Chinatown Storytelling Centre — Attraction in Vancouver

I have been here a couple times already this year as a high school teacher. If you are looking for an engaging look (and listen) of the history of Vancouver's Chinese community centered in China town, this is the place to go. There are many displays, interactive recorded video interviews, documents, and artifacts crammed into a small space. I took a class this month thinking.we would only need an hour, but after an hour and a half we still had not gotten through all there was to see and hear. They have the ability to provide guided tours and activities for classes especially on days they are not open to the public, just book ahead. It's one of the most interesting fieldtrip destinations for my students this year and it will be a 'must' on my syllabus for years to come.

My favorite story involves Robert Wong a student in the 1930's attending my school who built his own airplane which he flew and launched a career as the founder one of Canada's biggest flight schools.

The Centre also host regular storytelling events with guest speakers connected to the community. Just check their website. Whether you are a teacher, a tourist, history buff or just curious, I highly recommend this fantastic addition to...

This place is a jewel and it touched my heart. I stumbled upon this exhibit after having delicious dim sum across the street. The exhibit was thoughtfully curated to tell the story of Chinese immigrants and the glory of Chinatown back in the old days. I learned so much today, that Chinatown wasn’t just a rundown messy place with eccentric people and odd customs. I learned that Chinatown was a place of inclusivity and that early Chinese immigrants made very important contributions to both Canada and the USA. Early Chinese immigrants suffered unimaginable hardships building the railroads and endured unfair discrimination after what they did for both countries. All of us need to learn more about this important piece of history and we need places like the Chinatown Storytelling Center. Besides the exquisite photographs and artifacts, I also loved the passionate docent ladies. Many of them are closely connected to the Chinatown community and were enthusiastic in sharing the living history. I highly recommend a visit...

I enjoyed the exhibits but left feeling that there is a missing piece. It is missing the study of WHY Chinese came to Canada at various point of history. Most notably, that after 1947, the Communist party made life very difficult for Chinese in China with overseas connections. These Chinese families tended to be wealthier and be landlords from having money sent from their hardworking overseas men. The Communists seized their lands , houses and persecuted them in many ways. Immigrant stories from Europe are transparent about their persecutions (eg. Jewish), the Vietnamese stories start with boat people , etc. The exhibit would be more complete if it told WHY men were willing to move thousands of miles away to a foreign country , to work in menial jobs , racial discrimination , away from wife and family, etc. What was happening in their homelands to make them want to leave so desperately? Knowing would give an even greater appreciation of the lives and sacrifices of these...