How Vancouver's youth are bridging old and new to protect Chinatown's heritage
Young Chinese-Canadians in Vancouver are rising up to reinvent their unique neighbourhood while also protecting its heritage and identity
When she was young, Claudia Li's grandmother would take her to Vancouver's Chinatown on trips to buy groceries. She was amazed by the number of people her grandmother knew, calling out to passers-by and shop owners by name.
Today, Li helps organise a team of young Chinese-Canadians determined to protect Chinatown's unique, intimate community. They have led Cantonese workshops for non-Chinese, organised sports from street hockey to kung fu, helped the elderly with computers, and explained to city planners what constitutes Chinatown character.
"Chinatown is a place that's important for Canada," said Li. "I feel there's a common yearning between youth to learn and be proud of this neighbourhood."
Connecting the old and the new is one of Li's passions.
She co-founded Hua Foundation, a non-profit organisation that launched its first project last summer to create bilingual seasonal vegetable guides for Chinatown grocers, blending knowledge of traditional choi with a modern interest in eating locally produced food.
The youth group's goal is to help reinvent the neighbourhood with respect to its heritage, and bridge cultural and generational gaps. They want everyone in Chinatown to feel welcome, not just the ethnic Chinese.
It has been difficult for Vancouver's historic Chinatown to compete with Chinese communities elsewhere in Greater Vancouver, particularly the municipality of Richmond.