Chinatown native and local artist Frank Wong's dioramas are 1:1 (1 inch to 1 foot) in scale, made from various mix-media (wood, plastic, cloth, paper), and some are electrically wired. On permanent display at the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco, the seven miniature dioramas are:
Herb Store, Shoe Shine Stand, The Dining Room, The Living Room, Single Room Occupancy, The Laundry, and Grandmother's Kitchen.
After a successful career as a prop master in mid-20th century Hollywood, Wong built the dioramas over the past four decades in part to preserve his memories of the rapidly changing neighborhood and its importance to other Chinese Americans. "All my miniatures are composites," he explains. "It’s half wishing, half memory."
