Chinese Canadian Museum in Victoria Launches New Exhibition “Victoria in the Time of Exclusion
Victoria, BC (June 25, 2024) – The Chinese Canadian Museum (CCM) together with the Victoria Chinatown Museum Society (VCMS) in Victoria’s Fan Tan Alley is launching a new exhibition on Friday, June 28th titled “Victoria in the Time of Exclusion” which explores the intergenerational impacts of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 (also known as Chinese Exclusion Act) through the lens of families and individuals living in Victoria during 1923-1947.
Media are invited to attend a photo opportunity event for the launch of the exhibition, co-presented by the Chinese Canadian Museum and the Victoria Chinatown Museum Society.
What: Launch of “Victoria in the Time of Exclusion” Exhibition
Where: The Chinese Canadian Museum Victoria Location, #10-14 Fan Tan Alley.
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kgV7ZW716mbUt9u8A
When: Friday, June 28 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Who: Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum
Grace Wong, Board Chair of the Chinese Canadian Museum
Dr. Grace Wong Sneddon, Board Chair of the Victoria Chinatown Museum Society
Curatorial Team: Catherine Clement, John Adams, Naomi Louie and Sarah Ling
Victoria-based Chinese Canadian families featured in the exhibition
The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, commonly known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, succeeded where the Chinese Head Tax had failed: preventing the Chinese from entering Canada. The Canadian government’s efforts to monitor, contain, discourage, intimidate and ultimately exclude the Chinese created reams of paperwork, including an array of personal identity documents known as C.I. (Chinese Immigration) certificates.
C.I. certificates served many functions: identity documents; head tax receipts; and entry and exit authorization papers. The papers also were a constant reminder of a second-class status in Canada.
The “Victoria in the Time of Exclusion” exhibition examines what happened to the Chinese, particularly those living in Victoria during the dismal exclusion years (1923-1947), through surviving C.I. certificates from Victoria families. It also was the only time in Canadian history that one group was barred from entry based solely on their country of origin. Victoria family stories are featured as part of the exhibition, alongside the stories of bachelors and C.I.s of many other individuals.
“Throughout the time of exclusion and beyond, the Chinese were denied many things including access to professional occupations,” explains Dr. Grace Wong Sneddon, Board Chair of the Victoria Chinatown Museum Society. “Despite the tremendous challenges and hardships during so many years of uncertainty, the heartfelt stories of Victoria Chinese Canadians, as told through their children and grandchildren, illustrate their pride as they recount how their families navigated their lived experiences with resilience, tenacity, and courage.”
Curated by Catherine Clement, Dr. Grace Wong Sneddon, John Adams, Naomi Louie, and Sarah Ling, this exhibition is an extension of the Chinese Canadian Museum’s inaugural “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act” exhibition that is currently featured at the main Vancouver Chinatown location.
Clement’s original project team spent hundreds of hours researching and crowdsourcing from families across Canada whose ancestors lived through this tragic period. They scoured the pages of old Chinese and English newspapers, sifted through clan society archives, examined personal correspondences, waded through coroners’ reports, culled through newly released government records, and tapped the memories of hundreds of families across every region of Canada.
The Chinese Canadian Museum has also been collaborating with community partners in various cities across Canada who have been researching and hosting their own public displays and talks, and facilitating community-based research to examine how their regions were affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act period. These regional programs are taking place in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton.
The Chinese Canadian Museum is made possible by significant contributions from the Province of British Columbia, the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, the City of Vancouver, and many private donors from across Canada.
About the Chinese Canadian Museum
The Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia is an independent, non-profit organization established in March 2020 to create a museum honouring and sharing Chinese Canadian history, contributions, and living heritage. Guided by its mission statement “Connecting to the Chinese Canadian story – addressing inclusion for all”, the Chinese Canadian Museum aspires to provide an invigorating and transformative experience for present and future generations through its exhibitions and educational programming throughout B.C. and Canada.
The first of its kind in Canada, the Chinese Canadian Museum is located in Vancouver Chinatown in the historic Wing Sang building, with a second temporary location at Fan Tan Alley in Victoria, B.C.