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July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 Vancouver

The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act

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An exhibition that commemorates 100 years since the passing of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, known also as the Chinese Exclusion Act in Canada.


Curator:
Catherine Clement

The exhibition features hundreds of certificates of identity documents (C.I. certificates) used to track Chinese Canadians during the Chinese Immigration Act – the most ever publicly displayed in an exhibition. The papers also were a constant reminder of a second-class status in Canada.

In partnership with the Chinese Canadian Military Museum and curated by Catherine Clement, this community-sourced exhibition, with a national focus, probes the nature of paperwork and documentation over the contested terrain of history, with a diverse array of families of Chinese descent, from across Canada contributing to the exhibition.

 C.I. Certificates
C.I. Certificates - special identity documents issued by the government to Chinese residents.


Exhibition Supporters

Paper Trail Supporters

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Where is this exhibition?

Wing Sang Building, Vancouver's Chinatown

Wing Sang Building, Vancouver's Chinatown

51 E Pender St, Vancouver BC V6A 1S9

The Chinese Canadian Museum is now permanently at home inside the Wing Sang Building. Originally a two-storey structure built in 1889 by merchant Yip Sang, the Wing Sang Building was later expanded in 1901 and 1912, and remains the oldest building in Vancouver’s Chinatown.