Canada's first Chinese Canadian Museum finds a home in Vancouver’s Chinatown
Province of B.C. purchases the historic Wing Sang Building at 51 East Pender Street from Bob Rennie
The Wing Sang building. Photo courtesy rennie.
THE OLDEST BUILDING in Vancouver’s Chinatown is now the permanent home of the forthcoming Chinese Canadian Museum—the country’s first.
The historic Wing Sang Building will feature space for permanent and temporary exhibits, multi-purpose programs and events, and learning spaces for students. Expected to open in 2023, the Chinese Canadian Museum will highlight places of historic significance throughout B.C., celebrating the heritage of Chinese Canadians in the province.
The building will be owned and operated by the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia.
"The contributions of Chinese Canadians to this province have been invaluable,” Premier John Horgan said in a release. “The Chinese Canadian Museum responds to the community's long-standing desire for a place to share stories of achievement and shine a light on injustice. The museum will be an important place for all British Columbians, connecting the past to the present and future generations.”
The original owner of the Wing Sang Building, Yip Sang, was an influential Vancouver resident who helped create the Chinese Benevolent Association and the Chinese Board of Trade. Sang started construction of the building in 1888 for his businesses and his family. The Wing Sang Building is said to reflect the racist policies directed toward Chinese Canadians by previous governments throughout B.C.’s history and the resilience of Chinese Canadians. To obey the imposed curfew, the Victorian Italianate structure was constructed with narrow passageways that residents used in secret after dark.
In 2004, Bob Rennie, founder and executive director of rennie, purchased the building and funded an extensive five-year heritage renovation and restoration.
The Wing Sang building is currently home to rennie’s corporate headquarters and the rennie museum, which opened in 2009 and has showcased exhibitions by artists such as Mona Hatoum, Rodney Graham, Barkley L. Hendricks, Kerry James Marshall, Yoko Ono, and Ian Wallace. Many of the exhibitions have had a focus on social justice. The rennie museum will present two final exhibitions before it concludes its 13-year journey in the Wing Sang at the end of 2022, with the rennie collection to “reposition with presence in the region” while continuing with artist support and art loans to museums around the world.
“Our family's duty to 51 East Pender has always been to be a good custodian and we are honoured and excited to have Vancouver Chinatown's oldest structure now celebrated as home to the Chinese Canadian Museum for all Canadians to experience this piece of history and the journey of Chinese Canadians,” Rennie said in the890 release. “Our family met recently, and we really want to make sure that the Chinese Canadian Museum has a solid foundation to carry out its mission, and so to help ensure the museum's success we intend to have the Rennie Foundation make a gift of $7.5 million to the Chinese Canadian Museum Society in the near future."
The Wing Sang building. Photo courtesy rennie.
Grace Wong, chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC, said: “This is a historic moment for Chinese Canadians across the province. This is the first such museum in Canada and will widely share the history, contributions and heritage of Chinese Canadians and their lived experiences. Having the home in the Wing Sang Building, one of the most historic buildings of Vancouver Chinatown, is particularly meaningful. This wonderful building is part of the history of Chinese Canadians and has been lovingly restored by Mr. Bob Rennie. We thank Mr. Rennie for his belief in the importance of the Chinese Canadian Museum and for his plans for a legacy gift in the future. We hope everyone will join with us in appreciating this very special moment and in working toward fully opening the museum.”
Grace Wong, chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum Society. Photo by Jimmy Jeong
The Province first announced its commitment to establish a Chinese Canadian Museum in the 2019 throne speech and provided the City of Vancouver with a $1-million grant to support museum planning and programming. The Province also signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Vancouver to jointly pursue UNESCO heritage site designation for Vancouver Chinatown. In 2020, the Province provided an $8 million endowment to establish the Chinese Canadian Museum Society, and $2 million in funding to complete the planning and initial development, including identifying potential sites, for the museum's home.
“Museums connect us to the past and the present. For years, the Chinese Canadian communities in B.C. have been calling on government to share the rich history of Chinese Canadians - both the challenges and contributions,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. "This new museum is a light in Vancouver Chinatown and a response to a call to action from our fellow British Columbians who have historically endured poor treatment. It is an important legacy for British Columbians for generations to come."
Bob Rennie. Photo courtesy rennie
More information is at https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/.
Related Articles
