Asian Migration in Canada

Canada is a nation of immigrants, comprised of individuals like Y. P. Heung, who arrived in British Columbia in the 1960s to a seek a better life for his family. Asian migration remains a critical facet of BC history, and an important building block of this province’s multicultural communities. It is a story that must be told, documented, and preserved for future generations. To that end, the Y. P. Heung Foundation is excited to support projects that have taken on this task.

  • “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act,” a 100th-anniversary exhibition

    “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act” is project and exhibition curated by Catherine Clement to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Canada’s passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from entering the country, and rendering those already in Canada (both Canadian-born and naturalized Chinese) second-class citizens.

    This project consists of three parts: community participation, a major exhibition (opening July 1, 2023), and a community archive. The Y. P. Heung Foundation is proud and excited to support this project, which will bring to life a dark and forgotten moment in Canadian history.

  • Cumberland Museum and Archives

    Located in the historic village of Cumberland, Vancouver Island, the Cumberland Museum & Archives (CMA) tells the story of this fascinating coal-mining community—one that boasted a large Chinese settlement—through its rich collection of artifacts and archival material.

    The Y. P. Heung Foundation has been a supporter of the CMA since 2018, funding projects including its Database Migration Project and the renovation of the museum, which reopened in November 2021.

  • Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies at UBC

    Established in 2014, the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program at UBC (ACAM) “explores the history, culture, and contemporary development of Asian migrant communities within and beyond Canada.” The program focuses on innovative teaching and learning initiatives that encourage collaborative research with Asian communities in Canada.

    In 2018, the Y. P. Heung Foundation a two-year grant to to fund research expenses and equipment and do hire and train research assistants for the project, “Asians on Vancouver Island: Discovering Stories, Reimagining Histories.” This project “seeks to document and share previously unknown histories of Asians on Vancouver Island and its adjacent islands. As a major point of entry for most early Asian migrants to the West Coast, Vancouver Island is an ideal site to explore cross-cultural connections and interactions across the Pacific, and to reconsider narratives of contact that go beyond colonial narratives that focus on white European settlers.”

  • Museum of Vancouver

    The Museum of Vancouver (MOV), is home to a vast collection of historical, ethnographic, archaeological, Asian studies, and natural history objects. An independent non-profit organization, the MOV is “dedicated to encouraging a deeper understanding of Vancouver through stories, objects, and shared experiences.”

    Among its holdings is the Chinese Canadian Collection, which contains over 1100 items that document the lives of immigrants and their descendants from the 1860s to the 1940s. In 2018, the Y. P. Heung Foundation funded the digitization and critical assessment of this collection and the establishment of a cultural partnership with the Cumberland Museum and Archives.

  • The Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre

    The Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (VACT) provides opportunities for Asian-Canadian theatre artists to play significant theatrical roles, and to improve their skills in acting, directing, and script writing. It also fosters public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Asian cultures through the presentation of contemporary theatrical productions that feature Asian stories and cultural themes.

    The Y. P Heung Foundation has been a supporter of VACT since 2018, providing funding for the upgrading of the theatre’s website and for its co-op and apprenticeship programs.

What People Are Saying

“The support of the YP Heung Foundation makes it possible for ACAM students to conduct first-hand research on the earliest Chinese arrivals on the West Coast. These stories reveal a vibrant history of transpacific contacts that predate the establishment of British Columbia. By sharing these stories, our students hope to contribute to our understanding of Asian-Indigenous relations while acknowledging the Indigenous communities who have stewarded these stories to this day.” 

— Chris Lee, Director, Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program, UBC

“The support from the YP Heung Foundation is critical for the organization and sets the ground work for MOV’s next major exhibition planned for 2020 that will feature and highlight the contributions and history of the Chinese community here in British Columbia” 

— Mauro Vescera, CEO, Museum of Vancouver