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Chinatown History

Time is like tea. It is fluid and dynamic.
It is also something that is best when shared with others. 

Each part, from the teapot, the cups, and even the tray, are important pieces of Chinatown’s story connected through the flowing tea.

Like each small cup of tea, this is only a taste of Chinatown’s dynamic history. We hope that you continue exploring and sharing Chinatown’s stories with others. Preferably over a cup of tea. 

Chinatown History

An Interactive Visualization

Vancouver’s Chinatown was shaped--and continues to be shaped--by community connections.

Chinatown has always been a place for different voices to express their diverse backgrounds, identities, and resilience against discrimination.

To begin exploring, hover your mouse over the different parts of our tea set. Click on different pieces, including the parts of the teapot and its surroundings, to enjoy the dynamic story of Chinatown. 

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Family and Community Networks

Family and community connections influenced why many migrants came to Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Where did people go, and why?

People travelled where their friends and families were. Once one person came to Chinatown, it was easier for others to follow.

Who are networks made up of?

Networks are not just about blood-relations. Friends and helpful community members could be ‘adopted’ into families.

These diverse family networks evolved into broader community networks.

Wand, C.B. Standard Produce Co. Trucks VPL 58916. 1926. Vancouver, BC.

Family and community connections were--and are--important support systems that helped migrants endure the challenges of living in Canada.

Learn More

Read about Chinese migrant family and community connection in the book Journeys of Hope.

Footnotes

Yu, Henry. Journeys of Hope: Challenging Discrimination and Building on Vancouver Chinatown's Legacies. Vancouver: Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies, 2018.

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Why Vancouver Chinatown?

Early Chinese migrants shared intimate connections, creating tight-knit communities in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Wand, C.B. Chinese students VPL 58910. 1926. Vancouver, B.C.
Thomas, Stuart. Funeral procession for David C. Lew. 1924. Vancouver, B.C.

Where did people come from?

Most early Chinese Canadians originated from the “Four Counties'' regions of Southern China. Each county had a regional dialect: Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochow, and Hakka.

These languages would shape the soundscape of Vancouver’s Chinatown.

The languages of the “Four Counties” were distinct to those specific regions. That meant that information could only be shared between speakers of the same dialect. This contributed to unique migration and language pathways for early Chinese Canadians.

Dialect Sound Clips

Why are connections important?

Connections to hometowns and cultural expression were integral parts of Chinese migration.

These networks extended across the Pacific ocean from Southern China to Vancouver, Canada.

Crookall, James. Parade in Chinatown. 1936. Vancouver, B.C.

Footnotes

Yee, Paul. Saltwater City: An Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006.

Yu, Henry. Journeys of Hope: Challenging Discrimination and Building on Vancouver Chinatown's Legacies. Vancouver: Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies, 2018. 

Yu, Henry, “Unbound Space: Migration, Aspiration, and the Making of Time in the Cantonese Pacific,” Pacific Futures 8, (2019): 178 - 204.

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Society Buildings

Chinatown society buildings represent a place for community connection and cultural expression.

Why were society buildings created?

Chinese migrants created society buildings to feel connected to their hometowns and advocate for themselves against the Canadian government’s discriminatory policies.

Unknown. Chinese Benevolent Association VPL 41625. 1961. Vancouver, B.C. Province Newspaper.

Who is a society made up of?

Members often shared the same last name, meaning they could be related or from the same village.

Unknown. 137-139 East Pender Street. 1985. Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver (B.C) Planning Department.

What are society buildings used for?

Society buildings are important community hubs and are a testament to the strength and resilience of Chinese Canadian communities. They are active spaces that continue to be used today.

Yee, Paul. Chinese Women's Association members at the Chinese Benevolent Association hall. 1939. Vancouver, B.C.

Society buildings are more than just physical structures and spaces. Their meanings and significance are shaped by the people who use them and what they use them for.

Continue exploring the cultural significance of society buildings through architecture and intangible heritage though our Chinatown Heritage Gallery.

Learn More

Read more about the Chinese Exclusion Act and discriminatory policies at The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Discover the Chinese Canadian Museum and the current exhibit, “A Seat at the Table” in partnership with the Museum of Vancouver.

Explore more about Chinatown historic and society buildings through the Chinatown Society Heritage Building Association and read the Historic Study of the Society Buildings in Chinatown.

Footnotes

Yu, Henry. Journeys of Hope: Challenging Discrimination and Building on Vancouver Chinatown's Legacies. Vancouver: Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies, 2018.

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Hong Kong Cafes

How did Hong Kong cafes get to Chinatown?

Hong Kong-style businesses are commonly found in Chinatown today. Many can trace their origins back to migrants from the 1970s and 80s.

Yee, Paul. Hong Kong Café, 100 block East Pender, North side. 1977. Vancouver, B.C.

In the 1970s, Chinatown went through phases of community-driven restructuring. During this time, a new wave of migrants from Hong Kong arrived, carrying ideas that distinguished them from earlier migrants. For example, Hong Kong foods were a dynamic fusion between ‘western’ and Cantonese cuisines.

Yee, Paul. Hong Kong Café on 100 block East Pender Street. 1986. Vancouver, B.C.

Why are these cafes important?

Hong Kong migrants founded many iconic and beloved Chinatown bakery-cafes and restaurants, such as Maxim’s Bakery, Sun Fresh Bakery, and Goldstone Bakery. The legacies of Hong Kong migrants are woven into the fabric of Chinatown through their contributions to Chinatown’s foodscape.

Chinatown is a dynamic space that has been shaped by the lives and experiences of its inhabitants and their legacies of migration.

Learn More

Read more about Chinatown’s diverse connections in “Chinatown Belongs To All Of Us.”

Footnotes

Yee, Paul.  Chinatown: An Illustrated History of the Chinese Communities of Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company Ltd, 2005.

Yee, Paul. Saltwater City: An Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006.

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Global Connections

Chinatown was and continues to be a space for migrant communities from across the globe.

What is the significance of South-East Asian connections in Chinatown?

Chinese diasporic connections that extend across Asia are reflected in Chinatown’s diverse communities. These groups have shaped the social spaces and identities of Chinatown.

Beneath the Surface is a comic that explores how a space is more than it’s physical location because it also tells the stories of the people who live there.

Stories of Global Connections

The stories of local spaces highlight the diverse lives of Vancouver’s migrants. People from different places bring their experiences with them to Vancouver.

Phnom Penh and Newtown Bakery are examples of iconic spaces that are now integral to Chinatown’s food scene.

Spaces such as the Tosi Italian Food Import, Hogan’s Alley, and the former Powell Street are examples of Chinatown’s cross-cultural networks.

Yee, Paul. Phnom Penh Restaurant on 200 block East Georgia Street. 1986. Vancouver, B.C.
Yee, Paul. Phnom Penh Restaurant, 200 block East Georgia Street. 1986. Vancouver, B.C.
Yee, Paul. Japanese Hall entrance. 1977. Vancouver, B.C.

Chinatown continues to be a diverse space for communities from many different cultural backgrounds.

Learn More

Watch "The Story of Phnom Penh" produced by UBC INSTRCC.

Read more about Chinatown’s global connections in this article by CBC News.

Footnotes

Leung, Alyssa, Andrew Young, Crystal Lee, Tate Kihara, and Tommy Chen, “The Story of Phnom Penh,” filmed  August 2010, Vimeo,  https://vimeo.com/13900276.

Yee, Paul. Chinatown: An Illustrated History of the Chinese Communities of Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company Ltd, 2005.

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Irish Waitresses and Activism

In the past and present, Chinatown has been a space for marginalized groups to exercise agency and activism.

Who were these waitresses and why?

in the early 1900s, religious and gendered discrimination created many obstacles for Irish Catholic immigrant women looking for work.

What happened?

In an effort to further exclude Chinese communities, the provincial government banned Chinese restaurants from employing white waitresses.

On September 25, 1937, fifteen Irish waitresses marched to City Hall to protest this unfair and discriminatory ban.

Why is this significant?

Although the ban was not lifted, their march is an example of cross-cultural resistance in Chinatown. This showed that Chinatown cafes could be spaces of resistance and agency for marginalized groups.

Learn More

Read more about the waitress march in Roseanne Sia’s article, “Making and Defending Intimate Spaces: White Waitresses Policed in Vancouver’s Chinatown Cafes

Footnotes

Sia, Roseanne Amosovs. “Making and Defending Intimate Spaces: White Waitresses Policed in Vancouver’s Chinatown Cafes” (Masters diss., University of British Columbia, 2010), ii-48.  

Vancouver City Council, Historical Discrimination against Chinese People in Vancouver, Mary Clare Zak. 010635, Ottawa, ON: General Manager of Community Services, 2017. https://council.vancouver.ca/20171031/documents/rr1.pdf (accessed July 13, 2021).

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Hogan’s Alley

Chinatown is an important space for activism for many different community voices, such as Hogan’s Alley.

What is Hogan’s Alley?

Hogan’s Alley was home to many immigrant communities, but known mostly for Vancouver’s Black population. While “Hogan’s Alley” was not an official name, it was a popular term for the area which ran from Union and Prior Street to Main Street and Jackson Avenue, and included the nearby residences and businesses at the southwestern edge of Strathcona.

Unknown. Aspect looking east along Prior Street with subject property [Iberica Garage and Northland Cafe 219 - 221 Prior Street] on left side. 1969. Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver (B.C) Properties Division.
Unknown. 224 Union Street (front). 1968. Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver (B.C) Properties Division.

Why is Hogan’s Alley Important?

During its time, Hogan’s Alley encompassed many diverse and shifting populations. For example, it was the original home to Vancouver’s Italian community as well as being near the southern edge of Chinatown. It was also known for “chicken house” restaurants, which often doubled as speakeasies, such as Vie's Chicken and Steaks.

What Happened to Hogan’s Alley?

In 1967, the City of Vancouver began leveling the western half of Hogan’s Alley for freeway and viaduct construction which displaced the vibrant communities that called Hogan’s Alley home.

Unknown. Framework of Steel Girders Supporting New Georgia Viaduct. 1970. Vancouver Express.

Since then, no specifically Black neighbourhood has existed in Vancouver. However, organizations such as the British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and festivals such as Caribbean Days and Black History Month are still held to bring community members together.

Today, the Hogan’s Alley Society aims to platform the Black histories in Vancouver through community engaged activism and research.

Chinatown and its surrounding neighborhoods such as Hogan’s Alley have been--and continue to be--a space for community strength and resilience for many different people. It’s community boundaries are fluid, and the voices it houses are dynamic and diverse.

Learn More

Watch a short documentary about Hogan’s Alley called “Secret Vancouver: Return to Hogan’s Alley.”

Watch a video about Hogan’s Alley murals celebrating Black history in Vancouver by CBC.

Read more about Hogan’s alley in the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Footnotes

“About Hogan’s Alley,” Hogan’s Alley Society, accessed August 15, 2021, https://www.hogansalleysociety.org/. 

The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Hogan’s Alley,” by Wayde Compton, accessed August 20, 2021.

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City of Vancouver's Apology

In 2018, the City of Vancouver acknowledged the courage and agency of Chinese Canadians by issuing a formal apology for historic racism.

What led up to the apology?

In the decades leading up to the apology, Chinese Canadian activists were strong and vocal, advocating for redress and reconciliation from the Canadian government.

How was the apology addressed?

On April 22, 2018, the city of Vancouver held a special council meeting where the government apologized for their historic racism towards Chinese Canadian communities. Injustices were formally acknowledged, and the City also pledged itself to strengthen its connection to Chinese Canadian communities through legacy actions.

Community activism and advocacy was recognized by the government, contributing to initiatives such as the Legacy Stewardship Group and the Chinatown Transformation Team.

What does an apology mean?

The apology garnered mixed reactions, raising questions like, what does an apology truly represent?

When an apology is given, what does that mean for past injustices?

Is it a closure of the past, or an action towards the future?

Unknown. Shanghai Alley after Chinatown 1907 Riots, Vancouver, B.C. 1907. Vancouver, BC. P. Chung Photographs. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0219602.

Why is the apology significant?

By admitting to racist actions of the past, the apology formally recognized the strength and resilience of Vancouver’s Chinese Canadian communities, and the value of Chinatown.

Chu, Jim Wong. BBQ Protests. 1970. 

Learn More

Read the City of Vancouver’s apology to the Chinese Canadian community.

Learn more about the Legacy Stewardship Group and the Chinatown Transformation Team.

Explore some stories of Chinese Canadian activism in these articles:

Footnotes

Yu, Henry.  “Cantonese Migrant Networks, White Supremacy, and the Political Utility of Apologies in Canada,” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Special Issue, 2021): 1-26. 

Yu, Henry. Journeys of Hope: Challenging Discrimination and Building on Vancouver Chinatown's Legacies. Vancouver: Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies, 2018. 

Vancouver City Council, City of Vancouver’s Official Apology to the Chinese Community: Recognizing Historical Discrimination Against Chinese People in Vancouver, Gregor Robertson. Vancouver, BC, 2018. https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/18-112-06%20chinese-apology-media-english.pdf (accessed July 13, 2021).

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Interactive Tea Set - the History of Chinatown

Project Reflection

作品介紹

Emma and Shirley

Working on the historical section of Chinatown Reimagined has given us a challenging, yet rewarding, opportunity to critically explore the complex and dynamic identity of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Going into the project, we wanted to use an intersectional activist lens to highlight and explore the histories of underrepresented peoples and communities. We also wanted to make the history feel accessible and framed in a way that connects people with the past while also contextualizing the present. The project has encouraged us to examine the nuanced pathways in which migration and placemaking have shaped Chinatown as a tangible and intangible space. It has also been incredibly rewarding to be able to apply our passions and interests in a way that can uplift previously excluded narratives to help foster a greater sense of community identity, solidarity, and compassion. Together, we challenged ourselves to think beyond conventional historical narratives to bring a new perspective to Chinatown’s history. Ultimately, our goal is to show how Chinatown was shaped--and continues to be shaped--by community connections. We believe that Chinatown has always been a place for different voices to express their diverse backgrounds, identities, and resilience against discrimination.