Welcome to GungHaggisFatChoy.com
Home to my passions for my inter-cultural adventures,
Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner event.
Save Kogawa House campaign,
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team,
Find what you are looking for by
1) scroll the topics links,
2) use the search function
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2009 TICKETS Available in October 2009
WHAT: GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner - 12th Annual Dinner, celebrating 250th Anniversary of Robert Burns' birth + Chinese New Year's Eve.
WHEN:
6PM January 25 2009, SUNDAY
doors open 5pm
WHERE: Floata Chinese Restaurant,
#400 180 Keefer St.
CULTURE:
Our Performers
create something special for us every year with traditional and contemporary performances featuring everything in-between and beyond!
FOOD: A quirky fusion/mix/buffet of
Scottish Canadian and Chinese Canadian culture 10 course Chinese banguet dinner
In 2004, we presented the debut of Gung Haggis Won-Ton including haggis served with plum or sweet and sour sauces.! For 2005 it was haggis lettuce wrap! 2007 saw the creation of Haggis dim sum appetizer buffet - Watch for more surprises in 2008!
On-line tickets at
Tickets Tonight - Vancouver's Community Box Office
or NEW PHONE NUMBER 604-631-2872
$2.50 extra
Description of 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner featuring performers: Rick Scott & Harry Wong, The Shirleys, Joe McDonald & Brave Waves, Sean Gunn, author Joy Kogawa, with co-host Prem Gill .
Media Inquiries
Call Gung Haggis Productions 604-987-7124
cell: 778-846-7090
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Join the
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team
for lots of summer fun, fitness and friendship. We are a social team full of cultural vigor, that likes to eat.
We have been featured on television, local, national and international. We have a unique and internationally famous fundraiser dinner event.
We practice Sundays 1pm -3pm and Tuesdays 6pm-7:45pm
We meet at Dragon Zone clubhouse - just south of Science World in Creekside Park above the Aquabus and dragon boat docks.
Our coach Todd Wong has over 12 years of experience including novice, recreational and competitive levels, and both community and corporate teams.
Our 2005 Season brought us the David Lam Award for being the team that best represented the multicultural spirit of the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, and Bronze medals at the Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race. We also raced at Harrison Lake and Sea Vancouver regatta.
For more information:
Click on
Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team information
phone: 778-846-7090
e-mail: gunghaggis at yahoo dot ca
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GungHaggisFatChoy 2007 Performers
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Monday, April 21

150 years of BC Stories: The Rev. Chan Family
by
Todd
on Mon 21 Apr 2008 11:21 PM PDT
CBC is helping to celebrate 150 years of BC history. There is a website collecting family stories and picturesCheck it out: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/150/your-story.htmlThe 60th wedding anniversary of Rev. and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan (holding flower bouquet), August 15th 1934. On the far left, that is my grand mother Mabel Mar, holding up my mother, who is just one month shy of her 3rd birthday.I have submitted a short story about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan: Rev. Chan Yu Tan ministered to the Chinese pioneers who built the railroad, searched for gold, as well as became shop keepers and labourers in Vancouver Chinatown, Victoria Chinatown, and later Nanaimo and New Westminster, where he eventually retired. The Chinese Methodist Church also helped teach English. Rev. Chan Yu Tan emphasized learning Canadian ways, and it showed in his family. His son Jack loved playing golf, and eventually became the first Chinese Canadian to serve on jury duty. His youngest son Luke became an actor in Hollywood. The sons of daughters Rose and Kate - Victor Wong, Daniel Lee, Howard Lee and Leonard Lee, enlisted in the Canadian armed forces during WW2, eventually helped to gain Chinese-Canadians the vote in 1947, and later help organize the Chinese Canadian veterans associations. Rev. Chan Yu Tan's great-grand daughter Rhonda Lee Larrabee became Chief of the Qayqayt First Nations Band, and subject of the NFB film "Tribe of One". Another great-grand daughter Janice Wong, became an internationally known artist and author of the book CHOW from China to Canada. a memoir book of family history and recipes from her father's restaurant. Our family history has been an integral part of Chinese-Canadian history, and I have recently addressed the cross-ethnic fusion of culture and marriage with my event Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a mixture of Robbie Burns and Chinese New Year. There have been inter-ethnic marriages in every generation of our family - each of my maternal cousins have married non-Chinese. I helped to tell the story of our family's 7 generational BC history, in the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy . http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generationsThis picture is at Rev. and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan's 60th wedding anniversary in New Westminster. 4 generations are included in this picture.
Friday, March 14

Rhonda Larrabee, chief of Qayqayt First Nations, in CTV's One Women Tribe
by
Todd
on Fri 14 Mar 2008 02:46 PM PDT
This is the CTV documentary about my cousin Rhonda Larrabee's struggle to resurrect Canada's smallest First Nations band the Qayqayt..........
Once upon a time the band flourished on the banks of the Fraser River. Then White settlers moved into their territories and renamed it New Westminster. The Qayqayt were put on a Reserve, but that was taken away from them too.......
Rhonda's mother fled her homeland territories due to racism and shame. She came to Vancouver's Chinatown, where she met Rhonda's father. Rhonda grew up into her teenage years thinking she was Chinese. Then she discovered she was First Nations.
more »
Friday, February 1

Burnaby Newsleader: We are the Qayqayt - interview with Rhonda Larrabee
by
Todd
on Fri 01 Feb 2008 03:15 PM PST
This is a wonderful story about my mother's cousin, Rhonda Larrabee. Rhonda is both Chinese and First Nations. Her father was my grandmother's elder brother. Rhonda has been the subject of the NFB documentary "Tribe of One" and the recent CTV documentary http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/burnabynewsleader/news/14442982.html
By Michael McQuillan -
January 25, 2008
Rhonda Larabee is the
chief of the New Westminster band, which now has about 50 members. They
hope to get back some of their ancestoral lands which were taken almost
100 years ago. MARIO BARTEL NEWSLEADER
Rhonda
Larrabee was researching at the New Westminster Public Library when she
came across a book describing the history of New Westminster.
Published early in the 19th Century, it showed its age—not just the dusty old cover but the words inside.
“Dirty heathen cur dogs” read a passage describing New Westminster’s native population.
Larrabee was furious as she read the words.
She
slammed the book down then flung it across the room. A librarian,
hearing the outburst, threatened to throw her out of the library.
“I’m not leaving,” Larrabee replied.
Larrabee had been exploring her roots, trying to understand where she came from.
For the first 24 years of her life, she didn’t even know she was First Nations.
But
once she found out, it became her quest to put together the past and
assemble the pieces for a better future for herself—and for her people.
She
was in the library researching the history of New Westminster’s native
band, the Qayqayt (KEE-Kite). She discovered few details, because
little information is available—it’s almost as if they never existed. read more of the article, click here: We are the Qayqayt
Thursday, August 2

Generations: The Chan Legacy - re-scheduled for August 19th on CBC Newsworld
by
Todd
on Thu 02 Aug 2007 08:34 AM PDT
Generations: The Chan Legacy re-scheduled for August 19th on CBC Newsworld*** Re-schedule for August 19th *** On July 29th, 4pm PST / 7pm EST, CBC Newsworld showed Generations: The Crowfoot Dynasty instead of The Chan Legacy on July 29th - contrary to their http://www.cbc.ca/newsworld website. so.... set your VHS recorders... or go buy a new DVD recorder!
Tuesday, July 31

True patriot Love: North Shore News article on Todd Wong, Betty Wong and Tracey Hinder re: The Chan Legacy
by
Todd
on Tue 31 Jul 2007 04:01 PM PDT
True patriot Love: North Shore News article on Todd Wong, Betty Wong and Tracey Hinder re: The Chan Legacy http://www.canada.com/northshorenews/news/live/story.html?id=281951b4-4181-4c68-a39b-5e5855445271Erin Mcphee,
North Shore NewsPublished: Sunday, July 29, 2007- Generations: The Chan Legacy is re-scheduled for August 19, on CBC Newsworld at 4 p.m. PST / 7pm EST
 Three generations of the Chan family: Tracey Hinder (left), Betty Wong and Todd Wong look over their family's impressive legacy.NEWS photo Mike Wakefield
To say that Todd Wong, a 47-year-old North Vancouver resident, is proud of his roots would be an understatement. Wong's
family is one that has greatly impacted Canada's history and as a
result its members continue to celebrate where they come from. Wong's
ancestors arrived on the West Coast from China in 1896 and were able to
integrate into Canada despite the many barriers that existed. Inspired
by that impressive past, today, the Chan family, one of the oldest on
the West Coast, continues to thrive with its new generations working
hard to keep their legacy alive. "We're just a Canadian family,"
says Wong, not downplaying his family's identity, but rather stating,
realistically, who they are. Not only has the Chan family survived, its members are continuing to thrive, exemplifying what it means to truly be "Canadian." Wong's
family's unique story is being brought to life in Generations: The Chan
Legacy, a CBC documentary airing today on CBC Newsworld. It's part of a
series of documentaries called Generations and was produced by Halya
Kuchmij. Filmmakers approached Wong, known in the Lower Mainland
for his unique interest in multiculturalism, community work and
activism. He's the founder of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a website promoting
inter-cultural activities. Wong is also behind a 10-year-old
Vancouver tradition, the Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner -- a mix
of Chinese and Scottish traditions meant to play against racial
stereotypes -- and he's a member of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon
boat team that further promotes multiculturalism and community spirit. Wong's
website site also details his adventures, told at times through his
alter ego, "Toddish McWong," further celebrating what it is to be
Canadian, he says. The documentary discusses Wong's great, great
grandfather Reverend Chan Yu Tan and how he and his wife came to the
West Coast in 1896 to "spread the gospel" throughout, he says.
Methodist church missionaries, they were tasked with "Westernizing" and
"Christianizing" the Chinese pioneers, the majority working in
labour-based jobs like the railroad. Filming and interviews with Wong and his relatives, encompassing a number of generations, happened last fall. "Before
the documentary, I didn't know a lot about my ancestry," says Wong's
second generation cousin, West Vancouver resident Tracey Hinder, 15,
who's featured in the film. Hinder attends West Vancouver secondary. "I
only knew that I was Chinese-Canadian, that my mother was Chinese and
that my father was British-Canadian. With the making of the
documentary, I found that my family history started to unfold and I
never knew that part of myself. It was absolutely fascinating," Hinder
says. Hinder is a member of her school's multiculturalism club,
which organizes activities for students to participate in. She's also
learning Mandarin. Wong says he's proud of her as he believes
it's important to ensure the younger generations of his family come to
know and recognize their ancestral roots. Read More:
Friday, July 27

Generations: The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld. July 29th - 4pm and midnight
by
Todd
on Fri 27 Jul 2007 01:44 PM PDT
Generations: The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld. July 29th - 4pm and midnight
The
Chan Legacy is the lead episode in the new documentary series
Generations on CBC Newsworld. It debuted on July 4th - my grandmother's 97th birthday.
How fitting! Because the show is about her grand-father Rev. Chan Yu Tan who came to Canada in 1896 as a Christian missionary.
Feedback
has been very positive. Family members are very proud. Friends are
very supportive. Historians are enthusiastic. Strangers are thrilled. Listen to Auntie Helen and Uncle Victor tell stories about Rev. and Mrs. Chan, and about growing up in pre-WW2 BC, and facing racial discrimination. Uncle Victor Wong also tells about enlisting as a Canadian soldier to go behind enemy lines in the Pacific for suicide squadrons, fighting for Canada, even though Chinese-Canadians could not vote in the country of their birth. The next generations assimiliated more easily into Canadian culture. Gary Lee became an actor and singer. Janice Wong became a visual artist and author of the book CHOW: From China to Canada - memories of food and family, which addressed the history of Rev. Chan coming to Canada, and how Janice's dad started a Chinese restaurant in Prince Albert SK. Then there is Todd Wong - cultural and community activist who founded Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner - which inspired a CBC Vancouver television performance special. Todd is shown active in the dragon boat community, and speaking at a Terry Fox Run in the role of a 16 year cancer survivor. Renowned Japanese-Canadian author Joy Kogawa makes an appearance, as Todd was also involved in helping to save Kogawa's childhood home from demolition and to turn it into a national historic and literary landmark.
July 29th Sunday - repeats at midnight
| |
4:00 p.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 |
J
Thursday, July 19

Kilts and family history abound during two episodes of the 6-part Generations series on CBC Newsworld
by
Todd
on Thu 19 Jul 2007 05:38 PM PDT
Kilts and family history abound during two episodes of the 6-part Generations series on CBC Newsworld
Find
out what a 250 year old Anglophone family in Quebec City and a 120 year
old Chinese-Canadian family in Vancouver have in common.
Both have:
bagpipes and kilts
+ accordion music
+ canoe/dragon boat racing
+ immigration as a topic
+ Church music
+ archival photos/newsreels of an ex-premier
+ cultural/racial discrimination stories
+ prominent Canadian historical events to show how
the families embraced them or were challenged by them
+ both featured saving a historical literary landmark.
+ younger generation learning the non-English language Generations: The Chan Legacy features Todd Wong, founder of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a quirky Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner, which inspired a CBC Vancouver television performance special. Todd's involvements with Terry Fox Run, Joy Kogawa House campaign and dragon boat racing are also shown.
July 29th 4pm PST / July 30th 12am
| 4:00 p.m. | Generations: The Chan Legacy - Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |  |
August 5th 4pm PST
July 4, 10 pm ET/PT, July 8 10 am ET, July 29, 7 pm ET
The
documentary begins with Todd Wong playing the accordion, wearing a
kilt. He promotes cultural fusion, and in doing so, he honours the
legacy of his great, great, grandfather Reverend Chan Yu Tan. The Chans
go back seven generations in Canada and are one of the oldest families
on the West Coast.
 The Chan family
Reverend
Chan and his wife Wong Chiu Lin left China for Victoria in 1896 at a
time when most Chinese immigrants were simple labourers, houseboys and
laundrymen who had come to British Columbia to build the railroad or
work in the mines. The Chans were different. They were educated and
Westernized Methodist Church missionaries who came to convert the
Chinese already in Canada, and teach them English. The Chans were a
family with status and they believed in integration. However even they
could not escape the racism that existed at the time, the notorious
head tax and laws that excluded the Chinese from citizenship.
In
the documentary, Reverend Chan's granddaughter Helen Lee, grandson
Victor Wong, and great grandson Gary Lee recall being barred from
theaters, swimming pools and restaurants. The Chinese were not allowed
to become doctors or lawyers, pharmacists or teachers. Still, several
members of the Chan family served in World War II, because they felt
they were Canadian and wanted to contribute. Finally, in 1947, Chinese
born in Canada were granted citizenship and the right to vote.
Today,
Todd Wong, represents a younger generation of successful professionals
and entrepreneurs scattered across North America. He promotes his own
brand of cultural integration through an annual event in Vancouver
called Gung Haggis Fat Choy. It's a celebration that joins Chinese New
Year with Robbie Burns Day, and brings together the two cultures that
once lived completely separately in the early days of British Columbia.
We
also meet a member of the youngest generation, teenager Tracey Hinder,
who also cherishes the legacy of Reverend Chan, but in contrast to his
desire to promote English she is studying mandarin and longs to visit
the birthplace of her ancestors.
Produced by Halya Kuchmij, narrated by Michelle Cheung.
July 11, 10 pm ET/PT, July 15, 10 am ET, August 5, 7 pm ET
For
250 years, the Blair family has been part of the Protestant Anglophone
community of Quebec City. The Anglophones were once the dominant
cultural and economic force in the city, but now they are a tiny
minority, and those who have chosen to stay have had to adapt to a very
different world. Louisa Blair guides us through the story of her
family, which is also the story of a community that had to change.
 Ronnie Blair
The
senior member of the family today is Ronnie Blair. He grew up in
Quebec, but like generations of Blairs before him, he worked his way up
the corporate ladder in the Price Company with the lumber barons of the
Saguenay. Ronnie Blair's great grandfather came to the Saguenay from
Scotland in 1842. Ronnie's mother was Jean Marsh. Her roots go back to
the first English families to make Quebec home after British troops
defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. The Marsh family
amassed a fortune in the shoe industry in Quebec City.
The
Marshes and the Blairs were part of a privileged establishment that
lived separately from the Catholics and the Francophones, with their
own churches and institutions. The Garrison Club for instance, is a
social club that is still an inner sanctum for Quebec's Anglo
businessmen.
 The Blair family
Work took Ronnie Blair and his family to England in the 1960’s but his
children longed to return to Canada, and to Quebec City. Alison Blair
was the first to return, as a student, in 1972. Her brother David
followed in 1974. Both were excited by the political and social changes
that had taken place during the Quiet Revolution in Quebec and threw
themselves into everything Francophone. David learned to speak French,
married a French Canadian and settled into a law practice.
Then
came the Referendum of 1995, a painful moment in the history of the
Anglophone community, and for the passionate Blairs. But David decided
he was in Quebec to stay, and today his children are bilingual and
bicultural. More recently his sister Louisa also returned to Quebec
City and a desire to rediscover her past led her to write a book
called, The Anglos, the Hidden Face of Quebec. Her daughter is also is
growing up bilingual and bicultural, representing a new generation
comfortable in both worlds.
Produced by Jennifer Clibbon and Lynne Robson.
Tuesday, July 10

Generations on CBC Newsworld. The Chan Legacy plays 5 times
by
Todd
on Tue 10 Jul 2007 01:22 AM PDT
Generations on CBC Newsworld. The Chan Legacy plays 5 times
The Chan Legacy is the lead episode in the new documentary series Generations on CBC Newsworld. It has played a total of 5 times. But only the 1st and 2nd times were listed correctly on the www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generations website. I had trouble finding listings on the www.cbc.ca/newsworld program listings. Feedback has been very positive. Family members are very proud. Friends are very supportive. Historians are enthusiastic. Strangers are thrilled. The series is supposed to repeat on July 29th and is listed on the Generations website - but not the CBC Newsworld program listings. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I am looking forward to seeing the other Generations stories. The Blairs of Quebec begins on Wednesday July 11th. The McCurdy Birthright begins on Wednesday July 18th The Crowfoot Dynasty begins on Wednesday July 25th July 4th Wednesday | |
7:00 p.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 |
July 4th Wednesday
|
|
10:00 p.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 |
July 6th Friday | |
1:00 a.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 |
July 8th Sunday | |
7:00 a.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 |
July 9th, Monday | |
12:00 a.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 | Other upcoming Generations episodesJuly 11th, WednesdayJuly 18th, WednesdayJuly 25th, Wednesday
Sunday, July 8

Where was GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld at 10am PST
by
Todd
on Sun 08 Jul 2007 12:44 PM PDT
Where was GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld at 10am PSTI received a number of e-mails this morning asking this very question? The http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generations/ website listed 10am EST/PST but evidently only broadcast at 10am EST (7am PST) I have sent notice to the Generations executive producer. looks like different branches of CBC (Newsworld and documentaries aren't talking to each other). I have both video and dvd - and will try to arrange for a public /family viewing at a restaurant if possible. In the meantime - please check http://www.cbc.ca/programguideThe Chan Legacy is next set to air on July 29th, Sunday, 7pm EST (which means 4pm PST).
Thursday, July 5

Watching "GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy" with my grandmother and family
by
Todd
on Thu 05 Jul 2007 01:49 PM PDT
Watching "GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy" with my grandmother and familyWe attended the 97th birthday dinner for my grandmother, Mabel Mar (who can be seen in the documentary during the home movies, and in the Gung Haggis Fat Choy television special dinner segment. It was great to watch with family members who hadn't seen the documentary yet. My cousins Diane, Chris, Auntie Sylvia and Uncle Ian were all so pleased at how well done the show was. They kept talking over the narration whenever they recognized somebody in the pictures or the home movies that were shown. Below are e-mails and messages that I have received from friends and family: Todd - YOU have made us all very proud of our ancestors. YOU did a great job to make this happen MANY thanks - David Young (Toronto cousin)
Dear Todd-really touched by your family, thought it was beautifully told - you look like your aunt Helen Lee but in a handsome, manly way. What a treasure to have this documentary of this incredible clan-well done, thanks for sharing - Jane Duford - artist and Gung Haggis paddler
SO Canadian. Great documentary, and I'm glad that I caught it. Well, I only received half a dozen messages about it. ;) The other segments look really good, too. - Hillary Wong
I really enjoyed the program although I missed the
first 10 minutes of the hour long program. Now I know more about the story
of your life than before. I was touched not only by the story of Reverend
Chan, the struggles of the early Chinese immigrants and "Canadian" Citizens but
also your own survival and how overcame your health challenges and your Gung
Haggis Fat Choy initiatives. A documentation well done.
- Kelly Ip (community organizer, Canadian Club advisor)
Karen and I enjoyed it. Watch the whole thing. - Richard Mah (Vancouver International Dragon Boat Race - race director) Congratulations, Todd! I actually read a story last year about your
family in the North Shore News -- how proud you must feel!!!! &
how proud I am to know you!!! --Terrie Hamazaki (writer)Todd! Generations was excellent! I loved it! You were so great in it!! Great job on all of your hard work in putting this together, it was really interesting. Tell Aunty Mabel Happy Birthday for me! Talk to you soon Katie (Toronto cousin)
Yay for you, Todd, and all your family - mine are relative newcomers, just
here since 1948, when we were refugees after ww2 -cheers!- Ieva Wool - choir conductor of High Spirits EXCELLENT PROGRAM TODD!! Congratulations! I am proud of you and your accomplishments!! You are a blessing to our world. Rev. Angelica (minister of Celebration of Life Centre) The Show was excellent. It is a piece of history that needs to be taught in school.Raphael Fang - Kilts Night co-ordinatorThanks for letting me know about the documentary. I
manage to see it last night. It was well done and you interviewed well and
looked great! A lot of hard work but well worth
it.
- Gordy (genealogist organizer and head tax advocate)
Just finished watching "Generations" and just want
to say THANK YOU! for a great documentary on our family
history. You did a great job working with Halya!
Love, Auntie Roberta (grand-daughter of Rev. Chan Yu Tan, Victor Wong's sister)
sharing,-jane
Wednesday, July 4

GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy airs today 10pm on CBC Newsworld
by
Todd
on Wed 04 Jul 2007 05:27 PM PDT
GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy airs today 10pm on CBC Newsworld
| |
10:00 p.m. |
Generations: The Chan Legacy
- Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's. |
 |
Yesterday I
was interviewed 8:20 am Tuesday morning, July 3rd, by Rick Cluff for the CBC Radio 690 show "The Early Edition." Rick first asked me how I got interested in family history, and I replied that one of the first computer programs I got was for genealogy. I had found it fascinating that we were descended from a Chinese United Church minister. It was important for me to find positive role models growing up, because as a Chinese-Canadian, there weren't many. I grew up in North Vancouver, and many people couldn't tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese back then. Some people would tell me to go back where I came from. I brought some photo displays into the radio studio and Rick asked about them. "Here's a picture of Rev. Chan Yu Tan" when he first arrived in Canada in 1896." Here's a picture of Uncle Dan and his brothers during WW2" "Here's a picture of our family reunion in 1999." "How many people attended, Todd?" "We had over 200 people, from all across the continent Rick - from Ontario, Alberta, Washington, California." Rick asked what I hoped the younger generations would learn from the story. I told him that it was important for our younger generations to learn what our ancestors had overcome, such as the head tax, the 1907 riot, the exclusion act, gaining the voting franchise. And that it is an important story for all Canadians. Too often as multigenerational Chinese-Canadians we get lumped in with the new immigrants as "Chinese" - even though our family has been here for seven generations. Rick asked "What would Rev. Chan think of Gung Haggis Fat Choy" but our family didn't go to Church. When I was little, I attended one day of class at the Chinese United Church. I was little and cried for my mother almost the entire time. But the legacy of Rev. Chan Yu Tan and his brother and sisters still lives in our family. It lives on in the stories that my grandmother and my mother have shared with me. My grand-uncle Daniel Lee and his sister Helen Lee, lived with Rev. and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan in Nanaimo while they were growing up. Auntie Helen recalls her memories while she is interviewed for the documentary. There are some newsclips of Uncle Dan and Chinese-Canadian veterans at Vancouver's Victory Square cenotaph for Remembrance Day. Many of our family is excited at seeing the documentary tonight. I have received e-mails from Ontario, and Washington. Distant family members I haven't met have found the Rev. Chan Legacy facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2390778670Here are some well wishes from my friends after hearing me on radio and receiving my announcements about GENERATIONS: The Chan Legacy Good morning Todd, just heard you on CBC Early Edition about your family. I look forward to watching it tomorrow night on CBC Newsworld at 10 p.m. I hope some of our colleagues will watch some of the Chinese history in Vancouver. You may wish to tell us something more about this 6-part series on Chinese pioneers in Vancouver. - Kelly Ip (Community organizer and advisor on Canadian Club Vancouver)
Thanks, Todd...
Heard you this morning, and you sounded great (however brief).
Will try to catch your segment. In fact, they all sound fascinating.
Cheers,
Thank you Todd for sharing your family's history
with us. This forms part of the Canadian national identity.
- Begum Vergee (my co-director on Canadian Club Vancouver.
Wonderful experience to be part of such an
important legacy. Thanks for letting us know. Shirley Chan (community activist)
Todd: Thanks so much for this! Chuck Davis - Vancouver Historian
Hi Todd congratulations !!!! where are you going to watch tonight's episode .... invite me along if appropriate. All good things, Joseph Roberts - publisher of Common Ground
Hey Todd,
Great to hear from you. I look forward to
seeing the doc.
Warm regards,
Moyra Rodger - producer of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy television performance special

Generations is a 6 part series and the lead installment is The Chan Legacy -
which is about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, and our
family descendants who are committed to community service - like me!
The episodes of the series are:
Watch The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld July 4, 10 pm ET/PT, July 8, 10 am ET/PT, July 29, 7 pm ET Many family members were interviewed:
- Victor Wong, grand-son, WW2 veteran and Victoria resident who visited his grandparents in Nanaimo BC.
- Helen Lee, grand-daughter, who lived with Rev. & Mrs. Chan Yu Tan in Nanaimo.
- Gary Lee, great-grandson who tells about some of the challenges overcome by the family.
- Janice Wong, great-grand-daughter, and award winning author of CHOW: From China to Canada, memories of food and family.
- Rhonda
Larrabee, great-grand-daughter, and chief of the First Nations Qayqayt
(New Westminster) Band, featured in the NFB film "Tribe of One."
- Todd Wong, great-great-grandson, community and cultural activist,
creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.
- Tracey
Hinder, 5th generation high school student who was the inaugural
Vancouver CanSpell champion and went on to compete in Ottawa and
Washington DC. Tracey is a member of her school's "multicultural club."

Rev. Chan Yu Tan came
to Canada in 1896, following his elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai who
had earlier arrived in 1888 at the invitation of the Methodist Church
of Canada. These two brothers were later followed by sisters Phoebe in
1899, and Naomi who later moved to Chicago. Throughout seven
generations, the family has spread throughout Canada and the United
States. The Rev. Chan Yu Tan Family was featured in the photographic
exhibition Three Early Chinese Canadian Pioneer Families.
   Read my blog entries about Rev. Chan Legacy Project which includes stories during the making of the documentary and events for Janice Wong's award-winning book C H O W: From China to Canada memoris of food and family.
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/RevChanLegacyProject http://c-h-o-w.blogspot.com/ Please
tell all your friends and relatives about this upcoming documentary,
very informative about the history of Chinese-Canadians, and the legacy
they have built in Canada. check out the CBC Generations home page: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generations/
Monday, July 2

CBC Radio 690 - Todd to be interviewed for Early Edition with Rick Cluff
by
Todd
on Mon 02 Jul 2007 01:57 PM PDT
CBC Radio 690 - Todd to be interviewed for Early Edition with Rick Cluff
I am being interviewed 8:20 am Tuesday morning, July 3rd, by Rick Cluff. They will be asking me about my involvement with the Generations: The Chan Legacy television documentary. It's been an incredible experience! How often does a family get to tell their story in a national television series? I know this is also the result of a lot of hard work. In 1999, and 2000, we held the first of Rev. Chan Family Legacy reunion dinners. We were featured in the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives project: Three Pioneer Chinese Canadian families. I have been able to preview a dvd of the show - and it brought tears to my eyes. My parents watched it with me last week, and on Friday night, we showed it to my grandmother. She was so amazed to see pictures of her grandparents - Rev. & Mrs. Chan Yu Tan... and to hear the stories about them from her sister Helen Lee and cousin Victor Wong. There are also home movies from my great-grandmother Kate Lee's 75th birthday party from 1965. As my multi-generational Caucasian-Canadian girlfriend says - "It's like any Canadian family - this one just happens to have gone through anti-Asian racism, the head-tax, and couldn't vote until 1947." With film clips from WW2, Douglas Jung, Nanaimo Chinatown in the 1800's, Vancouver Chinatown in the 1950's, Vancouver's golden Jubilee celebrations - This documentary truly is a history of Chinese Canadians in Vancouver and BC.

Generations is a 6 part series and the lead installment is The Chan Legacy -
which is about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, and our
family descendants who are committed to community service - like me!
The episodes of the series are:
Watch The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld July 4, 10 pm ET/PT, July 8, 10 am ET/PT, July 29, 7 pm ET Producer Halya Kuchmij is very proud of her work, and that we are the first in the series. It must be a very strong, emotional,
educational documentary. I have been an adviser and witness to many of
the interviews, as well as some of the script. I have to say it made
me very proud of our family, and the show is very emotionally
touching. And I haven't even seen it yet!
Many family members were interviewed:
- Victor Wong, grand-son, WW2 veteran and Victoria resident who visited his grandparents in Nanaimo BC.
- Helen Lee, grand-daughter, who lived with Rev. & Mrs. Chan Yu Tan in Nanaimo.
- Gary Lee, great-grandson who tells about some of the challenges overcome by the family.
- Janice Wong, great-grand-daughter, and award winning author of CHOW: From China to Canada, memories of food and family.
- Rhonda
Larrabee, great-grand-daughter, and chief of the First Nations Qayqayt
(New Westminster) Band, featured in the NFB film "Tribe of One."
- Todd Wong, great-great-grandson, community and cultural activist,
creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.
- Tracey
Hinder, 5th generation high school student who was the inaugural
Vancouver CanSpell champion and went on to compete in Ottawa and
Washington DC. Tracey is a member of her school's "multicultural club."

Rev. Chan Yu Tan came
to Canada in 1896, following his elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai who
had earlier arrived in 1888 at the invitation of the Methodist Church
of Canada. These two brothers were later followed by sisters Phoebe in
1899, and Naomi who later moved to Chicago. Throughout seven
generations, the family has spread throughout Canada and the United
States. The Rev. Chan Yu Tan Family was featured in the photographic
exhibition Three Early Chinese Canadian Pioneer Families.
   Read my blog entries about Rev. Chan Legacy Project which includes stories during the making of the documentary and events for Janice Wong's award-winning book C H O W: From China to Canada memoris of food and family.
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/RevChanLegacyProject http://c-h-o-w.blogspot.com/ Please
tell all your friends and relatives about this upcoming documentary,
very informative about the history of Chinese-Canadians, and the legacy
they have built in Canada.
check out the CBC Generations home page: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generations/
Tuesday, June 19

CBC Generations documentary series features BC's Rev. Chan family and descendants (including me!)
by
Todd
on Tue 19 Jun 2007 03:55 PM PDT
CBC Generations documentary series features BC's Rev. Chan family and descendants (including me!)


Generations is a 6 part series and the lead installment is The Chan Legacy - which is about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, and our family descendants who are committed to community service - like me! The episodes of the series are:
Watch The Chan Legacy on CBC Newsworld July 4, 10 pm ET/PT, July 8, 10 am ET/PT, July 29, 7 pm ET Producer Halya Kuchmij is very proud of her work, and that we are the first in the series. It must be a very strong, emotional,
educational documentary. I have been an adviser and witness to many of
the interviews, as well as some of the script. I have to say it made
me very proud of our family, and the show is very emotionally
touching. And I haven't even seen it yet!
Many family members were interviewed:
- Victor Wong, grand-son, WW2 veteran and Victoria resident who visited his grandparents in Nanaimo BC.
- Helen Lee, grand-daughter, who lived with Rev. & Mrs. Chan Yu Tan in Nanaimo.
- Gary Lee, great-grandson who tells about some of the challenges overcome by the family.
- Janice Wong, great-grand-daughter, and award winning author of CHOW: From China to Canada, memories of food and family.
- Rhonda Larrabee, great-grand-daughter, and chief of the First Nations Qayqayt (New Westminster) Band, featured in the NFB film "Tribe of One."
- Todd Wong, great-great-grandson, community and cultural activist,
creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.
- Tracey Hinder, 5th generation high school student who was the inaugural Vancouver CanSpell champion and went on to compete in Ottawa and Washington DC. Tracey is a member of her school's "multicultural club."

Rev. Chan Yu Tan came to Canada in 1896, following his elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai who had earlier arrived in 1888 at the invitation of the Methodist Church of Canada. These two brothers were later followed by sisters Phoebe in 1899, and Naomi who later moved to Chicago. Throughout seven generations, the family has spread throughout Canada and the United States. The Rev. Chan Yu Tan Family was featured in the photographic exhibition Three Early Chinese Canadian Pioneer Families.
   Read my blog entries about Rev. Chan Legacy Project which includes stories during the making of the documentary and events for Janice Wong's award-winning book C H O W: From China to Canada memoris of food and family.
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/RevChanLegacyProject http://c-h-o-w.blogspot.com/ Please tell all your friends and relatives about this upcoming documentary, very informative about the history of Chinese-Canadians, and the legacy they have built in Canada.
the following is from the CBC Generations home page: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/generations/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Generations: The Chan Legacy The
documentary begins with Todd Wong playing the accordion, wearing a
kilt. He promotes cultural fusion, and in doing so, he honours the
legacy of his great, great, grandfather The Reverend Chan Yu Tan. The
Chans go back seven generations in Canada and are one of the oldest
families on the West Coast.
The Chan family Reverend Chan left China for Victoria in 1896 at a time when most Chinese immigrants were simple labourers, houseboys and laundrymen who had come to British Columbia
to build the railroad or work in the mines. His wife Mrs. Chan Wong Shee followed him later in 1899. The Chans were different.
They were educated and Westernized Methodist Church missionaries who
came to convert the Chinese already in Canada,
and teach them English. The Chans were a family with status and they
believed in integration. However even they could not escape the racism
that existed at the time, the notorious head tax and laws that excluded
the Chinese from citizenship. In
the documentary, Reverand Chan's granddaughter Helen Lee, grandson
Victor Wong, and great grandson Gary Lee recall being barred from
theaters, bowling alleys and restaurants. The Chinese were not allowed
to become doctors or lawyers, pharmacists or teachers. Still, several
members of the Chan family served in World War II,
because they felt they were Canadian and wanted to contribute. Finally,
in 1947, Chinese born in Canada were granted citizenship and the right
to vote. Todd Wong Today, Todd Wong,
represents a younger generation of successful professionals and entrepreneurs scattered across North America.
He promotes his own brand of cultural integration through an annual
event in Vancouver called Gung Haggis Fat Choy. It's a celebration that
joins Chinese New Year with Robbie Burns Day, and brings together the two cultures that once lived completely separately in the early days of British Columbia. We also meet a member of the youngest generation, teenager Tracey
Hinder, who also cherishes the legacy of Reverend Chan, but in contrast
to his desire to promote English she is studying mandarin and longs to
visit the birthplace of her ancestors. Produced by Halya Kuchmij, narrated by Michele Cheung.
Saturday, February 24

Chow Time: Janice Wong featured in Canadian Living Magazine
by
Todd
on Sat 24 Feb 2007 11:17 PM PST
Janice Wong is featured in this month's Canadian Living magazine (March 2007). The article is titled Chow Time: Celebrate Chinese New Year with traditional home-style recipes compliments of the Wong family. It was through an artist's eyes, and with an artist's deft touch, that Vancouver native Janice Wong delved into her family's rich history—which straddled the Canadian West in the 1920s, as well as the political quagmire that was China in the 1930s—to share their fascinating story in the pages of CHOW, From China to Canada: Memories of Food and Family (Whitecap, 2005, $24.95).
-Canadian Living Magazine, Food, p. 163, March 2007 more »
Friday, December 22

CBC Lotusland Saskachewan (CHOW) documentary about Janice Wong tonight
by
Todd
on Fri 22 Dec 2006 07:19 PM PST
This spring and summer, Janice Wong (my 2nd cousin-once removed) did some filming with producer Costa Maragos for a documentary about her, and her book CHOW.
Janice will also be featured in the Generations documentary about the Rev. Chan family descendants. Costa also produced the Generations Saskatchewan documentary.
Janice wrote me:
Lotusland Saskatchewan (Chow) documentary has been rescheduled to run tomorrow night (Friday, December 22) during the CBC National, 10-11 pm...but, as it goes with short documentaries during the news broadcast, there is still the chance that it could be preempted again.
more »
Wednesday, December 13

Generations Rev. Chan Yu Tan: Editing being done for the CBC documentary on Rev. Chan and descendants
by
Todd
on Wed 13 Dec 2006 01:54 PM PST
Halya is convinced this "our project" is going to rock! She is amazed at the almost 120 year long family history that started when Mr. Chan Sing Kai first came to Canada at the invitation of the Methodist Church of Canada in November 1888. There are now 7 generations of Chan descendants throughout North America, descended from eldest brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai, who later moved to California, Rev. Chan Yu Tan (my great-great-grandfather who retired in New Westminster), and Aunt Naomi who had moved to Chicago. Aunt Phoebe is the 4th sibling who stayed with the Chinese United Church in Vancouver, and became affectionately known as "The Bible Lady" - she never married. more »
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