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== Exhibits and features == |
== Exhibits and features == |
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The ground level features interactive exhibits and a gift shop, while the upper level is used as an office space by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.<ref name=”Chan 2021″/> |
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The permanent exhibit, known as the “BMO Hall”, includes several interactive kiosks, a photo studio, a theatre, and a replica [[pagoda]] phone booth.{{cite news |title=Chinatown Storytelling Centre Celebrates the Powerful Resilience of the Chinese Canadian Journey, Exhibition Opens November 6 |url=https://www.destinationvancouver.com/inspirations/city/chinatown-storytelling-centre-celebrates-the-powerful-resilience-of-the-chinese-canadian-journey-exhibition-opens-november-6 |access-date=February 3, 2026 |work=Destination Vancouver |date=November 4, 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Explore our Exhibits |url=https://www.chinatownstorytellingcentre.org/explore/ |website=Chinatown Storytelling Centre |publisher=[[Vancouver Chinatown Foundation]] |access-date=February 3, 2026 |language=en-CA}} The photo studio is a tribute to [[Yucho Chow]], a prolific photographer who was Vancouver’s first of Chinese descent, and features an imitation [[press camera]] for creating digital postcards. The theatre meanwhile showcases short films produced by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and its community partners. Additionally, the pagoda phone booth contains a phone that, when dialed, will play personal stories from the Chinatown community in either English or [[Cantonese]].
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The museum also has temporary “special exhibits”; past exhibits include the life of the first Asian-Canadian bank manager Tommy Mah, as well as the work of local photographer [[Fred Herzog]].<ref name=”Explore CSC”/> |
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Despite its exhibits, the curators and operators of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre do not call it a museum, but rather a “cultural and educational centre, and community hub”.<ref name=”Chan 2021″/> |
Despite its exhibits, the curators and operators of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre do not call it a museum, but rather a “cultural and educational centre, and community hub”.<ref name=”Chan 2021″/> |
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Revision as of 18:51, 3 February 2026
Museum in Vancouver, Canada
The Chinatown Storytelling Centre (Chinese: 華埠掌故) is a museum in the Chinatown of Vancouver, British Columbia, focused on the personal stories and experiences of Chinese Canadians. It is run by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and was opened on November 6, 2021.
Construction and funding
On August 26, 2019, then Canadian small business minister Mary Ng announced that the federal government had pledged CA$500,000 to the construction of an “immersive museum” in Vancouver’s Chinatown that would be named the “Chinatown Storytelling Centre”, with a focus on the historical and current experiences of Chinese Canadians.[1] The grant was part of a larger $4.4 million federal investment in the arts, culture, and heritage organizations of British Columbia.[1][2] The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 2011 to revitalize Chinatown, oversaw the construction of the museum and had acquired a site for it two years earlier – a two-storey, 4,000 square feet (370 m2) building that had previously been a branch of the Bank of Montreal (BMO).[3] In May 2021, in celebration of Asian Heritage Month, BMO donated an additional $1 million toward the museum’s completion and future operations.[3][4] The Chinatown Storytelling Centre opened to the public on November 6, 2021, over three years after construction and renovations had begun.[1][5]
Exhibits and features
The ground level features interactive exhibits and a gift shop, while the upper level is used as an office space by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.[3]
The permanent exhibit, known as the “BMO Hall”, includes several interactive kiosks, a photo studio, a theatre, and a replica pagoda phone booth.[6][7] The photo studio is a tribute to Yucho Chow, a prolific photographer who was Vancouver’s first of Chinese descent, and features an imitation press camera for creating digital postcards. The theatre meanwhile showcases short films produced by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and its community partners. Additionally, the pagoda phone booth contains a phone that, when dialed, will play personal stories from the Chinatown community in either English or Cantonese.[6]
The museum also has temporary “special exhibits”; past exhibits include the life of the first Asian-Canadian bank manager Tommy Mah, as well as the work of local photographer Fred Herzog.[7]
Despite its exhibits, the curators and operators of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre do not call it a museum, but rather a “cultural and educational centre, and community hub”.[3]
The Chinatown Storytelling Centre’s gift shop is named Foo Hung Curios, after an early-20th-century import-export business in Chinatown run by businessman Bick Lee.[3]
Further reading
References
- ^ a b c “Federal government pledges $500K to Chinatown Storytelling Centre”. CBC News. August 27, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Chan, Kenneth (August 28, 2019). “Federal government to fund new museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown”. Daily Hive. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Chan, Kenneth (November 7, 2021). “Vancouver Chinatown Storytelling Centre shines light on Chinese Canadian legacies”. Daily Hive. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ^ “Vancouver Chinatown Foundation announces $1 million donation from BMO in support of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre”. Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Retrieved January 28, 2026 – via Cision.
- ^ Danyluk, Adam (October 29, 2021). “The brand new Chinatown Storytelling Centre opens next week after 3 years of prep”. Curiocity. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ^ a b “Chinatown Storytelling Centre Celebrates the Powerful Resilience of the Chinese Canadian Journey, Exhibition Opens November 6”. Destination Vancouver. November 4, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
- ^ a b “Explore our Exhibits”. Chinatown Storytelling Centre. Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
