Chinatown Storytelling Centre launches Digital Archives to preserve Chinese Canadian history

Article content

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Chinatown Storytelling Centre has launched the initial phase of its Digital Archives through the CSC Archives, the first archives in Canada dedicated to collecting from a Chinatown, featuring a digital collection of publications, artifacts, documents, and photos that preserve decades of Chinese Canadian history in Vancouver, starting with the largest online collection of Chinatown News.

Article content

The Digital Archives feature a Special Collection of Chinatown News, which makes hundreds of issues of the influential English-language magazine available to the public, preserving a vital piece of Vancouver’s cultural heritage. The collection is the first major project to be unveiled from the Chinatown Storytelling Centre’s burgeoning Digital Archives. It will feature around 800 of close to 1,000 issues published, with an initial ~300 issues fully digitized and searchable for public access. The team continues to scan the remaining issues and invites the public to help locate the remaining 180+ missing magazines.

Article content

Article content

Article content

This milestone was made possible in part through the generous support of Linda Joe, a retired librarian who served at the University of British Columbia Library from 1965 to 1999, including as Head of the Asian Library. Her lifelong dedication to preserving and sharing knowledge continues through this important collection.

Article content

Article content

“The Digital Archives serve as a treasure trove of stories that have shaped our community and our city,” says Agatha Sit, Archivist at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and the only professional full-time archivist based in Chinatown. “Making the Chinatown News collection accessible allows us to protect and share our history on our own terms, right here in Chinatown, and uncover new patterns and resurface stories from the neighbourhood on a more granular level. We are ensuring the voices of past generations continue to inform our future, allowing us to protect and share our history on our own terms, right here in Chinatown.”

Article content

Chinatown News, published from 1953 to 1996, was a bi-weekly magazine that became an essential voice for English-speaking Chinese Canadians. It documented the community’s evolution, struggles, and triumphs from an insider Chinese Canadian perspective, including the 1960s movement to save Chinatown from redevelopment. By presenting a self-authored narrative of a vibrant, outward-facing community, the magazine captured what people did (running businesses, organizing festivals, and participating in civic life), serving as a witness to Chinatown’s growth over time. As the only English publication of its kind during that era, it connected generations of Chinese Canadians to mainstream society and captured the development of a distinct Canadian identity while remaining inclusive of the diaspora.

Article content

Article content

The Chinatown Storytelling Centre’s mission is to preserve the neighbourhood’s irreplaceable cultural heritage for researchers, families, and future generations. This milestone was made possible by the dedicated work of the in-house archive team, who have been leading the effort to digitize these invaluable materials. They have spent the last four years with those who have lived, worked and performed in Chinatown to collect photographs, artifacts and historical documents that reflect everyday life in the neighbourhood. The Chinatown Storytelling Centre’s community-based approach offers immediate cultural relevance and emotional connection to the people whose stories it holds.

Article content

Article content

About the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation:
The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation is a registered charity committed to the revitalization of Chinatown, one of Canada’s most iconic neighbourhoods in the historic heart of Vancouver. The Foundation builds more resilient and inclusive communities by promoting the well-being of those in need, while preserving Chinatown’s irreplaceable cultural heritage. Learn more at chinatownfoundation.org.

Article content

About the Chinatown Storytelling Centre:
The Chinatown Storytelling Centre, a project of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, celebrates the power of stories in building community and understanding. Through storytelling, the Centre honours the sacrifices made by previous generations and encourages intergenerational dialogue to inspire resolve in current and future challenges. Learn more at chinatownstorytellingcentre.org.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content