas to build her reputation,” he explained.
Zhou added that before Shen returned to Chongqing, he had dinner and shared artistic ideas with her.
Asked public to stop bashing tourist
Zhou’s sister also gave her side of the story, where she revealed she wasn’t aware of the arrangement her brother had with Shen.
“A neighbour informed me that someone was painting on the wall and I immediately called by brother. But he told me to let Shen continue.
“We eventually settled the incident peacefully and Shen gave both my brother and I a panda fridge magnet as a souvenir,” she added.
When asked about the outrage the clip had caused, Zhou admitted that he didn’t expect it would stir controversy.
He also called upon netizens to stop criticising Shen, adding it was a misunderstanding and that her “addition” to the mural had actually attracted more visitors.
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