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Tag: CBC

Western-Chinese food is authentic — and isn’t white washing our culture

by Kathryn Mannie, CBC, Jun 22, 2021

Dismissing this cuisine also dismisses the legacy of chefs like my grandparents.

“Sik jor fahn mei ah? Have you eaten yet?”

This common Cantonese greeting indicates just how closely Chinese culture associates food and well-being. My gung gung (maternal grandfather) fiercely proclaims that food and money are the two most important things to possess — in that order.

Like many second- and third-generation Chinese-Canadians, I was partially raised by my grandparents while my parents worked full time.

And at the centre of their home was the kitchen. Read more…

Though we can’t gather at our usual dim sum restaurant anymore, my family still gets together every Sunday around noon to share a meal. I join in virtually when I’m in Toronto. (Kathryn Mannie)

How these ‘bright stars’ are ‘creating space for the community’ in Vancouver’s changing Chinatown

Showwei Chu, CBC radio, The Current, Feb 12, 2020

In search of connection to Chinatown, these advocates are helping build intergenerational communities.

Yuly Chan says she became a community organizer in Vancouver’s Chinatown as a way to honour her late father, an immigrant from Venezuela who was very involved with the community.

“Chinatown was a place that provided me and my family a lot of support and a sense of community as immigrants to Canada,” said Chan, 33.

In 2015, she volunteered with the Chinatown Concern Group, a seniors group that started a petition calling for a moratorium on condo developments in Chinatown and organized a city hall rally.

“It was really kind of a big turning point for the community because you’ve had this group of Chinese seniors storm city hall, and you’ve never seen that before,” she said. Read more…

Observers say Chinatown started seeing a new wave of young activists and advocates in the historic neighbourhood around the time a controversial condo proposal was being considered at 105 Keefer St. (CBC)

‘The physical legacy of struggle and sacrifice’: How Chinatown is part of Vancouver’s past — and its future

Jennifer Van Evra, CBC Radio, Feb 12, 2020

In recent decades, much of Vancouver’s Chinese community has moved to areas such as Richmond and Burnaby, which has led some to ask, “Why preserve Chinatown?”

But at a special forum hosted by The Current’s Matt Galloway at Floata Seafood Restaurant in the heart of the historic neighbourhood, prominent Vancouver entrepreneur Carol Lee argues it is an essential part of Canadian history.

“If it were any other part of Canadian history, I don’t think we would even be asking that question,” says Lee, founder of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, who also opened the popular Chinatown BBQ, a restaurant aimed at revitalizing the neighbourhood through food. Read more

The Current’s Matt Galloway explores Vancouver’s Chinatown with historian Judi Lam Maxwell. (Andrew Nguyen/CBC )

Koi fish return to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

CBC News, May 09, 2019

Ornamental fish will return to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden on Thursday morning, after being removed last year when a river otter entered the garden pond and killed 11 of the fish.

The Vancouver Park Board says several younger koi have already been returned to the pond, as well as adult fish donated by the Nitobe Memorial Graden at the University of British Columbia and a private collector. Read more…

Koi swim in a tank at the Vancouver Aquarium in December 2018 after being removed from the pond. (Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden/Twitter)

Quirky ‘Tinseltown’ up for sale in downtown Vancouver

Karin Larsen, CBC News, Apr 04, 2019

A central and quirky fixture of downtown Vancouver is up for sale.

International Village Mall, previously known as Tinseltown, has been listed as part of a three property package that includes Paris Square across the street, home of a busy T & T Supermarket.

The third property in the bundle —Henderson Place Mall — is in Coquitlam.

The asking price is not listed, but last year B.C Assessment pegged the value of International Village Mall alone at $45.635 million.

The sales sheet describes the mall as “attractive and well-built … marking the crossroads of downtown Vancouver’s Central Business District, Stadium District and Chinatown.” Read more…

International Village Mall, a.k.a. Tinseltown, is up for sale. (Karin Larsen/CBC)

City of Vancouver formally apologizes to Chinese community for past discrimination

Chad Pawson, CBC News, Apr 22, 2018

The City of Vancouver formally apologized to Chinese Canadians on Sunday for past legislation, regulations and policies that discriminated against them.
“This is an important day for council and all Vancouverites to come together and recognize historical wrongdoings committed against Chinese people and to build a better future together,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a written statement.
An audience of 500 people witnessed the ceremony at the Chinese Cultural Centre, which was also broadcast on a screen along Keefer Street in the city’s Chinatown. Read more…

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson along with city councillors pose with the official apology offered to redress historical discrimination against Chinese residents. (City of Vancouver/Twitter)

Past and future of Vancouver’s Chinatown showcased at new restaurant

CBC News, February 18, 2018

At the height of the Lunar New Year celebrations, in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the proprietor of a new restaurant is working to revitalize a neighbourhood that has seen many traditional businesses disappear in recent years.

The City of Vancouver has been exploring ways to sustain the culture of Chinatown — local food suppliers like grocers, butchers and fish shops have been closing, often replaced by proposed condo developments and coffee shops.

The City says this is due to many factors, chiefly rising real estate prices and high property taxes. Read more…

Chinatown BBQ is decorated with second-hand furniture from other, now closed, restaurants in the neighbourhood. (Michelle Eliot / CBC)

Vancouver city council votes down 12-storey Chinatown tower

By Justin McElroy, CBC News, Jun 13, 2017

105 Keefer St. development rejected in 8-3 vote; councillors note how proposal divided the community.
A much debated proposal for a 12-storey tower in the heart of Chinatown was voted down by Vancouver city council Tuesday afternoon. The 105 Keefer Street development was rejected by a margin of 8-3, with Mayor Gregor Robertson and five of six Vision Vancouver councillors joining NPA Coun. George Affleck and Green Coun. Adrianne Carr in opposition. Read more…

Artist’s rendering of the residential tower Beedie Development wanted to build at 105 Keefer St., in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. (105keefer.com)

Bill Wong, legendary Vancouver Chinatown tailor, dead at 95

Matt Meuse, Gavin Fisher, Apr 16, 2017

Bill Wong, whose shop Modernize Tailors has been a fixture of Vancouver’s Chinatown for more than a century, has died at the age of 95.
Wong passed away in his sleep in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 8, his son Steven Wong told CBC News. Read more…

Bill Wong, who died age 95 on April 8, 2017, spent almost 70 years working at Modernize Tailors in Vancouver’s Chinatown. (JJ Lee)
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