University of British Columbia Library, Rare Books and Special Collections
In 1936, Vancouver, British Columbia’s Chinese community celebrated the city’s Golden Jubilee by constructing an elaborate carnival village between Pender and Carrall Streets. The community erected a bamboo gate and invited tourists and non-Chinese visitors to enjoy the Chinese cultural activities on display, including a pagoda featuring the work of 20 artists and artisans, a temple housing Chinese ceremonial objects, and colourful parades. The celebration was an important milestone in the evolving relations between Chinese Canadians and the broader Vancouver community during the Exclusion Period (1923-1947).
Portrait of the Kwok Fung Lin opera troupe in Vancouver, with banners above the troop complimenting their performance. Scholar Elizabeth Johnson has noted that the photo pictures both male and female performers, which was not yet allowed in China in the early 1920s.