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Paul and Eileen Lin Commemorative Fund

Left to Right: Joyce Tang (CCHS Secretary), John Atkin (CCHS Past President), Gail Yip (CCHS Treasurer), Dr. Margaret McGregor with Mrs. Eileen Chen Lin (in front)

We need your support!

Contribute to the Paul and Eileen Lin Commemorative Fund. Donations (of $20 or more) are tax deductible and all funds will be used to sponsor regular lectures in honour of the Lins. 

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Supporters can also donate by cheque! Please send cheques to The Paul and Eileen Lin Commemorative Fund c/o CCHSBC - Kerrisdale Postal Station, P.O. Box 18032, Vancouver, BC, V6M 4L3, We ask that you make the cheque out to the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC.

The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC is kicking off a fundraising campaign to establish the Paul and Eileen Lin Commemorative Fund to honour the couples' contributions to friendship between the peoples of China and Canada, and to Chinese-Canadian history.

Dr. Margaret McGregor, representing friends of Paul and Eileen Lin, recently presented a cheque to CCHSBC as an initial contribution to the fund. Once established, the fund will be used to sponsor regular lectures on historical topics related to China-Canada relations or Chinese-Canadian history. 

John Atkin, Past President of CCHSBC, warmly welcomed the donation stating, that "the CCHS is honoured to be the recipient of this contribution and to establish this fund in honour of Paul and Eileen. We are looking forward to organising the first Lin Commemorative lecture once the fund is firmly established. 

The Lin family story has been told In the Eye of the China Storm: A Life between East & West (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2011), penned initially by Paul Lin (1920-2004), and completed by Eileen Chen Lin after Paul's passing. The book is available both in English and Chinese. 

A committee composed of CCHSBC board Members Mr. Ken Yip, Mrs. Gail Yip, Mr. John Price, and past-president Ms. Colleen McGuiness worked out the details for the establishment of the fund in discussion with Mrs. Eileen Lin over the past six months. 

Thank you to our donors!

Who are Paul and Eileen Lin?

A brilliant orator, Paul T.K. Lin was born in Vancouver in 1920, to the first Anglican minister of Chinese heritage. His Chinese heritage, originating from Xinhui in southern China was one of many reasons why he was devoted to his Chinese-Canadian heritage, and to building friendships between Canada and China. Paul grew up in Vernon and came into adulthood as the Sino-Japanese war erupted. LIke many of that era, he lent his penmanship and his eloquence to the cause of China's liberation, first in Canada and then in the United States where he attended higher education at the University of Michigan.

It was during his years at the University of Michigan that Paul met Eileen Siu-Tsung Chen, his future wife, whom happened to be studying in the United States. The couple fell in love and married on June 24, 1944, the same day of Eileen's graduation from the university. Soon after, two children joined their family - Christopher and Douglas. In 1949, Paul and Eileen decided to abandon their doctoral studies and instead, move to China to work, hoping to help transform China into an egalitarian and progressive country. 

​This is a Chinese-language news item on the release of "In the Eye of the China Storm" .

Fifteen years after their decision to move to China, Paul and Eileen returned to Canada, where Paul became the founding director of the Centre for East Asian Studies at McGill University. This was also where Eileen received her Master's Degree in Library Science in 1969. Even while in Canada, Paul and Eileen devoted their lives to re-establishing diplomatic relations between Canada and China, a battle that was finally won in 1970. What a historic achievement!

1981 was a busy year for the Lin's, as Paul retired from McGill, and then was appointed Rector of the University of East Asian at Macau. That same year, Paul and Eileen founded the Soong Ching Ling Children's Foundation of Canada, and later became an honourary professor at the University of British Columbia. In 1989, Paul spoke out against the crackdown against demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. Finally in 1998, Paul was awarded the Order of Canada. Ever mindful of their Chinese heritage, Paul and Eileen's lives have been devoted to bringing people together in the cause of justice and international friendship. ​