SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- San Francisco's Chinatown business community is launching an interactive art project they hope will lure visitors back to the struggling commercial district.

"We've been through all these ups and downs. We're going to get through this -- no matter what," said Chinatown Merchants Association President Eva Lee.

Chinatown has struggled to escape the long, long shadow of the pandemic. Business owners say the neighborhood was just beginning to recover this winter when the omicron outbreak once again triggered a de facto shutdown.

"When omicron was announced, it was like we were back to March 2020," Lee said. "It looked like a ghost town."

The business community has installed an interactive art project throughout Chinatown, including eight art panels -- mini murals highlighting different businesses.

"I love to have the artwork here because it represents Golden Gate Fortune Cookies. There's a QR code on it and you can travel to different attractions around Chinatown," says Kevin Chan, owner of Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.

For tourists, the art panels are part scavenger hunt. For business owners, they're part economic salvage mission in this the Lunar New Year of the Tiger

"The tiger is fearless, courageous. They're passionate. They know what they want. And we're ready to address any barriers that come before us," said Chinatown Community Activist Rose Chung.