A Year in Review: Take a look back at 2025
In 2025, the Chinese Canadian Museum came alive with new stories, new spaces, and new connections — celebrating a year of ambitious exhibitions, community collaborations, and meaningful milestones.
Throughout the year, the museum broadened its reach, strengthened its programs, and created meaningful moments that brought people together.
Join us in reflecting on a year of growth, connection, and shared celebration at the museum.
January
Closing of "The Paper Trail"
Our inaugural feature exhibition, “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act”, concluded its historic run after launching on July 1, 2023 — the same day as the museum’s official opening. The exhibition powerfully traced the legacy of exclusion and resistance, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors and providing a space for important stories to be told.
Opening of the New Admission Lobby
The museum unveiled the newly renovated admission lobby, creating a more spacious, welcoming, and accessible entry point for visitors. The refreshed space enhances the visitor experience and marks an important milestone in our ongoing enhancement project at the Wing Sang Building.
February
Family Day at the Museum
As part of Heritage Week 2025, the museum welcomed families to the museum for a lively Family Day filled with hands-on activities celebrating Chinese Canadian heritage. Visitors explored the historic space, enjoyed crafts and traditional games like mahjong, and brought the theme “Pastimes in Past Times” to life across generations.
Year of the Snake at the Museum
It was a celebration of the Year of the Snake — with a festive Lunar New Year weekend featuring storytelling, crafts, games, and community gatherings. Highlights included a Cantonese storytime, themed activities, Chinese board games, and post-parade celebrations that filled the museum with energy and joy.
The team — along with volunteers, donors, and corporate partners — also marched in the annual Chinatown Spring Festival Parade, sharing fortune cookies to the many spectators who braved the snowy weather.
April
“Odysseys and Migration” opens at Royal BC Museum
"Odysseys and Migration" continued its national journey with an opening at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, where it will run through May 3, 2026. The exhibition traces Chinese migration from the 18th century to today, exploring global diasporas, early Chinese–Indigenous relations, and enduring themes of belonging and identity through artifacts, photographs, and interactive storytelling.
Tourism Challenge 2025
The museum once again participated in Vancouver’s annual Tourism Challenge, welcoming tourism and hospitality professionals and volunteers from across the region. The program encourages industry ambassadors to explore cultural sites firsthand, strengthening their ability to share Vancouver’s diverse stories with visitors from around the world.
May
Opening of "Dream Factory"
In May, the museum launched "Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s–2000", a bold, immersive exhibition that celebrates the golden age of Cantopop and Mandopop, and highlights Canada’s role in shaping these transpacific music movements while exploring their significance in Chinese Canadian identity and memory. "Dream Factory" brings together iconic sounds, fashion, fan culture, and multimedia installations to tell a vibrant story of creativity, nostalgia, and cultural exchange spanning decades.
Opening of "A Soldier for All Seasons" and the new exhibition space
The museum also opened "A Soldier for All Seasons" in our newly expanded and renovated third-floor exhibition space, presenting the powerful and often overlooked stories of Chinese Canadian soldiers who served despite facing systemic discrimination. This immersive exhibition honours their courage, sacrifice, and role in advancing civil rights that helped pave the way for the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
“A Seat at the Table” opens at Cowichan, BC
Our award-winning travelling exhibition "A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia" opened in Cowichan, BC, bringing stories of struggle, belonging, and community to audiences beyond Vancouver and deepening regional engagement with Chinese Canadian history.
Our CEO throws the first pitch at a Vancouver Canadians game
Prior to an exciting baseball game at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver, our CEO Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Vancouver Canadians game, marking a fun and proud moment of connection for the museum. The RBC We Care Wednesdays event was part of a community spotlight campaign that highlights the efforts, impact, and achievements of local charities through public awareness.
Launching free senior group tours
Thanks to funding from the BC Arts Council, the museum launched complimentary guided tours for senior groups, offering free, accessible opportunities for older adults to explore our exhibitions and reminisce about Chinatown’s history with expert guides — an initiative designed to foster inclusivity and community connection.
New tours: Trailblazers and Behind the Beat
The museum introduced two new complimentary public tours — Trailblazers & Guardians, which highlights influential figures and stories that shaped Chinese Canadian history, and Behind the Beat, a dynamic tour through "Dream Factory" that brings the energy of Cantopop and Mandopop to life with insight into music and culture.
Opening of 1889 Trading Co.
This busy month also included the soft opening of 1889 Trading Co., the museum’s new retail experience that showcases books, art, apparel, and thoughtfully designed goods by Chinese Canadian creators, reflecting the heritage and creativity of the community while supporting the museum’s mission and programs.
June
Launch of the BMO Campus Culture Pass
In partnership with BMO, the museum launched the BMO Campus Culture Pass, making museum access more affordable and welcoming for post-secondary students. Supported by a significant two-year gift from BMO, the pass offers annual admission for $5, along with store discounts and student-focused programming that strengthens the museum’s role as a hub for learning, creativity, and community.
Spark Community Dinner
Held in Vancouver’s Chinatown, the 2025 Spark Community Dinner was a powerful evening of generosity, connection, and shared purpose, bringing together more than 750 supporters from across the community in support of the Chinese Canadian Museum.
Together, the museum raised over $350,000, with an especially inspiring Raise-the-Paddle moment that demonstrated the community’s deep belief in the museum’s mission. These contributions directly support exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives that spark dialogue, foster belonging, and ensure Chinese Canadian stories continue to be seen, heard, and remembered for generations to come.
“The Paper Trail” book launch event
The museum celebrated the launch of Catherine Clement’s book, "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act", expanding on the stories first shared in the museum’s award-winning exhibition. Held at the museum on June 24, the event brought visitors together with the author for reflection, conversation, and signed copies of this powerful contribution to Canadian history.
August
Launching ART-ifact Adventures Summer Camps
This summer marked an exciting milestone with the launch of ART-ifact Adventures, the Chinese Canadian Museum’s first-ever summer camps for children aged 8 to 12. Designed as immersive week-long day camps, the program invited young explorers to engage with storytelling, art-making, performance, and hands-on learning while exploring Vancouver’s Chinatown and the museum.
Through creative activities and collaborative play, the children built meaningful connections to Chinese Canadian culture, history, and community — opening a new chapter in the museum’s youth and family programming.
New Stamping Stations at the Museum
The museum introduced interactive stamping stations featuring exclusive postcards illustrated by Vancouver-based artist Carolyn Wong. Visitors are encouraged to collect all five stamps throughout the museum to reveal a full illustration of the historic Wing Sang Building, adding a playful and hands-on layer to the visitor experience.
Visit from the Honourable Anne Kang
The museum welcomed the Honourable Anne Kang, B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, for a guided tour led by Board Chair Grace Wong and CEO Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee. Her visit highlighted the importance of the Province’s support for the museum’s exhibitions, future goals, and the opening of 1889 Trading Co., reinforcing the continued need to preserve and advance Chinese Canadian heritage.
Welcoming Our First Citizen Poet, Cabil
The museum welcomed our first Citizen Poet, Cabil (they/ellx), as part of the City of Vancouver’s Here, Hearing mini-residencies led by Poet Laureate Elee Kraljii Gardiner. Throughout the summer, Cabil activated the museum’s spaces with poetry, sound, and conversation, inviting visitors to experience culture through creative exchange.
September
Love at Mid-Autumn Mooncake Campaign (Fête Chinoise)
With support for the Chinese Canadian Museum, the Toronto-based Fête Chinoise launched the 5th annual ‘Love at Mid-Autumn’ campaign, a cultural project that honours Chinese heritage and tradition through meaningful storytelling, artistic design, and philanthropy in Canada. The campaign, which raised $27,000 for the museum, brought people together through the shared traditions of Mid-Autumn, as well as a limited-edition mooncake gift set designed to inspire nostalgia while celebrating identity and community.
A Week with Ann Hui
The museum presented A Week with Ann Hui, a special program celebrating the legendary Hong Kong filmmaker through screenings, talks, and community dialogue. The program — which spanned multiple venues — offered audiences a rare opportunity to engage deeply with Ann Hui’s cinematic legacy and her influential role in shaping Chinese-language cinema.
Reshaping Collections Closes
The exhibition “Reshaping Collections: Where History Meets Art” concluded its run, closing a thought-provoking exhibition that invited visitors to reflect on how museum collections are formed, interpreted, and reimagined. Featuring six artists, the exhibition sparked meaningful conversations about representation, stewardship, and the evolving ways stories are preserved and shared.
October
Sally Yeh inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame
Legendary singer and actress Sally Yeh was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame after being proudly nominated by the Chinese Canadian Museum, recognizing her lasting cultural impact and influence across generations and borders.
Launch of two new exhibitions: "Montréal Chinois" and "Collector’s Corner"
In October, the museum launched two new exhibitions, "Montréal Chinois" and "Collector’s Corner", expanding the scope of Chinese Canadian stories shared on site.
“Montréal Chinois: The Lost Decades / Les décennies perdues Photography 1945–1960s” explores the history, culture, and everyday lives of Chinese communities in Montréal, featuring photography to highlight regional perspectives beyond British Columbia. With photographs by self-taught photographers Chong Hong Ho, Arthur Lee, Samuel Lee, Peter Wong, and Chuck Yip — who captured friendship, swagger, and everyday flair — it reveals a world where Chinese Canadians shaped the city’s sense of style and cool.
“Collector’s Corner: Roger Lee” offers an intimate look at Roger Lee’s Yixing teapots, spotlighting the role of individual collectors in preserving history. Lee began collecting Yixing teapots in the 1980s, drawn to their sculptural beauty, porous clay, and central role in Chinese daily life. Through both personal heritage and a postmodernist lens, he explored these objects as vessels of artistry, memory, and philosophy. Together, the exhibition reflects the museum’s commitment to diverse storytelling, community collaboration, and innovative curatorial practice.
Mid-Autumn Festival at the Museum
The museum came alive during our Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, welcoming visitors of all ages to enjoy cultural programming, family-friendly activities, and shared traditions that brought the community together.
Receiving the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Award
The Chinese Canadian Museum was honoured with the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Award, recognizing our leadership in preserving, interpreting, and sharing the rich heritage of Chinese Canadians.
November
Celebrating Audience Growth
The museum reached a major milestone with our audience this year, welcoming over 60,000 visitors through our doors since opening. This growing in-person engagement was matched by strong digital momentum, with more than 25,000 followers and subscribers across all platforms, extending our reach well beyond the museum’s walls. Together, these achievements reflect the powerful resonance of our exhibitions, programs, and storytelling, and the deepening connections audiences are building with Chinese Canadian history both on-site and online.
Commemorating Chinese Canadian veterans for Remembrance Day
In recognition of Remembrance Day, the museum hosted a special program commemorating Fred Lee, one of the few Chinese Canadian veterans to have served in the First World War. The event honoured Lee’s life and sacrifice, highlighting his service in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, including his participation in the battles of Vimy Ridge and Hill 70. Through a documentary presentation by director Jack Gin, audiences followed the journey to reconstruct Lee’s story — from Canada to France — bringing recognition to a once-forgotten soldier and deepening public understanding of Chinese Canadian contributions to Canada’s military history.
On November 11, the museum attended the Remembrance Day ceremony held in Chinatown Plaza.
December
Amazing Donor Support
On Giving Tuesday and through Year-End Giving, the museum received strong support from the community in helping sustain and grow our work through generous donations and shared advocacy. The campaign highlighted the vital role community support plays in preserving Chinese Canadian history and ensuring these stories continue to be told for future generations.
As we look ahead to 2026, the Chinese Canadian Museum remains committed to expanding our exhibitions, deepening community partnerships, and creating meaningful, accessible experiences for audiences near and far.
With continued support from our community, donors, and partners, the museum can build on this momentum and ensure Chinese Canadian stories continue to be preserved, shared, and celebrated for generations to come.