Chinese Canadian Archive: From Chop Suey to Peking Duck
From chop suey to Peking duck
"Chop suey" translates as "mixed bits" and was a popular dish among early Chinese immigrants and Caucasian diners. Corresponding with the dynamic growth of various Chinese populations in Toronto, the variety of Chinese cuisine has grown dramatically and, today, we have a multitude of choice – from chop suey to Peking duck and everything in between – according to our preference.
Series 372, sub-series 55, item 43, City of Toronto Archives
Did you know?
The first Chinese resident recorded in Toronto was Sam Ching in 1878. He ran a laundry at 9 Adelaide St. East. According to the 2011 Census, there are over 308,000 people of Chinese descent living in Toronto, representing 12 per cent of the city’s population.
Chinese Canadian Archive
In its 2016-2019 Strategic Plan, the Toronto Public Library identified a goal to create community connections through cultural experiences and, to help achieve this goal, called for the establishment of a Chinese Canadian Archive.The Archive will document the rich history of Chinese Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area from 1878 to the present by building a collection of individual and organizational records, photographs, documents, diaries, memoirs – in print or digital form – to document Chinese Canadians’ daily lives and their community spirit, celebrations, struggles, successes, failures, dreams and contributions to Canada. By collecting these records, we want to record the presence of the Chinese in Toronto, illustrate their part in forming Toronto’s rich cultural mosaic, and make this information available to future generations.
Archive in your attic
Valuable family records and photos could be hiding in shoeboxes or tucked away in attics, basements and closets. When de-cluttering your home, be sure to look before disposing of the contents. You might be pleasantly surprised to find family treasures hidden inside.
If you have records, photos or other materials that document your family’s part in building Toronto’s Chinese community, we believe the Toronto Reference Library is the best place to permanently maintain and preserve your precious family records.
Contact us
Each family archive is unique. We would love to hear from you to discuss how we can work together to preserve your collection.
You can contact the archive by emailing Suk Yin at sng@torontopubliclibrary.ca
13 thoughts on “Chinese Canadian Archive: From Chop Suey to Peking Duck”
Such a cool project!
This will be a real legacy and be an important contribution for generations to come.
Suk Yin,
This is a very significant project for the Chinese Canadian community, it helps to share our past collective memory, experience of many generations in this land.
We are all very proud for what you are doing and we all support you!
Great blog! Looking forward to seeing this project develop and progress!
Thanks, Casey, for reading the post and your positive feedback.
Thank you, Arnold, for your comments and for your support of TPL’s Chinese Canadian archive project. We depend on community support and donation of materials so, if possible, please let people know about the project through your social media or other connections.
Thanks, Guikang, for reading and commenting. We hope to build a holistic picture representing the long and rich history of the Chinese community. We appreciate your support.
Have you been in touch with the Multicultural History Society of Ontario? http://mhso.ca/wp/
They have a lot of material and Dora Nipp is the CEO of their Board.
Fantastic! I look forward to learning more from this project. TRL will become a great treasure trove of cultural experiences.
Suk Yin
This is a very worthwhile project and long overdue. The contributions and sacrifices of past generations of Chinese Canadians should not be forgotten and appreciated by future generations.
Need an Italian project too …
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