This probably the first post I plan on making without a joke in the title because of the importance of the matter to me.
During the study of Diamond Grill by Fred Wah in ASTU class, I brought up an art exhibition that I had attended during the week called 
(TRANSGRESSION/CANTOSPHERE). It is a piece dedicated to the gentrification of Chinatown as well as the blind eye that the rest of the community turns towards the destruction of historic Chinatown. In the exhibit, they read a list of phrases with a variety of tones as a vehicle for diversity. The use of tones is crucial to the Cantonese Language and could be described to be an exploration of the continuous shaping of the identity of Chinatown.
In sociology, we were given the chance to watch the production of a project called Where are We in the World Now? that talks about the basis that Vancouver was founded on. Those that are interviewed begin by talking about the nostalgia they felt for living in Chinatown. However, it also highlights the marginalization that nearly all Chinese endured which led to the production of Chinatown. By allowing for the gentrification of Chinatown, we are allowing for destruction of the cultural sacrifices that needed to be done for Chinatown to be what it is today. We neglect all the individuals who were living on the hyphen, trying to assimilate but never quite belonging, and silencing their stories through the destruction of their time. We are entering a time in which the global city is beginning to be homogenized with the rest of the cities, but it is important to never forget the array of identities that brought together what we had once seen, and hopefully will continue to see, as Chinatown.
– Kid living on the hyphen
Thank you for this blog post. It gives a really great summarization of the current situation around Chinatown, especially when it is coming from your personal experience. I’m glad that you brought up this topic and I was hoping that you would develop even a little bit more on the issue. Considering Delaney’s question in her response, do you think the assimilation of Chinese-Canadians is at some level necessary for the harmony of the society? What do you think is the best way to preserve the culture? And how do we do that without becoming too exclusive for those without the background?