Pop-Ups & Partnerships
Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and wisdom from Chinatown’s most stylish seniors (FALL 2020)
Check out the chapter on Vancouver Chinatown: Hot and noisy. Local book sales in partnership with Massy Books. Authors book talk with Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, Massy Art Society, Raincoast Books. chinatownpretty.com
Chinatown Supper Club (May to Aug 2020)
Supporting Chinatown and area Black restaurants through weekly take-out and free delivery by volunteers. $10,000 worth of orders and tips over 4 months that the businesses keep. Gain Wah, Wara Thai, Chinatown BBQ, Juke, Fat Mao, The Boss, Congee Noodle Delight, Calabash Bistro, Kam Wai Dim Sum, Axum Ethiopian, Phnom Penh, Maxim’s, Manpuku, DD Mau.
Pride in Chinatown (July 2020)
Grand floral installation on the Chinatown Millenium Gate as part of Pride in Chinatown 2020.
In partnership with Anonymous Artist and Flower Factory
life between umbrellas (JUNE 2019)
Jury Member of design ideas competition of VPSN Vancouver Public Space Network and VIVA Vancouver for rain-friendly public spaces. www.lifebetweenumbrellas.ca
chinatown through a wide lens: the hidden photographs of yucho chow (MAY 2019)
Exhibition on Vancouver Chinatown’s first and most prolific photographer who captured the history and diversity of the neighbourhood and city from 1906-1949 at Yucho Chow Studio. www.yuchochow.ca
CROSS CULTURAL STRATHCONA WALKING TOUR (MAY 2019)
Walking tour program celebrating the rich layered history of Vancouver’s downtown eastside neighbourhoods and the contributions of early immigrant communities then and now. With seventeen unique community groups representing Hogan’s Alley, Jewish Strathcona, Japantown (Powell Street) and Chinatown.
11TH ANNUAL SCARP SYMPOSIUM (MARCH 1 2019)
RE/PRESENT: SHARING STORIES & SPACES THROUGH PLANNING
Panelist | Who is public space for? Unsettling uncomfortable conceptions of who can participate in public space
HEART OF THE CITY FESTIVAL
vancouver soundwalk collective
our chinatown soundscape - Nov 3, 2018
A soundwalk of Chinatown in unique experience of the area’s rich cultural character and the underlying rhythms of its daily rituals and social practices, some of which are disappearing from the neighbourhood’s iconic soundscape. Developed with Vancouver Soundwalk Collective member, Jorma Kujala, and piloted at Heart of the City festival.
Preview via CBC Early Edition (starts at 1:50:25)
SHAPE THE COURTYARD - AUG 23/24, 2018
A place making event with a goal to promote innovative concepts, encourage cross-cultural learning, and (re)introduce people to the courtyard and its role in Chinatown.
Stations:
- Experiences of a Courtyard (community engagement)
- Jianzi Jam with frida&frank
CHINATOWN SUMMER EVENTS (summer 2018)
in chinatown
Telus STORYHIVE docu-series of the enduring stories of the people and places of Vancouver Chinatown. Directed by Stephanie Chong and Bryce Quan.
Ep1 - Fook 福 - Luck, Health & Happiness
Feat. Shawn Zhang, 許太 (Hui tai)/ Mrs. Hui
Ep2 - Luk 祿 - Success & Stability
Feat. Keller and Kar Hing Ng, Douglas Chang
Ep3 - Sau 壽 - Longevity
Feat. Grace Kwan, Doris Chow
Cantonese Worlds 2 Workshop 第二屆唐人世界工作坊 - June 22, 2018
Presentation on Local-born Chinese and Vancouver’s Chinatown in Cantonese Identities forum moderated by Henry Yu.
Chinese seniors health fair - Jan 23, 2018
Information for seniors from service providers and health professionals, delivered alongside bingo, performances, lunch and activities!
In Case of Emergency (ICE) cards (and filling them in!) provided by Youth Collaborative for Chinatown
Organized+Hosted with Youth for Chinese Seniors
LEGACY BUSINESS STUDY - fall 2017
city of vancouver
Member of research consultant team under LOCO BC (and with Heritage Vancouver Society and MODUS) for Chinatown legacy business study of the City of Vancouver, with relevance across Vancouver neighbourhoods.
TELUS STORYHIVE
FORCE 136 COMMUNITY SCREENING
NOV 11, 2017
In 1944, approx. 150 Chinese Canadians were recruited and dropped behind Japanese enemy lines. We meet the surviving soldiers to hear how they fought for our country even while they were denied the full rights of Canadian citizens.
Chinatown community screening with the film's four Veterans and filmmaker Melinda Friedman. MC'd by Catherine Clement, director and curator, Chinese Canadian Military Museum.
[Watch the film on YouTube]
paint it red - canadian doc spot
vancouver asian film festival
nov 2-5, 2017
(Documentary Feature, Drama Short, 120 min)
Director Eva Cohen shines a (spot)light on one of the many issues in the continually contentious development and preservation efforts surrounding Vancouver’s historic Chinatown. A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.
THE WAY CHINATOWN HISTORY IS BEING SHARED
heart of the city festival
Oct 25 - Nov 5, 2017
A conversation on some of the varied and creative ways individuals in the Chinatown community are sharing its history.
Panel: John Atkin, Doris Chow, Catherine Clement, Kevin Huang, Melody Ma, Robert Sung (emcee).
Vancouver Chinatown Under Threat: Observations on Heritage from a New Generation
national trust conference, ottawa ON
Oct 11-14, 2017
Hear about important heritage issues raised through the lengthy and high-profile public hearing and ultimate rejection of the contentious 105 Keefer rezoning development application located in the heart of Vancouver's Chinatown.
Presentation: Doris Chow and Bill Yuen, Heritage Vancouver Society
viva vancouver - viva refresh grant
summer 2017
Public space activations of Keefer and Columbia via two pop-up community street closures. People were invited to enjoy and help reimagine public space in the area through a community-led design process conducted by young graduates of UBC SCARP.
LEARN MORE through the project report
Hot+Noisy | Reimagining Public Space in Vancouver's Chinatown
VIEW the resulting urban design booklet
Experiences of Chinatown [web version] [print version]
chinatown history windows
spring 2017
22 historic images and stories of Chinatown installed in storefront windows throughout the neighbourhood.
A Canada 150 project funded through the City of Vancouver's Great Beginnings program. With support from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum.
Project Coordination: June Chow
The Debate About Chinatown:
Unique character and new life? - mar 16, 2017
city conversations, SFU
Is there a way to revitalize Chinatown and keep its special charm?
Presenters: Doris Chow, Bruce Haden
MAHJONG CLUB - 2017 expansion
UBC LEARNING EXCHANGE
Chinese-speaking club members practice their English through teaching the game to others. The club was developed by Sam Truong as part of her co-op term.
Iris Mei poster
Chinese seniors health fair - Jan 20, 2017
Connecting over 200 Chinese seniors with 20+ healthcare providers and their services from across Vancouver, while offering merriment and celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Organized+Hosted with Youth for Chinese Seniors Project.
CHINATOWN COMMUNITY REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE
Remembrance Day on November 11th commemorates Canada’s wartime sacrifices since WWI, including WWII, the Korean War, peacekeeping duties, and conflict in Afghanistan. A Vancouver Chinatown community service of remembrance is held at the Monument to Chinese Canadians located in the Chinatown Memorial Square in the Keefer Triangle (at Keefer and Columbia Streets). The service commemorates the struggles and sacrifices of the early Chinese pioneers and railway workers, along with those of Chinese Canadian military veterans.
Organized+Hosted with: Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society, Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA), Chinese Cultural Centre (CCC), S.U.C.C.E.S.S., Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association (VCMA).
all our father's relations - world premiere
Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Nov 3-6, 2016
The festival's Canadian Curated Feature and the world premiere of made-in-BC film, ALL OUR FATHER’S RELATIONS, records the interconnected histories of Chinese Canadians and First Nations along the Fraser River in British Columbia, which date as far back as the 19th century. The film tells the story of the Grant siblings who journey from Vancouver to China in an attempt to rediscover their father’s roots and better understand his fractured relationship with their Musqueam mother.
Community Partner for All Our Father's Relations (祖根父脈) screening
cultural landscapes: understanding and managing change
national trust conference, hamilton ONtario
oct 20-22, 2016
Vancouver Chinatown on the National Trust for Canada's 2016 Top 10 Endangered Places List
Those working to conserve cultural landscapes face the increasingly challenging questions of how to retain their authentic resources and how to balance the tangible and intangible dimensions of these complex places. Moderator, Dr. Nancy Pollock-Ellwand (Dean and Professor, Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary), will reflect on the latest thinking around cultural landscapes, drawing on her international involvements. The session will then focus on three case studies – Lunenburg (Nova Scotia), Royal Botanical Gardens (Burlington ON), and Vancouver Chinatown – that reflect these broader, systemic challenges.
Presentation: June Chow and Bill Yuen, Heritage Vancouver Society
KING OF THE YEES:
Why does Vancouver still need a Chinatown? - oct 16, 2016
gateway theatre, richmond bc
Panel discussion on what the future holds for Vancouver Chinatown, accompanying the Canadian premiere of Lauren Yee's new play set in San Francisco's Chinatown that is “an epic joyride across a cultural and generational divide, grounded by a powerful story about the relationship between fathers and daughters."
Panelists: Doris Chow, Bob Sung, Hayne Wai. Moderator: Frances Bula.
shaping vancouver 2016:
what is the vision for chinatown? - oct 5, 2016
heritage vancouver society
Chinatown #3 on Heritage Vancouver's 2016 Top10 Watch List
Panel discussion on the increasing demand for community heritage values in Chinatown to be recognized and protected in the midst of intensifying development. Exploration of the nature of those community values and how they may be defined. What exactly is the vision for today’s Chinatown and how can it be achieved?
Panelists: Doris Chow, Chanel Ly, Carol Lee, Henry Yu, Greg Borowski. Moderator: Bill Yuen.
MID-AUTUMN MOON FESTIVAL
sept 16, 2016
DR. SUN YAT-SEN classical CHINESE GARDEN
Moonlight Mahjong in the courtyard of the Hall of One Hundred Rivers, for the second year in a row
a grandma's eye view of vancouver's chinatown
pro walk | pro bike | pro place conference, vancouver bc - sept 12-15, 2016
An interactive, community-based workshop that explores how Chinatown works from a “grandma’s eye view”. It addresses the need to plan spaces for seniors in an accessible, inclusive and culturally appropriate manner, lessons planners can apply to their Chinatowns. Like Chinatowns across North America, pressures from development and gentrification threaten the historical, cultural, and affordable spaces for residents who have been rooted in the community for generations.
Workshop Development+Execution: Aaron Lao, Eliana Chia, Sophie Fung, Ignatius But. Workshop Initiation+Support: Kathryn Lennon, Doris Chow, June Chow. Additional Support: Youth for Chinese Seniors (Beverly Ho, Chanel Ly) and local seniors.
CHINATOWN FESTIVAL
aug 13-14, 2016
VANCOUVER CHINATOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
Mahjong demo and storytelling
tour of Musqueam and Chinese Canadian Relations in vancouver - july 9, 2016
chinese canadian historical society of bc
Post-conference tour of ISSCO (International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas), of Musqueam Nation and Vancouver Chinatown to illustrate historic relations between Musqueam and Chinese Canadians
the future of chinatown
edmonton chinatown conference, edmonton ab - june 11-12, 2016
North American conference organized by the Chinese Benevolent Association of Edmonton in partnership with Edmonton's Chinese community organizations and the University of Alberta. Over the years, Chinatowns have been affected by city planning priorities, as well as social, economic and political changes and by revitalization or redevelopment efforts. While some Chinatowns are thriving, others are experiencing displacement, relocation or erasure. This conference asks "Will there be any Chinatowns left in the future?" and explores a shared vision and sustainable future for these neighbourhoods.
connecting the pieces
Film created by Mary Zheng and Amber Dukart for History 483 (Asian Migrations to the Americas) at UBC. Featuring the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown and Ing Suey Sun Tong Association in Vancouver's Chinatown.
social studies 10 field trip - april 8, 2016
mcmath secondary school, richmond bc
Field trip of Social Studies 10 class from McMath Secondary organized by BEd candidate, Dominique Bautista. With dumpling workshop and lunch by Hua Foundation; tour of Strathcona and Chinatown with historian, Hayne Wai.
MAHJONG MEMORIES
Video created by Peggy Lam and Eva Uguen-Csenge towards the Masters in Journalism at UBC.
Youth in Chinatown organize a mahjong event to bring three generations together.
Vancouver SOUP - jan 21, 2016
Groundswell Grassroots Economic Alternatives
We competed and won this public crowdfunding dinner that supports people who are making positive changes in our city.
bridging the gap: a generation's return to heritage
Video created by Christina Lee for History 483 (Asian Migrations to the Americas) at UBC.
What happened to Vancouver's Chinatown? Seen more and more as simply a place for the elderly to sit around reading newspapers or play mah jong, youth participation in Chinatown has been on the decline. From athletic associations to just plain presence in the neighbourhood, recent visitors note a sharp decrease in the number of Chinese-Canadians in the area. With the influx of condo developers aiming to gentrify the area, Chinatown is in danger of becoming a museum. How can we empower Chinese-Canadian youth to return Chinatown to its former self: a nexus of activity and a place of belonging?