{"id":1085,"date":"2017-12-04T16:37:24","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T16:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=1085"},"modified":"2018-05-23T13:55:07","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T13:55:07","slug":"torontos-chinatown-%e5%a4%9a%e5%80%ab%e5%a4%9a%e8%8f%af%e5%9f%a0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=1085","title":{"rendered":"TORONTO’S CHINATOWN \u591a\u502b\u591a\u83ef\u57e0"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” video_bg=”yes” video_bg_url=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WU1rTxTFOmo” css_animation=”none”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”180px”][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:100|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” google_fonts=”font_family:Archivo%20Black%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” css_animation=”fadeIn”][vc_empty_space height=”180px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_single_image image=”1474″ img_size=”600×475″ alignment=”center”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_single_image image=”1937″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]\n

J<\/span>ean Lumb (1919-2002) was not only a mom to six children and a successful restaurant owner but a Chinese-Canadian hero. She is recognized for helping to turn around people’s negative\u00a0perceptions about the Chinese in Toronto. Her work in challenging discriminatory immigration legislation led her to gain national profile. She is known for her efforts in leading the Save Chinatown Committee when it came under threat from the construction of the new City Hall. She prompted city council to repeal a plan and to relocate Toronto’s Chinatown neighborhood. Her social activism was instrumental in preserving the Chinese community’s heritage in Ontario.\u00a0She is the first Chinese Canadian woman to receive The Order of Canada for her community work. Throughout her dedication to helping others, Jean Lumb truly made a difference to Chinese lives in Canada. I had the honour to interview her daughter, Arlene Chan.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/mw55kFHwpUc”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_height=”yes” equal_height=”yes”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”FINDING SUCCESS THROUGH TCCSA” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Archivo%20Black%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]H<\/span>e moved to Canada two weeks ago. Wang Wei does not speak a word of English, but he says he will learn at The Cross-Cultural Community Services Association (TCCSA). The newcomer says he is determined to utilize the association’s services to help him adjust to life in Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnglish is the key to success in Canada, and TCCSA is making that success more attainable,\u201d says Wei.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to TCCSA\u2019s website, the agency was founded in 1973 to help Toronto\u2019s Chinese immigrants break down cultural and language barriers within the city by providing services in their mother language. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nicole Mak, the program manager at TCCSA says their goal is to help the Chinese community feel at home in Canada.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery immigrant, including myself knows how difficult it is to adapt to a foreign social system. So it is our hope that we can help the Chinese community navigate Canada better than we did ourselves,\u201d says Mak.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to TCCSA\u2019s 2016-2017 fiscal year report, they provided individual services to 17,410 first-time visitors and about 13-thousand returning visitors and walk-ins, for a total 30-thousand visitors this year. Mak says their services are funded by sources such as Citizenship and Immigration Canada and City of Toronto. She says TCSSA provides three major services: settlement services, community and youth services, and education and language training. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe act as a breach for the Chinese community that is easily accessible and without cost, so that they have the resources to make a great life here in Canada,\u201d says Mak.<\/span><\/p>\n

The settlement services include orientation day for newcomers, computer access, and one-on-one counselling on subjects such as housing, citizenship and social assistance. <\/span>Wei says as a newcomer to Canada, it a sigh of relief that places like TCCSA exist for immigrants to get the information they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey have helped me out a great deal by providing information workshops and fact-sheets. I\u2019m finally beginning to feel like I\u2019m settling down now,\u201d says Wei.<\/span><\/p>\n

Linda Chen has been settled down in Canada for over a year and utilizes TCCSA\u2019s community services. She is expecting her second child in December and is currently participating in the women\u2019s support group, the expected moms workshops, and the early childhood program. The early childhood program allows moms with children under six years old, to learn about healthy eating, child behaviour, and parenting tips for free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is so sweet, to me, to my kid, the baby. I honestly would not have known half the things I know now about raising kids without their help,\u201d says Chen.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Lin also participates in the early childhood program with his two boys, aged five and six who were born in Canada. Lin has enrolled his children in the education and language training classes at TCCSA. He says he wants his children to learn Chinese at Saturday school to preserve the language within his family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnglish is everything in Canada, and at most, French is the second language. Chinese it is hard to write, hard to speak, but it is so important that our children maintain the Chinese culture by speaking the language,\u201d says Lin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mak says other cultures are also enrolled in language classes to better understand the Chinese culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to know more than what they see on the news and not just base their ideas of the Chinese on products made in China because Toronto is so multicultural and people want to learn Chinese,\u201d says Mak. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mak says it is no surprise that their education and language classes are in high-demand. According to Statistics Canada, Asia is the top source continent of recent immigrants and accounts for 61.8 per cent of newcomers. Mak says the increase of Chinese immigrants is the reason why they have opened locations all over the city in Scarborough, Peel, York, and downtown Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer: interviews were conducted in Chinese and then translated into English[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_empty_space height=”148px”][vc_single_image image=”2256″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][vc_empty_space height=”65px”][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”1912,1913,1914″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_custom_heading text=”HUMANS OF CHINATOWN” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Archivo%20Black%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]\n

This is Joe. He says he sits on the steps outside of the Chinatown Centre every morning after eating Hong Kong style dim sum. He says the routine reminds him of his life back in Hong Kong, to feel bloated from too much food, read the Chinese newspaper, and enjoy his cigarette on the steps of a busy street.<\/span>\"old<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Ken. He says he moved to Chinatown forever ago – it was 1951. He says he loves it in Toronto because there are lots of pretty ladies, more than where he grew up in mainland China. He laughs and says he\u2019s actually here at this chinese herbal medicine shop to talk to his crush. <\/span>\"old<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Jong. He makes a living selling Canadian souvenirs on the streets of Chinatown. He says loving Canada hasn\u2019t been easy when everyone he loves is back home in China. He laughs and says it\u2019s ironic that he moved here alone to make money for his family and doesn\u2019t have enough money from selling the souvenirs to move back to China and see his family. <\/span>\"old<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Robert. He volunteers for the Chinese Gospel Church and hands out pamphlets after the English, Cantonese and Mandarin sunday services. He says he moved to Chinatown a little over 10 years ago to spread God\u2019s message. He says to better serve his Lord, he is taking ESL classes so that he can go outside of Chinatown and preach in English-speaking churches.<\/span>\"Man<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Timothy. He is the manager at Oriental Harvest, an Asian specialty grocery store in Chinatown. He says his favourite part of the day is speaking to his regulars who have been shopping at his store for countless years. He says he is always curious as to what dishes they plan on making and asks if they are willing to bring him some the next day. He laughs and says that surprisingly, most of his regulars bring him food.<\/span>\"man<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Wu. He is an employee at Kai Wei Supermarket, an Asian specialty grocery store in Chinatown. He says he spends a lot of time picking out bruised fruits out of containers so that the fruits reach the store\u2019s quality standards. He says this job is not what he had in mind when he first moved to Toronto, but he also says this job is probably far better than any job he could get back in his hometown in China.<\/span>\"man<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is James. He sells Chinese novels on the side of the streets of Chinatown. He says his best seller of the week is the book of traditional chinese legends which include the story about Chang\u2019e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. He says the story about how the moon originated relates to the upcoming Mooncake Festival. He says that legends like Chang\u2019e is what keeps Chinese storytelling traditions alive and that he hopes that the books he sells get passed on from generation to generation.<\/span>\"man<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Nikki. She works in the kitchen of a restaurant in Chinatown. She says while on lunch break she calls her husband to tell him the latest gossip at work. She says moving to Canada was the best decision she has ever made because she met the love her life on the streets of Chinatown.<\/span>\"woman<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Moon. She sells vegetables out of a cart on the Chinatown sidewalk. She says she wakes up at sunrise every morning to pick fresh vegetables out of her garden and set them up to sell. She says she grew up on a farm in China and loves gardening, so although she says that she doesn\u2019t make much money from the business, it reminds her of home. <\/span>\"woman<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is King. He is the manager of a Chinese supermarket in Chinatown. He says he moved to Toronto about 30 years ago and started the business from the ground up. He says Chinatown has given him so much business opportunities and that he is thankful to live in such a multicultural city.<\/span>\"man<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Hong. She is one of the mothers of Mother\u2019s Dumplings. She says she has been making dumplings ever since she was a little girl in her dad\u2019s restaurant in China. She says making dumplings reminds her of the family traditions she had as a little girl. She says dumplings is the only thing she truly knows and loves.<\/span>\"woman<\/a><\/div><\/figure>
This is Cheung. She says she is shopping for groceries for her family\u2019s Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. She says she is picking up lots of mandarin oranges because the citrus fruit promises luck, prosperity and a long life. She says it is tradition to give each of her 12 grandchildren an orange to celebrate.<\/span>\"woman<\/a><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_single_image image=”2183″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_single_image image=”2139″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]E<\/span>ric Chong’s journey from season one’s MasterChef Canada champion to head chef and co-owner of R&D began in Oakville, Ontario. He grew up eating and cooking traditional Chinese food with his grandpa but also explored western cuisine. He draws inspiration from traditional Chinese food but modernizes it to bring in Canadian flavours\u00a0that can appeal to Torontonians. R&D,\u00a0which is located in Toronto’s Chinatown, features tapas marrying the flavours of Signapore, China, and Hong Kong.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]\n\nhttps:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Eric-Chong-audio.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_gmaps link=”#E-8_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” size=”380px”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_images_carousel images=”1932,1933″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_single_image image=”3787″ img_size=”395×434″ alignment=”center”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_single_image image=”3789″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]T<\/span>he sidewalks of Chinatown are filled with fruit stalls, vendors and thousands of people eager to eat, shop and socialize. Tony Yu, the chair of Chinatown\u2019s Business Improvement Area (BIA), says step by step, Chinatown businesses are flourishing due to the increase of population and tourists within the area. The BIA is a not-for-profit community-based agency in Toronto that aims to increase Chinatown’s foot traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more residents in Chinatown than ever, they are all part of the quality restaurants, bars, and stores that make this area a lively place to be,\u201d says Yu. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 49.1 per cent of Toronto\u2019s population is composed of visible minorities; of this, approximately 70 per cent are of Asian ancestry. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yu says 95 per cent of businesses in Chinatown are owned by Chinese immigrants and 5 per cent of businesses are owned by other ethnicities including Korean, Japanese and Canadian. He also says that these businesses help maintain the Chinese culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen immigrants moved here, they found food as their comfort because it reminded them of home. So we have lots of Chinese restaurants like barbeque joints with a history and connection with the people in Chinatown, \u201d says Yu.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam Leung, a Chinese immigrant says he feels like he has been coming to New Hong Fatt B.B.Q. Restaurant his entire life. He says he comes every Monday morning because that is when they have the freshest meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome of my buddies and I used to come here all the time and eat after work, but now that we\u2019re old and some of us have come and gone, I still come here to relieve my memories and eat fresh meat,\u201d says Leung. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yu says he also had lots of memories within restaurants in Chinatown. He says it was a culture shock when he first moved to Canada in 1981 and immigrated 27 years ago from Hong Kong, but the transition was made easier with food.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a culture shock at first, Toronto\u2019s Chinatown in comparison to Hong Kong is not as well organized\u2026 but you feel the same atmosphere when you go into the restaurants. It was easy to adjust to life here, I was young and lived in Chinatown where the food was mostly the same as home,\u201d says Yu.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lucia Huang, the director of communications at Chinatown BIA says the food scene has changed with its changes in demographics, \u201cright now there\u2019s more selection and there\u2019s a mixture of cultures from all over Asia.\u201d She says a lot of young people are gravitating towards Chinese drinks and snacks, which have made them very popular such as bubble tea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Huang says although Chinatown\u2019s businesses attracted attention from Torontonians, the greatest struggle of Chinatown within the last 20 years is getting tourists to visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople used to have a negative perception about Chinatown. They thought it was dirty and unsanitary, but this is not a problem right now. Over the last few years, the businesses have become very steady and it even peaked because the exchange rate motivated tourists from China to come and visit,\u201d says Huang. According to Tourism Toronto, in 2015, 14-million tourists visited Toronto and produced an overall visitor spending in Toronto of 7-billion dollars in industries such as transportation, accommodation, food and beverage, entertainment and retail.<\/span><\/p>\n

Huang says BIA helps to reel in tourists by holding Chinese cultural events such as Chinese New year for two days in January or February, where they hold traditional performances and arts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe celebrate Chinese New Year by going all out and closing off the street. We usually have two stages with different performances. Aside from traditional Chinese performances, we also offer magic tricks and westernized acts,\u201d says Huang. She also says that 25-thousand people came to the Chinese New Year event in 2017 and the number of attendees is growing every year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer: all interviews were translated from Chinese into English<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_gmaps link=”#E-8_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”][vc_gmaps link=”#E-8_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”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_custom_heading text=”HISTORY OF CHINESE IN CANADA” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Archivo%20Black%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/jp2zXNaxwGU”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” video_bg=”yes” video_bg_url=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WU1rTxTFOmo” css_animation=”none”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”180px”][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:100|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” google_fonts=”font_family:Archivo%20Black%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” css_animation=”fadeIn”][vc_empty_space height=”180px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_single_image image=”1474″ img_size=”600×475″ alignment=”center”][vc_separator color=”black” border_width=”2″][vc_single_image image=”1937″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text] Jean Lumb (1919-2002) was not only a mom to six children and a successful restaurant owner but a Chinese-Canadian hero. She is recognized for helping to turn around people’s negative\u00a0perceptions about the Chinese in Toronto. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[263,53],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}