The Taiwanese Cultural Festival is one of Vancouver's most exciting festivals. 
It is truly a mixture of arts, culture, music and sports. And it features both local and international artists.

Name another cultural festival in Vancouver with it's own dragon boat races...  Did you say Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival?  That's really a dragon boat race with a festival attached to it.  The Taiwanese Cultural Festival really stands on its own.  Dragon Boat racing was only introduced as a side event 6 years ago.  And.... these dragon boat races are special - no where else in Canada will you find a dragon boat race where you have to grab a flag before you cross the finish line.  It makes for a very exciting race to watch.


Name another ethnic festival that features internationally known performers...  Did you say the SUCCESS fundraiser at GM Place?  True but it's not actually a walkabout festival and you would have to pay way more than the $10-$12 to get in.  This is like the PNE - but for Taiwanese culture and history.  And lots of entertainment in both Mandarin in English languages.  This year's Taiwan Festival features Wu Bai & China Blue Concert Tour - only one of two North American stops.

On Saturday morning, I popped into the Taiwanese Festival in between races.  I watched part of the opening ceremonies with all the VIP's sitting in the front of the stage.  I recognized city councilors Raymond Louie and BC Lee.  MLA Raj Chouhan and provincial candidate Gabriel Yui.  It was also nice to talk to James Chou, one of the event organizers.  The Taiwanese Cultural Festival has always played a big role in getting local politicians to attend.  I can't think of any other ethnic festivals that would warrant enough attention in the ethnic community to warrant political parties having their own booths, but here there were information booths set up by the provincial NDP, and the civic COPE and Vision Vancouver parties.

Our dragon boaters always like to go visit the food stalls at the Taiwanese Festival.  Dim Sum is available, as well as noodles, sticky rice and curried squid.   My friend Dave and I shared shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings and sticky rice.  It hit the spot nicely.  Usually we recommend to our paddlers not to eat too much greasy food such as hamburgers and fries before racing.  But these light foods satisfied the tummy just right.


In the afternoon, I was able to see part of the music performance of Eastern Legends by Chai Found Music Workshop.  They have an exciting blend of Chinese traditional music instruments that thye use with rock music stylings and a great energetic dance moves. 


I also was lucky to see Orchid Ensemble - one of my favorite cross-cultural fusion music ensembles.  They always bring a high level of viturosity to their performances.

After the racing was done, I went back to the exhibit booths where I found Gregor Robertson, former MLA for Vancouver-Fairview, and now mayor candidate for Vision Vancouver.  Gregor had attended this year's Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, and I've met him a few times over the years.  He had never seen a Taiwanese dragon boat before, so I took him down to the dock, just after the last races had finished.  I explained how the Taiwanese dragon boat races were different than the other dragon boat races in Vancouver, and how we set up the first flag grabbing demonstration race between city councilor Raymond Louie and former Olympic Gold Medalist Lori Fung.  If Gregor is going to be our next Vancouver mayor, it's also important that he understands how dragon boat racing is considered both an iconic and integral part of Vancouver's cultural diversity.  We also briefly talked about the threat to False Creek by the accidental sewage dumps caused by the 2010 constuction in South East False Creek, and how it affects recreational boating for Vancouverites.

Here are some of the other featured performances at the Taiwanese Cultural Festival this year.

• When Danny met Sophie
  The Encounter of Erhu and Cello

Every year, the Royal BC Museum has an interactive display that visiting tourists can have their picture taken with.  Last year it was for their Titanic display.  This is a great place for tourists.  It sits kitty corner to Victoria's Inner Harbour, and is on south side of The Empress Hotel, and the East side of the BC Legislature buildings.

This year, you can stand next to some of BC's most interesting people.  All of these figures are featured in the exhibit "The Party."  In this picture above are some of my cultural heroes including Rick Hansen, Chief Dan George, Emily Carr and my friend Joy Kogawa.  My girlfrend Deb Martin is standing right behind Joy (in red).  We first learned about "The Party" exhibit last summer, when Joy needed a full length picture of her to give to the Royal BC Museum.  We took this picture for Joy, and were glad she was happy.

It's part of the "Free Spirit" exhibition to celebrate the 150th birthday of British Columbia, founded as a colony in 1858, and joined Canada in 1871 for the promise of a coast to coast railway. 

Joy Kogawa in "The Party" - photo by Todd Wong

Deb and I first visited the exhibit on April 23rd, earlier this year. It was with great excitement that we went to the Royal BC Museum, and up the escalator, searching for the picture of our friend Joy Kogawa.  We visited with writer friend Gary Geddes and David Kogawa, Joy's good friend and ex-husband.  Read our account of our visit here: Todd's adventure in Victoria: Traveling to "The Party" at BC Royal Museum
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/_archives/2008/4/25/3659001.html

But this time we had a different reason to visit.  This time, there was a life-size picture of me, Todd Wong aka "Toddish McWong."

At the exhibit, they had also asked visitors for nominations to fill the remaining spots.  I was voted in to "The Party" along with Trevor Linden, Dal Richards, Red Robinson, Ida Chong and Jennie Butchart.

Deb and I arrived in Victoria after a late start on the 2pm ferry sailing from Tsawwassen.  We checked into The Empress Hotel, because we were also attending an evening event there to celebrate "150 Years in Golden Mountain", an awards and dinner gala to celebrate 150 years of Chinese Canadian history and achievement in Canada, BC and Victoria.  See my account of the evening here: Victoria celebrates 150 years of Chinese Canadian History with a grand dinner and awards.

We walked over to the Royal BC Museum, enjoying the lovely sea breeze and the sunshine.  The Empress Hotel, now known as the "Fairmont Empress" was designed 100 years ago by BC architect Frances Rattenbury, who also designed the BC Legislature buildings.


- photo Deb Martin

This is the video display of the "Todd Wong bio." The original photograph was taken by my friend Richard Montagna.  Richard specializes in fine art, commercial,  portrait, action, and landscape photography.

It reads: 

Voted in by the visiting public, this person is seen as an important figure in BC history!

Todd Wong (1980- )
Passionate about intercultural adventures, "Toddish McWong" founded Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a Robert Burns / Chinese New Year event that has been celebrating with an annual dinner since 1997.

Corrections:
No - Todd wasn't born in 1980.  That would have made him only 13 years old when he first invited the phrase "Gung Haggis Fat Choy" while wearing his first kilt for a Robbie Burns celebration at Simon Fraser University.  Sometimes museums make typo mistakes too.

My girlfriend's favorite character in the display (besides me) is the Vancouver Island Marmot - photo Deb Martin

Gravity is a wonderful "made in Vancouver" play that is going on tour to it's roots in the Carribean.  It is playing in Vancouver on Wednesday, August 13th.


Tricia Collins in her self-written play Gravity - photo courtesy of Urban Ink

Here was my review when I first saw GRAVITY.  I LOVED IT.
Review: Gravity astounds the senses - Tricia Collins takes the audience on a journey into her past and across two oceans

Check out more information about this very interesting one woman play about how she discovers her family roots in Guyana and the family secrets which helped shape her past, and influence her future.  Tricia Collins did a fine job writing and acting.

Trevor Linden, Red Robinson, Dal Richards, Ida Chong and Todd Wong are the newest invitees to the Royal BC Museum's exhibit "The Party" to celebrate BC's 150 year history.

If you could invite 150 of BC's most colourful citizens throughout it's 150 year history to "The Party" who would you invite?

Governor James Douglas or Pamela Anderson?  Architects George Rattenbury, Arthur Eriksen, or James Cheng?  Athletes Joe Sakic, Karen Magnusson, Steve Nash or Nancy Greene?  Artists Emily Carr, Toni Onley, Jack Shadbolt or Robert Davidson? Community Activists Nelly McClung, Rosemary Brown or the Raging Grannies? 

Inspirational icons Terry Fox or Rick Hansen?  Politicians Svend Robinson, Grace McCarthy, Dave Barrett, Kim Campbell or Amor de Cosmos?  Musicians Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, David Foster or Sarah McLachlan? Authors Jane Rule, Douglas Coupland, Dorothy Livesay  or Joy Kogawa? 

Actors Chief Dan George, Yvonne De Carlo, Kim Catrall or Bruno Gerussi?  Environmentalists David Suzuki or Roderick Haig Brown?  Business leaders Tong Louie, Jimmy Pattison or Nat Bailey? And what about "Hanging Judge" Begbie, Expo Ernie or Mr. Peanut?

The Royal BC Museum's website says"

All of the above are all invited as guests... and now... Gung Haggis Fat Choy founder Todd Wong has joined them along with new invitees Trevor Linden, Ida Chong, Dal Richards, Red Robinson, and Jennie Butchart - the inspiration behind the Butchart Gardens.

Todd Wong stands beside BC hockey player Sakic, beneath author & friend Joy Kogawa, activist Betty Krawcyk, and nearby Gov. James Douglas, when he visited the exhibit on April 23rd - photo Deb Martin.

To see the picture of me in the exhibit check out http://www.freespiritbc.ca/virtualexhibition/theparty.aspx and scroll to the far right.  The picture was taken by my friend Richard Montagna. So far only six of the most recent invitees are on website.  The official press release announcement will be on August 6th.

Read Todd's August 8th account of visiting his picture at the Royal BC Museum:
"Toddish McWong" installed at the "Free Spirit" exhibition at Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum website says:

It is indeed an honour to be included with so many illustrious and creative BCers.  It's amazing to think that Gung Haggis Fat Choy has created such an impact, inspiring dinners in Seattle, Whistler, Ottawa, Wells BC and Santa Barbara California (that I know about).  As well there has been the 2004 CBC television performance special "Gung Haggis Fat Choy", and the SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Festival.


I had visited the exhibit on April 23, when I traveled to accept my BC Community Achievement Award.  We were excited to see the picture of Joy Kogawa, which I had taken.  Joy was one of the original 132 persons chosen for the exhibit, but it was challenging to find a full length picture of her, so I volunteered myself and girlfriend as photographers for her. 

Check out my story about bout finding Joy's picture and visiting the exhibit "The Party":

Todd's adventure in Victoria: Traveling to "The Party" at BC Royal Museum

I guess it is time to write that  "Gung Haggis Fat Choy" book I have wanted to for awhile... or a theatrical play about the mythical Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner called "Gung Haggis Fat Choy."

I personally really think it is time for post-multiculturalism, when we can embrace a mix of cultures as well as creating our own new cultures and traditions out of that mix. 

150 years ago, James Douglas was BC's first governor.  But a lot of people don't realize that he was born of mixed Scottish and Creole bloodlines in Guyana. He married a Metis woman, Amelia Connolly, whose father was an Irish-French fur trader and whose mother was a Cree Chief’s daughter. Author and friend Terry Glavin told me that Douglas had envisioned a new land where people from all over the world could come and live harmoniously in peace.

Racial and cultural issues have always been part of our province's history, whether it was wars between the Haida and the Kwakiutal, Black American or Chinese miners coming to BC for the gold rush, the Potlatch Law, the Chinese Head Tax, the Komagata Maru incident, the internment of Canadian born Japanese-Canadians during WW2, or even the present day First Nations treaty negotiations, migrant farm workers from Central America, nurses and nannies from the Phillipines, rising immigration from Hong Kong and China.

Here are the write-ups for my fellow newest invitees to The Party.


http://www.freespiritbc.ca/virtualexhibition/theparty.aspx