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The Chung Collection Exhibition will be closed to the public on August 22, 26 and 29. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The good news is that the closure is for the completion of a special project- stay tuned in the coming months!

There is something fascinating about photographs of wrecked or stranded ships (especially when you know that no one was hurt or injured). This month’s featured photograph was taken almost exactly 101 years ago, when the C.P.R.’s Princess May was stranded off of Alaska on August 5, 1910.

The Princess May was one of the coastwise ships that the C.P.R. used in the British Columbia Steamship Service. The Princess ships carried passengers and cargo along the “triangle route” of Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle, and also offered transportation up the coast to Alaska.  It was on this route that the Princess May came into the predicament you see above. She ran aground on Sentinel Island after departing from Skagway. All the passengers and crew were safely evacuated in lifeboats, and a shipment of gold which was onboard was also removed for safekeeping. Naturally, the dramatic angle of the boat made for a great photo opportunity, and a number of views of this incident are available in the Chung Collection. The Princess May was successfully salvaged and later sold.

If this interests you, try searching the Chung Collection for ship accidents and shipwrecks.

Between August 2 and 28, the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver is hosting a traveling exhibition from the Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat Sen’s Mansion, entitled Sun Yat Sen and American and Canadian Chinese. Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s visits to British Columbia had a great impact on the Chinese-Canadian community, which is why Vancouver’s classical Chinese gardens are named after him. The exhibition is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm.

From the Chung Collection, this image of Dr. Sun Yat Sen and his wife bears an inscription to the Vernon branch of the Chinese Nationalist League. For related items, try searching for the keywords “Chinese Nationalist.“

Last weekend I was very pleased to host a group of summer-campers who are enrolled in the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C.’s summer youth program, Saltwater City for Youth. This day camp includes visits and walking tours to a variety of locations around the city, including the Museum of Vancouver, the Chinese Canadian Military Museum, and of course, the Chung Collection! The participants are learning about Chinese-Canadian history, citizenship and leadership. The campers were very enthusiastic and knowledgable, and after the tour they completed a scavenger hunt for historic facts in the Chung exhibition.

Thank you to the Chinese Canadian Historical Society for the visit, and congratulations on a terrific summer program!