The carving experience exceeded our expectations of how much fun and how much work it would be. I would definitely recommend it for every dragon boat team to try. The first time you do anything is always a challenge. We have lots of pictures and stories to share over beers and nachos now. Check out our photos...   more »

Caravan World Rhythms, in association with Britannia Community Services Centre, is seeking emerging and undiscovered world music artists based in British Columbia to perform at a Showcase event on April 29, 30 & May 1, 2005.   more »

CBC TV had filmed us on Monday, Wednesday and came in on Friday for a final report to check out progress development. Laurence Knight was director of the sequences that were filmed on Friday afternoon.   more »

Time is running out for finishing up our carving. Yesterday, we asked our instructor Eric Neighbor how long he thought it took people to carve dragon boat heads in China. "Oh- weeks, probably." "What! And we are doing this in five 5-hour days!" Check out the photos...   more »

ANNOUNCEMENT: Imperial Connections - Canada & the Chinese Labour Corps Vancouver Public Library - Friday Marth 4th, 2005   more »

Here is a fundraiser concert for BC Flood Appeal that my friend Veera devi Khare is involved with. Veera is an amazing opera soprano who also sings classical crossover, jazz and hip hop.    more »

Announcement: Tales of an Urban Indian- written by and starring Darrell Dennis    more »

All the dragons are really starting to take shape after 3 days of carving. We have all pretty well resigned ourselves that the carvings will not be finished on Friday night. Perhaps 10 days of carving is more realistic than the 5 we have available. Check out our pictures...   more »

Imagine the sweet aroma of freshly cut red cedar. Feel the rich grain of wood beneath your fingertips as you caress the bark and grain. Step on wood chips hewn by your own hands. Check out Great Pictures - carving dragon head and tail!   more »

We started carving our red cedar logs into dragon boat heads and tails today! Check out the pictures of us thinking we know what we are doing....   more »

Day One would see us organize our carving schedules, familiarize ourselves with Eric and the program's goals, conceive sketch and design life-size plans.    more »

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team will be one of only four participating teams in a spcecial pilot project organized by Master carver Eric Neighbor and the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival at the Round House Community Centre - starting Sunday Feb 20 and going to Friday Feb 25. This is a great opportunity to have some fun, and to create something as a collective "team".   more »

Come see my poetic friends Fiona Tinwei Lam and Kuldip Gill face-off in a poetry slam against other poets. CBC RADIO ANNOUNCES THE FOURTH ANNUAL NATIONAL POETRY FACE-OFF EVENT IN VANCOUVER FEBRUARY 21 AT 8 PM AT CAFÉ DEUX SOLEILS   more »

20 reasons wh "OBASAN" should be the next choice for the Vancouver Public Library's " One Book One Vancouver program"   more »

REVIEW: George Elliott Clarke at the Vancouver Public Library: reads from new novel "George and Rue". He is an amazing reader...   more »

REVIEW: February 11, 7:30 PM, 2003 - Vancouver Public Library It was a big evening for festivities and accolades as Ariadne Sawyer and Alejandro Mujica-Olea presented World Poetry Life Time Achievement Awards were presented to Addena Sumter Freitag, poet and actress and also to Dugald Christie, poet and crusader for justice.   more »

The weather was wonderfully sunny and clear to celebrate the Year of the Rooster in Chinatown. It was perfect to allow all the performers to strut their stuff, fluff their feathers, dance their steps - and the Lion dancers, the Chinese fan dancers, the martial artists, and the Brazillian dancers all did just that! Fantastic. Lots of pictures!!!!   more »

D.D. Jackson is Canada's foremost Asian-Canadian jazz musician.  Born in Ottawa, to a Chinese Canadian mother and a African-Canadian father, Jackson went to the US to study classical music and jazz.  The topic was: Can Jazz be Classical and vice-versa.

It was a wonderful lecture that had the featured speaker sitting at the piano bench and demonstrating his points on the piano.  When sound problems plagued his microphone, Jackson went to the piano to demonstrate the most successful crossover of jazz becoming classical music: George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.  The audience was enthralled by his performance.  Indeed, it was the most spirited version of the piece I have ever seen.  Usually I see it performed as an orchestral warhorse for pops concerts.  But tonight, it was a solo piece with dazzling runs and heartfelt emotions.  Inspiring for both the audience and the performer.

With noted Canadian author George Elliot Clarke, Jackson wrote the jazz opera "Quebecite."  Jackson has numerous jazz albums and recently recorded his own version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.  He played some tunes from his latest cd "Signe" and closed with a lovely Romanticism inspired song called "Summer" and for an encore he played a Vladimir Horowitz inspired piece called "Rhythm and ?"

During the cd signings after the lecture, my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of meeting the organizer of  Jackson's Vancouver visit - Timothy Brook - principal of St. John's College UBC.  Mr. Brook is a professor of Chinese history, and we quickly discovered our  mutual friends such as Jan Walls and Sandra Sachs.  A gracious man, he invited us back to the college for a private reception with D.D. Jackson.  I may help set up some celebrations for St. John's College for Asian Heritage Month in May.

Check out D.D. Jackson's web page at www.ddjackson.com

more later...

A Holiday in Everything But Name: Chinese New Year is now celebrated locally like never before - is it time to make it official?

Vancouver Sun - February 12 - page D1 & D19

The Vancouver Sun's Kevin Griffin addresses issues around the evolution of Chinese New Year in Vancouver and Canada.  He asks the question: Should Chinese New Year become an official holiday?

Griffin also cites how "the uniquely local Canadian banquet Gung Haggis Fat Choy that mixes and matches Scottish and Chinese New Year's traditions continues to grow and threatens to morph into its own festival."

Griffin interviews Dr. Jan Walls and explores the history of the Vancouver Chinatown parade that originally emerged in the 1960's, faded then re-emerged in 1974.  He then addresses Toddish McWong's Gung Haggis Fat Choy and its spin-offs. I have only included the parts about Gung Haggis Fat Choy and Todd Wong.

"Another multicultural tradition that's 100 percent local is Gung Haggis Fat Choy, the creation of fifth generation Chinese-Canadian Todd Wong.  The postmodern mix of chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day started seven years ago when Wong invited 16 friends for dinner.  Two weeks ago, about 600 people turned out for a feast that included Haggis Wun-tun in maple syrup at Chinatown's Floata Restaurant.

This past year, Wong added something new to the mix: The first annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games at SFU that started off with a Highland dance, a tune by a bagpiper and a Lion Dance.  The main event was dragon cart racing with teams sporting names such as Haggis Hooligans and Fat Choy Chunkies.

Crystal Buchan had the honor of steering the winning team.  At 20, she's in her second year in the theatre-finarts program.

Asked if Chinese New Year should be a holiday, Buchan said, "Sure, why not?."

Todd Wong - aka 'Toddish McWong' - isn't nearly as certain.

'It depends on the will of the people." Wong said.  "It's hard to say at this point."

In part, Wong's perspective comes from his own family history.  He's a descendent of Rev. Chan Yu Tan, his great-great-grandfather who came to B.C. from Hong Kong in 1896 when immigrants were actively discouraged and had to pay a head tax of $50 (later increased to $500).  Wong recalls growing up in the 1960's and 1970's when Chinese culture was maginalized.

Wong's family history spans the historiy of discrimination towards Chinese immigrants and the complete prohibition of immigration from china from 1923 to 1947 with the Chinese Exculsion Act.  Because the emphasis was on fitting in when Wong was growing up int he late 1960's, his fmaily never celebrated chinese New Year.

He believes that the next challenge for Chinese New Year is not only to integrate the old and new Chinese Canadian communities but to make it a uniquely multicultual and Canadian event.

"That's where the future lies," Wong said. "Canada is an evolving culture.  Lunar New Year will continue to grow and be inclusive - not just limited to Chinese."

For more of Kevin Griffin's story in the February 12 Vancouver Sun - pick up a copy or check www.vancouversun.com

 

 

The Evolution of Chinese New Year - Vancouver Sun reporter Kevin Griffin interviews Todd Wong

Chinese New Year is evolving in Canada.  No longer is it seen strictly as an ethnic holiday celebrated overseas or within Canada solely by ethnic ex-patriates.  It is becoming a uniquely Canadian celebration in many urban centres such as Vancouver.  And... it is becoming multicultural.

Vancouver Sun reporter Kevin Griffin interviewed me yesterday over the telephone.  I shared with him my experiences of Chinese New Year, growing up in a Canadian multi-generational family that really didn't celebrate the Chinese holiday, as our family had always tried to fit into Canadian society.  My maternal grandmother's grand father Rev. Chan Yu Tan would tell his grand children who thought they should skip school like their other Chinese friends - "Go look at the calendar and if Chinese New Year is listed on the calendar as a holiday, then you don't have to go to school."  Of course it was a Canadian calendar in English, and this would have happened about 80 years ago when my grandmother and her brother Daniel Lee were children.

My early memories of Chinese New Year were going to my Aunt Lani's and Uncle Yani's.  I called them "Goo Mah" (father's oldest sister) and "Goo Jeung" (father's oldest sister's husband).  They had both been raised in Hong Kong - even though Goo Mah had been born in Canada.  She married him in Hong Kong, and thus lost her Canadian citizenship rights, and was unable to return to Canada until the mid-1950's after the the Chinese Immigration Act which banned all Chinese Immigration from 1923 to 1947 was repealed.

Chinese New Year at Goo Mah's was filled with many strange foods that my 4th generation Canadian mother did not cook.  But I learned to appreciate the wonderful delicacies through the years, and the traditions that Goo Mah brought with her, since my father's parents passed on in the mid 1960's and my mother's mother, also born in Canada, was very westernized.

more later....

 

My uncle Daniel Lee, wants an apology from the Canadian Government for the Chinese Head Tax My Uncle Dan is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  He is the grandson of Reverend Chan Yu Tan who arrived in Canada in 1896.  He is also a tireless volunteer for the Veterans Unit Pacific Unit 280.  He is a World War 2 veteran, helps organize the Victory Square Cenotaph Ceremonies, sells poppies in the cold November months, and is the only Chinese-Canadian to recieve the Veterans Award of Merit.  I am proud of my Uncle Dan, and glad to support him in a quest to have the Canadian Government follow through on an issue that the United Nations has asked Canada to make reparations for. For more information on the Chinese Head Tax - check out the Chinese Canadian National Council's web page for Head Tax Redress Check out the Vancouver Courier website and story by Mike Howell. http://www.vancourier.com/issues05/022205/news/022205nn9.html
	War veteran Daniel Lee is sending off another round of letters to federal government ministers asking for an apology for imposing a head tax on his father. Photo-Dan Toulgoet
Chinese senior says apology long overdue By Mike Howell-Staff writer At 84, Daniel Lee knows he doesn't have a lot of time left. But while he's still alive, the Second World War veteran would like to receive one thing from the federal government-an apology for imposing a head tax on his father and grandfather when they arrived from China. "I'm not asking for money, or any compensation, just an apology," said Lee, a longtime East Side resident, who was born in an apartment at Main and Pender. "How hard can that be?" Since the 1980s, Lee has sent letters to various federal government ministers in Ottawa asking for an apology. So far, he's received no indication an apology will be forthcoming. On Monday, he showed the Courier another 11 letters he was sending to the government's new crop of ministers, including Minister of State for Multiculturalism Raymond Chan and Minister of Veteran Affairs Albina Guarnieri. This year, more than any year, would be the time to make an apology, said Lee, noting the government has proclaimed 2005 "Year of the Veteran." In his letter, he noted he and more than 600 Canadians from Chinese backgrounds served as Canadian soldiers in the Second World War. At the time, the 600 were not recognized as citizens, but were prepared to make "the ultimate sacrifice" for the country. That fact alone should be reason enough for an apology for the financial harm done to Chinese families, he said. When Lee's grandfather and father immigrated to Canada at the beginning of the 20th century, they each had to pay a $500 head tax. Lee's father was a poor watchmaker who had to support Lee and his 13 siblings. In Vancouver at the time, Chinese were forced to attend segregated schools, sit in Chinese-only sections in movie theatres and were barred from city-owned swimming pools. A 1902 Royal Commission described Chinese and Japanese immigrants as "unfit for full citizenship... obnoxious to a free community and dangerous to the state." Lee's father died in 1927, and his mother died in the late 1980s, Lee recalled. As the years pass, he said many of his fellow veterans have died, including Wing Wong, a sergeant in the Canadian army. Lee pointed out a quote from Wong in an old newspaper article, which captures what many Chinese were feeling in the early part of the 20th century in Vancouver: "You can't imagine the struggle of an 11-year-old Chinese boy in that do-or-die situation in Canada... trying to grow up in a society that valued their horses and dogs far above any Chinese." During the war, Lee was an aircraft mechanic with the 168th Heavy Transport Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Lee said his fellow non-Chinese soldiers treated him with respect, unlike today's government. Janice Summerby, a spokesperson for Veteran Affairs Canada, said she couldn't comment on the head tax issue, saying it was "completely outside our mandate." "It would be very hard to comment on something we wouldn't have been involved in or have much background about," Summerby told the Courier. A spokesperson for Guarnieri's office, who wouldn't give her name, echoed Summerby's comments and added that she didn't know which government ministry would be able to comment. In May, Lee plans to be in Holland for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Holland. He'll be there with other Canadian veterans, and expects to receive a warm welcome. "Over there, we get a lot more respect." posted on 02/09/2005

Here's another Vancouver Courier story that featured my Uncle Dan along with his friend Roy Mah

 

Vancouver Chinatown Chinese New Year Parade
Feb 13, 2005 (Sunday 12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m.)
Pender St & Carrall St. to Gore St. & Keefer St.

This Sunday is the annual Vancouver Chinatown Chinese New Year Parade.  It starts at 12 noon and goes until 2pm.  Starting from the Chinatown Millenium Gate (designed by my cousin architect Joe Wai) at the Western edge of Chinatown near Carrall St. and proceeding East along Pender St. to Gore St.  The parade then moves South to Keefer St., then proceeds West along Keefer back to Carrall St.

Check out the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Assocation website:
http://www.vancouver-chinatown.com/index.html

Visit www.cbavancouver.ca for more info.

There will be many activities in both Chinatown and the Tinseltown Complex.  At 2pm, check out the Lion Dance demonstrations in the Chinese Cultural Centre Courtyard beside the entrance to the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park.

Info: 604 - 681-1923
       604 - 682-8998 

The World Poetry Reading Series @ the Vancouver Public Library Fourth Anniversary Gala Celebration! World Poetry Life Time Achievement Awards For: Addena Sumter Freitag, poet and actress Dugald Christie, poet and crusader for justice. World Poetry Ambassador Medallion:Anita Aguire Nieveras   more »

Ottawa-born, New York-based jazz pianist/composer D.D. Jackson is one of the most exciting artists on the contemporary music scene. He is part of a new generation of players who, while respectful of jazz tradition is also seeking to move the language forward.   more »

She Said is a landscape of conversation between kinetic and vibrant images woven together for a rich theatrical choreographic staging that comes to life, natural and transparent.    more »

Here is a love story powered by karaoke. Love can break your heart. (the word's English translation is "empty orchestra") The Empty Orchestra is built and performed by Theatre Replacement Co-Artistic Directors James Long and Maiko Bae Yamamoto, and features the talents of Veda Hille (musical direction and arrangement).   more »

Gung Hay Fat Choy - Sun Nien Fai Loh

Happy Lunar New Year everybody!

Hope you remembered to open the windows to let out the old year and let the new year in.  Don't sweep your good luck away by cleaning the floor or get your hair cut done.

Eat your moon cakes - or join with me to invent a new Canadian Tradition - special Lunar Chocolate Croissants.  Sorry but I do prefer chocolate croissants to moon cakes.  But I have always loved the chinese sponge cakes and almond cookies and apple tarts of my childhood.

I think I'll pick some up to watch the CBC TV performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy tonight with friends and family, and top it off with some Drambuie.

Last night we had a wonderful time attending a concert by Golden Pearl Ensemble led by by Zhi Min Yuwho is also the featured Ruan player with Silk Road Music in the Gung Haggis Fat Choy CBC television special.  Golden Pearl Ensemble is a trio consisting of pipa, ruan and erhu, and managed by Diane Kadota Arts Management.

We were invited by "Jack" Jin Zhang who composed and arranged most of the music for the special Chinese New Year's Eve celebration at the Women's University Club at Hycroft Manor.  Also featured was a talk by my friend Judy Maxwell about the early Chinese Canadian pioneers who fought in WW1 and WW2.

May everybody have something to crow about for the Year of the Rooster!

Todd

To celebrated the dual holidays of Robbie Burns Day (January 25th) and Chinese New Year in 2004 (January 24th), CBC Television in Vancouver decided to produce a performance special based on the concepts of "Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner. This humble dinner event has grown from a 1998 dinner of 16 people to an incredibly entertaining dinner of 600 people in 2005, co-hostedy by CBC Radio's Shelagh Rogers and attended by Vancouver's mayor, city councilors and MLA's plus many other cultural and community leaders. This is the re-broadcast of the 2004 performance special that received nominations for 2 LEO Awards for best in television in BC. It was produced by Moyra Rogers of Out To See Productions, and directed by both Moyra and Ken.   more »