Bridging the Gap: A Generation’s Return to Heritage (2014)

By Christina Lee

What happened to Vancouver’s Chinatown? Seen more and more as simply a place for the elderly to sit around reading newspapers or play mah jong, youth participation in Chinatown has been on the decline. From athletic associations to just plain presence in the neighbourhood, recent visitors note a sharp decrease in the number of Chinese-Canadians in the area. With the influx of condo developers aiming to gentrify the area, Chinatown is in danger of becoming a museum. How can we empower Chinese-Canadian youth to return Chinatown to its former self: a nexus of activity and a place of belonging?

This video was created for HIST 483: “Asian Migrations to the Americas” at the University of British Columbia.