CBC Generations filming: Rev Chan bible + descendants Rhonda and Tracey

On Saturday, we filmed Tracey, Todd Wong and Betty Wong with the Rev. Chan family bible.  It is the largest bible I have ever seen. It is 106 years old, published in 1900.  Bound by leather, it was rebound several years ago, as it was held together by tape.  Karen Chan Wong is the keeper and preserver of the Rev. Chan bible.  She is the eldest daughter of Gerald Chan, son of Jack Chan, son of Rev. Chan Yu Tan.... so Karen is a 4th generation descendant.

Tracey Hinder is a 5th generational descendant of Rev. Chan Yu Tan.  Our grandmothers are sisters, the daughters of Kate Lee, the eldest daughter of Rev. Chan.  Last year in March 2005, Tracey won the BC regional Canspell contest held in Vancouver.  She later travelled to Washington DC for the annual Scripps Spelling Bee, as well as the inaugural CanSpell national championship in Ottawa. Tracey was interviewed by CBC documentary producer Halya Kuchmij on Friday morning.

Halya interviewed me again to address head tax issues.  I share the story about Uncle Dan writing to Parliament every year asking for an apology, but never receiving an answer.  I spoke about how it was an important campaign for me to be involved in, as I have many ancestors who paid the head tax including my mother's father Sonny Mar, and my grandmother's father Ernest Lee.  Both are predeceased and will not be eligible for the Conservative head tax redress refund program.

Rhonda Larrabee, my mother's cousin was also interviewed. Rhonda is also Chief of the Qayqayt First Nations.  Her father Art Lee (my grandmother's elder brother) married Marie Charlie, a First Nations woman.  "Tribe of One" is a movie about how Rhonda came to understand both her Chinese and First Nations heritage, and resurrect the Qayqayt First Nations from obscurity.  When Rhonda first applied for Indian status, the Department of Indian Affairs had claimed that the Qayqayt no longer existed.  She proved them wrong.

CBC Generations filming:  Searching for Rev. Chan on Vancouver Island
  

Rev Chan Yu Tan is 4th from the left, standing beside his elder and taller brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai at the 50th Anniversary of the Chinese United Church in Victoria, 1935.  Rev Chan Sing Kai first came to Canada in 1888 to help found the Chinese Methodist Church which later became the Chinese United Church.  Photo from family archives.

My great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan was a United Church minister on Vancouver Island in Victoria and Nanaimo.  He first arrived in Victoria in 1896, 110 years ago.  He then came to Vancouver to work at the Chinese Methodist Church which was founded by his older brother Rev.Chan Sing Kai, in 1888.  He also ministered in New Westminster, then moved to Nanaimo in the 1920's before returning to New Westminister where he retired.  I have a picture of my mother as a child at the Rev. & Mrs. Chan's 65th wedding anniversary party back around 1943.

The CBC film crew went to Vancouver Island yesterday to interview my grandmother's cousin Victor Wong and my grandmother's younger sister Auntie Helen Lee for a CBC Generations documentary.  They were Rev. Chan's grandchildren who both remember attending their grandfather's services in Nanaimo during the 1920's.  "Auntie" Helen and her younger brother Daniel, lived with Rev. Chan and his wife for a time in Nanaimo.

I travelled with producer Halya Kuchmij, cameraman Doug, and sound guy Rick. We caught a 9am ferry to Victoria, arriving at Uncle Victor's place just after 11am.  Auntie Roberta Lum was also there to greet us.  She brought some pictures that were scanned for use in the documentary.  Uncle Victor talked about visiting his grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, about becoming a Canadian soldier and going to India.  Uncle Victor is the president of the Chinese Canadian veterans association in Victoria, and he was filmed two weekends ago when they hosted a reunion in Victoria.  Uncle Victor gave a speech about how the Chinese-Canadian veterans played a major role in bringing enfranchisement to Chiense Canadians, helping us gain the vote in 1947.  Halya was very pleased with the interview. 

"I loved my grandfather," beamed Uncle Victor, as his face lit up and he recalled happy times playing in Victoria.  He was a very kind man."


Here I am with my Grandmother's cousins Roberta Lum andVictor Wong in Victoria.  Their mother was Rose Chan Wong, a daughter of Rev. Yu Tan Chan.  My great-grandmother Kate was the eldest child of Rev. Chan - photo Halya Kuchmij

We finished after 2pm then went for lunch.  It was a 2+ hour drive to Nanaimo.  We arrived at Auntie Helen's just after 6pm.  We were also greeted by Helen's daughters Donna and Judy.  Auntie Helen talked about growing up in Nanaimo, and attending services with her grandfather Rev. Yu Tan Chan.  She shared that she sometimes accompanied Rev. Chan on his visits to Ladysmith, Duncan and Cumberland where there was a large group of miners.  Rev. Chan held evening services for the miners.

She also talked about her grandmother Mrs. Shee Wong Chan, whom I learned could be a very stern woman as well as loving.  Mrs. Chan was also very active in the community, knowledgable about Chinese herbal medicines and midwifery.  A highlight of the interview was when Auntie Helen sang "Jesus Loves Me," and talked about the hymns that Rev. Chan played on his pump organ at Church.


My favorite Grand-Aunt... Auntie Helen is my grandmother's younger sister, at 91 years old.  She has attended the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners and she LOVES to eat Haggis - photo Halya Kuchmij

We caught the 9pm ferry back to Vancouver/Horseshoe Bay.  It was a long day travelling from the 9am ferry in Tsawassen to a 10:45 arrival at Horseshoe Bay.  But we captured some great interviews on film.  Halya keeps saying "This is going to be a great film."  She is excited and it's great to be part of history in the making!

On Thursday morning we filmed my 15 year old 2nd cousin Tracy Hinder at West Vancouver Secondary School during her mandarin chinese language class.  She next did an interview and talked about what she has learned of her family history and her plans for the future.  Tracy really represents the future history of the family.  At her young age, sh is already a newsmaker.  For the film she also shared her experience winning the 2005 Canspell contest in Vancouver, and going to Ottawa for the National competition.  Tracy remembers being at the Rev. Chan family reunions that her mother helped to organize in 1999 and 2000.  Of course she was very young but remembers that "there were lots of people."

Filming continues this weekend.  Generations: Rev Chan is expected to air in Febrary 2007.

CBC Generations:  Film interviews begin today on the history of Rev. Chan family


Todd Wong is interviewed by producer Halya Kuchmij for the CBC Generations series documentary, at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens.  Wong's maternal  great-great-grandfather Rev. Yu Tan Chan met with Dr. Sun Yat Sen, during his visits to Vancouver.  Wong's paternal cousin Joe Wai is architect of the gardens. - photo Rick Zimmerman.

We started filming interviews today on the CBC documentary series Generations, which will feature the the Rev. Chan Yu Tan family.   It is part of a CBC series that focuses on the histories of families through the generations.  Past episodes include: 100 Years in Alberta; 100 Years in Sasketchewan; A Century on the Siksika Reserve.

Today our interviews were done at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens.  We had a very nice shot of the gardens behind me, while producer Halya Kuchmij asked me questions.  Camera person is Doug.  Sound person is Rick.  They have both been doing additional filming of me at the Richmond Terry Fox Run, and also for a Chinese Canadian veterans reunion in Victoria last weekend.

Halya's interview topics included:
-  what I knew about my great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan;
-  what was Vancouver like when Rev. Chan Yu Tan came to Canada in 1896;
-  what kind of racial prejudice did Chinese-Canadians face in Canada;
-  how has knowing about Rev. Chan influenced any of my community service

Then the rain started getting bigger and wetter.  We went for lunch at Foo's Ho Ho Restaurant which specializes in the old-time style of Cantonese food favoured by the Pioneer descendants of the 20th Century.  Co-owner Joanna was very friendly to us, and recommended a number of dishes.  Halya, Rick, Doug and I exchanged stories about eating Chinese food, and growing up in Canada.  Doug grew up in southern Alberta.  Halya grew up in Manitoba, and I grew up in Vancouver, BC.

We returned to the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens in the afternoon to film me playing the song "Amazing Grace" on my accordion.  It's a song that imagine Rev. Chan playing on his own pump organ.  It was written by former Scottish sea captain, John Newton, who sailed African slaves to the United States.  He later "saw the light," and insisted that the slaves be treated humanely.  He later became a Chuch minister.

We filmed me playing the song slow... then fast.  I was wearing my "Fraser Hunting tartan" kilt, to emphasize my character of "Toddish McWong."  It was lovely playing Amazing Grace in the gardens.  With the gentle rain falling, few tourists visited.  The gardens were peacefully quiet despite the traffic noise.  And indeed the gardens provide a cultural meditative oasis in the heart of this busy city called Vancouver.

Tomorrow we travel to Vancouver Island to visit two of Rev. Chan Yu Tan's grandchildren who remember attending his services at his Nanaimo Church during the 1930's.

Janice is the author of the award winning CHOW - from China to Canada: Memories of Food and Family. Janice was recently in Winnipeg to recieve the Gold Award for the category of "Canadian Food Culture." Here is an excerpt from Toronto Star writer Marion Kane. Read the full article here: beautiful touching award winning book Wong's book CHOW (Whitecap; $24.95) garnered gold in the Canadian Food Culture category... Hers is a tale of growing up in Prince Albert in north-central Saskatchewan, where her father, Dennis, was in the restaurant biz.   more »