The urban aesthetics of graffiti murals: reproducing wall space in China's urban renewal.

This article examines the evolving concept and aesthetic reception of "graffiti murals" in the context of urban renewal in Guangzhou, China, where the term "graffiti" has shifted from its traditional Western association with unauthorized street art to denote officially sanctioned mural artworks. Using visual research methods—including photo evaluations and eye-tracking experiments—on images sourced from the social media platform Xiaohongshu, the study explores public aesthetic attitudes toward these murals across different urban renewal zones: old towns, old factories, and old villages. Findings indicate that murals incorporating local historical and cultural elements, particularly in old town and factory areas, elicit more positive cognitive and emotional responses than those in old village areas, with embodied, on-site experiences further enhancing aesthetic appreciation. The article highlights that Chinese graffiti murals function within a top-down framework involving government and commercial interests, emphasizing aesthetic coherence, environmental integration, and interactive public engagement, which distinguishes them from traditional, politically charged graffiti and suggests new directions for balancing artistic creation and urban cultural identity in renewal strategies.