The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia
Library
Library Home / Hours & Locations / Rare Books and Special Collections / Chinese American History

Rare Books and
Special Collections

Hours This Week

RBSC Reading Room

Hours of Operation

Summer (May – Aug., 2025)

Monday-Friday

10:00 am-2:00 pm

Closed on weekends and the following statutory holidays: Monday, May 19; Tuesday, Jul. 1; Monday, Aug. 4

We recommend that you request materials in advance to make your visit more efficient and to ensure materials are available.

The Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room has been temporarily relocated to Irving K. Barber Learning Centre room 142 due to upgrades.

source: https://wiki.ubc.ca/Library:RBSC_Hours

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
1961 East Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1

UBC Map | Google Map | Contact Us

Chinese American History

Quon On: A Legacy of Travel, Trade, and Community in Chinese Canada

Quon On: A Legacy of Travel, Trade, and Community in Chinese Canada

By Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese on April 26, 2025

Quon On, a family of Chinese Canadian travel companies, left a huge impact on the community…

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Immigration and Settlement, Research and learning | Tagged with Blue Funnel Line, Chinese American History, Chinese Canadian History, Chung Collection, Chung Lind Gallery, collections, History, Vancouver, Victoria, Yip Family

Chinese New Year and “the Chinese Lily.”

Chinese New Year and “the Chinese Lily.”

By Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese on January 29, 2025

Happy Lunar New Year! Read about the connections between this holiday and the role of the “Chinese Lily” in it’s celebration.

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, EarlyBC, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Highlights, Immigration and Settlement | Tagged with Chinese American History, Chinese Canadian History, Chinese New Year, Chung Lind Gallery, Plants

Six Chinese men in white uniforms aboard a boat.

Stories of Chinese Sailors in Canada’s Maritime History

By Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese on January 17, 2025

The history of Chinese sailors in Canada’s reveals a complex web of resilience, discrimination, and global interconnectedness. From the galleys of trans-Pacific steamships to the corridors of Ottawa, Chinese above and below deck were pivotal in the evolution of Canadian shipping, especially through 1880-1950. Often relegated to the most arduous and undervalued positions, they formed tight-knit communities, facilitated global trade, and faced systemic racism both onboard and ashore. This narrative ties their struggles and contributions to broader global trends, highlighting Vancouver as a critical hub in the network of Chinese seafarers across the British Empire and beyond.

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, CPR, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Highlights, Immigration and Settlement, Research and learning | Tagged with British Chinese History, Canadian Pacific Railway, Chinese American History, Chinese Canadian History, Labour History, Maritime History, Sailors, Seamen, Trans-Pacific

Image of Mar Dong at an older age.

Part 2: A Tale of Seattle’s Chinatown 

By Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese on December 7, 2024

This Part 2 blog continues the exploration of a single letter from the Chung Collection, from small-town Saskatchewan to transnational impact in Seattle, exploring how objects and spaces hold stories of resilience, migration, and history.

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Highlights, Immigration and Settlement, Research and learning, Uncategorized | Tagged with BC Coast Steamships, Chinatowns, Chinese American History, Chinese Canadian History, Chung Lind Gallery, Correspondence, Guangdong, History, Hotels, Immigration, letters, Mar Dong, photos, Restaurants, Saskatchewan, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria

Unit Name
1234 Street
Vancouver, BC Canada V0V 0V0
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility