Detail of part of a Chinese Canadian pocket gallery exhibition in Vancouver in Fall 2019. Courtesy the Government of British Columbia.
On July 16, the British Columbia government announced it would invest $10 million to establish the Chinese Canadian Museum—the first such museum in Canada.
The museum is to include a provincial hub in Vancouver’s Chinatown, as well as multiple regional hubs throughout BC, beginning with the Victoria as host of the first regional hub. There will also be a related online portal for the whole province.
The museum will be led by a new non-profit: the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia.
“We are at a critical point when it comes to conversations about race, inequality and injustice in this province,” said Premier John Horgan in a release. “Now is the time to come together to share the stories about how our province got to where it is—and to have conversations about where we want it to go.”
The project has been in development for some time. In December 2018, public consultation was done on the project. In 2019, the province provided $1 million to the City of Vancouver to open a project office and pocket gallery in its Chinatown neighbourhood, and to support further planning.
The museum’s development also reflects future hopes: looking ahead, the city and the province are aiming to obtain United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation World Heritage Site Designation for Vancouver’s Chinatown.
This summer, with the support of various partners, the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia will launch a two initiatives: a pocket gallery in Victoria’s Fan Tan Alley in July, and a temporary exhibit called “A Seat at the Table” at Vancouver’s 27 East Pender Street in August.
