Just a couple of days ago, I participated in a movie screening from Aboriginal Initiatives titled Where Are We In The World?. The screening featured two prevalent issues/events from Vancouver, BC: the Komagata Maru incident in 1914 and Vancouver’s Chinatown changing cultural scene. In particular, I found the Chinatown film screening with particular interest as I can directly connect with my Chinese culture. Since I was little (and to this day), I would occasionally visit Chinatown with my family to buy groceries and/or hardware. I would remember the distinct imagery of Chinatown in my head when I went there as a child, the busy streets were loud and crowded with adults holding one or two bags of groceries in each hand, it almost felt like I wasn’t in Vancouver. Present, when I visit Chinatown, the atmosphere seems to have changed. With the development of the apartment and the appearance of more Western stores, it almost seems as if Chinatown’s historical culture is slowly fading away.
Source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/chinatown.jpg
A rising issue regarding Chinatown is the urban redevelopment of the area. With the current development of the apartment/commercial building, the people of Chinatown feel that a new era is over writing the original culture. These ideas of remembrance parallels that of “Missing Sarah” by Maggie De Vries. There is this hidden conflict concerning the remembrance of an individual within a society. The importance of having Sarah remembered with positive light (the media) was one of the challenges I identified in the book and it is no different with Chinatown being overrun by the City of Vancouver’s development plan.
With that thought in mind, the people of Chinatown are concerned. The livelihood of Chinatown that many recalled back a decade ago seemingly does not exist today. In addition, the residents are afraid the area will slowly transform into what will be the next “Yaletown” or “New Gastown” of Chinatown. We are simply in an age of urban development and the city wants to keep Chinatown on track with the rest of Vancouver’s urban look. In my opinion, I hate to see the old Chinatown go, but with the authority and power on the city municipal’s side, cancelling any further development projects seem slim. Nevertheless, Chinatown will always (and hopefully) retain its unique cultural value because that is something no one can ever take away.
/Vinson Tam