I will be a guest of Sheryl MacKay for CBC Radio One's North by Northwest on
January 16, Sunday morning between 8am and 8:30am.
The show will be talking about the upcoming Chinese Canadian Historical Society of
BC workshop at the Vancouver Museum on January 22. There will be many groups
participating including Head Tax Redress, Asian Heritage Month, etc.
And Gung Haggis Fat Choy! I will mention how my family history has helped influence
me in creating Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New
Year Dinner.
The Reverend Chan Legacy Project is the 7 generational history of my mother's family.
Rev. Chan Yu Tan, my great great grandfather arrived in Canada in 1896, following the
footsteps of his elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai. Both came as Methodist Lay
Preachers from the Wesleyan Mission in Hong Kong. Both helped to develop the
Chinese Methodist Church in Vancouver, which later became the Chinese United
Church.
The lives of the the Rev. Chan Yu Tan descendents are integrated deeply into the fabric
of Chinese Canadian History, and also tell the story of a Chinese family integrating into
Canadian culture. With each generation, there were marriages to non-Chinese. With
each generation there was a steadier integration into North American society.
Luke Chan, son of Rev. Chan Yu Tan moved to Hollywood and became an actor.
He starred in movies such as The Mysterious Mr. Wong, The Secret of Wu Sin, and
Samauri. He also acted in movies with Katherine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Ava Gardner,
Clark Gable and Bela Lugosi.
Great Grandaughter Rhonda Larrabee became a First Nations Chief of the Qayquayt
Indian Band.
Great Great Granddaughter Joni Mar became a Miss Canada finalist and a CBC TV
newsreporter's One of the first Asian-Canadian television reporters in Western Canada.