Reflections on the Okanagan Chinese-Canadian History Project Launch

Deborah Wong & Amy Ng

Amidst the quiet rainy evening of Friday, October 24th, 2025, the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHSBC) research team headed to Kelowna to begin conducting interviews and to celebrate the launch of the joint oral history project “Diversifying the Okanagan’s Past and Future,” also referred to as the Okanagan Chinese Canadian History Project. This project, spearheaded by CCHSBC and OCCA Communities Association (OCCA), aims to document the underrepresented stories and contributions of immigrant communities and visible minorities within Canada’s archives and historical records. 

Together, Rob Ho (CCHSBC President), Isa You (Project Coordinator), Jack Fu (Research Assistant) and Deborah Wong (Research Assistant) departed from Vancouver and landed in Kelowna. A busy morning ensued the next day with six insightful interviews, including those of Norm Letnick, David Jones, Adrian Marr, Erin Shum Dew and Gavin Dew, Alan Gonzales, and Daniel and Connie Ng.

Norm kickstarted the day delving into what it was like to experience Chinese culture through his daughter-in-law and what it means to engage with multicultural organizations in Kelowna, such as OCCA. Shortly after, David discussed the history and legacy of his grandfather, Mar Jok, and his own journey into uncovering history and rekindling familial relations. Joining David afterwards, Adrian discussed his grandfather, Mar Fee, and the family dynamics behind owning the farm and running the Golden Pheasant Cafe with his brother, Jok. 

We then jumped into more recent migratory stories, such as those of Erin and Alan. Originally born and raised in Vancouver, Erin moved to Kelowna to raise her family with her husband, Gavin. Erin shared the pivotal role her Chinese upbringing in Vancouver had on her and the couple collectively discussed the importance of raising their children in a multicultural environment. Alan, a relatively recent immigrant from the Philippines, detailed how his family was able to immigrate to Canada, their diverse career paths, and his present role helping settlement workers transform their lives here in Canada. For the last interview of the day, Daniel and Connie Ng went into depth about Daniel’s dentistry practice in Oliver, their community building efforts and their parenting styles in a predominantly white neighbourhood. 

This day of interviews showcased the range in generations of migration, with the Mar/Marr family recalling stories and memories of their early Chinese pioneer families to more recent narratives from newcomers. Deborah reflects on the first day of interviews, “feeling like [she] has known them for an extended period of time, and that this tender feeling is one of the ways in which oral history can bring individuals with distinct migration histories together across time and space.” 

Afterwards, the CCHSBC team enjoyed a meal with OCCA representatives at the Asian Pear Buffet, a local business owned by a Toisanese family, feasting on delicacies like prime rib and sesame chicken. The Saturday night concluded with lively conversation amongst CCHSBC and OCCA members expressing their excitement and anticipation for the next day’s reception event. Our last team member, Amy Ng (Research Assistant), arrived in Kelowna that night as well. 

Early Sunday morning, Isa, Deborah, Jack and Amy conducted interviews with Shui Lee, Vicky Chan and Yaxin Ma. Shui Lee’s interview was particularly moving for Amy as they both speak Toisan dialect. 

“We are from the same village, and his last name is the same as my mother's. I joked around that he might as well be my distant uncle,” says Amy. “Hearing him speak kept reminding me of my relatives, and it made hearing his stories and hardships harder to listen to. I’m so thankful that he continues to fight for proper recognition of the wrongs that Chinese Canadians have historically experienced and that he shared his story with us.” 

Right after Shui Lee’s interview, we sat down with Vicky to hear more about her family’s move away from Hong Kong and her involvement in local Kelowna community organizations, such as OCCA and RCA. 

Throughout the morning, tears were shed, laughter was shared, and stories were recorded before we packed up to head to the Kelowna library for the final interview with Yaxin. We discussed her immigration to Canada and the initiatives she spearheaded after experiencing injustice towards the Chinese community during Covid-19. 

Shortly after, the CCHSBC team made their way over to the Laurel Packinghouse to prepare and celebrate the launch of the joint oral history project. Rob and Isa spoke on behalf of CCHSBC, explaining the inspiration behind the project, the project’s scope, and its success thus far thanks to their community partner, OCCA, for liaising with interested interview participants. 
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Amy, Jack and Deborah boothed, promoting and selling various Chinese Canadian history books that CCHSBC took part in producing. The launch drew the attendance of over 100 people and featured local organizations in Kelowna, such as the Chinese Freemasons and performances from the Dragon Spirit Tai Chi Team. There were also booths spread out throughout the Packinghouse, spotlighting calligraphy, tea, music, traditional medicines and panel boards of the history of different heritage groups in the Kelowna region.   

The event was a great moment for the CCHSBC team to experience first-hand the energy the Chinese Canadian community in Kelowna brought to the Okanagan Chinese Canadian History Project. It reinvigorated the team to know that there was such a strong interest and curiosity as to what our project entails and how to get involved. “Being able to physically be in Kelowna and to connect and speak to participants strengthened my connection to the project, and I felt immensely thankful for the experience,” Amy reflects. 

As we begin our next steps in transcribing, translating and reviewing our interviews from the weekend, we still want to reach out to you. If you know anyone (or are that person!) who has ties to the Kelowna or greater Okanagan region, whether it is in early history, migration to, or an upbringing in this space, please consider sharing or filling out the form below. The CCHSBC team would love to get in touch with your history.

Link to the form: https://forms.gle/Bs4ZQWE2YXQV1bL69 

What’s next? The CCHSBC team is already planning for their next trip to Kelowna in the upcoming weeks. “After letting the stories marinate a bit longer, I am ready to head back to Kelowna to dig deeper into the details we couldn’t capture the first time around,” says Deborah. CCHSBC looks forward to seeing and reconnecting with interview participants, and meeting new ones.

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