Today’s Chinatown faces pressing urban development challenges. A number of groups are working to make the neighbourhood a good place to live—and one that proudly displays its cultural heritage.
The Chinese Catholic Mission was officially established on rue de La Gauchetière in 1922. In 1957, it welcomed Father Thomas Tou, Montréal’s first Chinese-born priest.
A musician by night and an activist by day, Janet Lumb brims with energy. With sparkling eyes, she builds bridges between communities to encourage intercultural and intergenerational exchange.
As a “1.5 generation” immigrant, Shu De He grew up straddling two cultures.
Ju Ming Zhou and Hui Qing Liang came to Montréal in 1993. Twelve years later, they carried on the family tradition by opening a bakery specializing in Guangzhou pastries.
For more than a decade, Annie Cheung, Brenda Kwan, and Carol Cheung, known as the ABC trio, have been working together as volunteers to make a difference in the Chinese community.
Qi Tang is the young owner of Chez Chili. With determination and entrepreneurial
spirit, he has given an old restaurant a new shine—and exciting prospects for
the future.
As the keeper of Chinatown’s collective memory, Timothy Chiu Man Chan remains an invaluable source of knowledge and a symbol of resilience.
Andong Wang explores the ways in which drawing and painting can serve as vectors for expression. Built up through vigorous brushwork and subtle lines, his works combine analytic rigor and intuition, reflecting a rich inner world.
“The eternal soul of ancient China dances at night in Montréal’s Chinatown.” When La Revue Moderne wrote about Chinatown in 1937, it painted an exotic image of a neighbourhood that remains a distinctive area of downtown Montréal.