Category Archives: Multicultural events

Mini Shum speaks at “Double Happiness” film screening for UBC centennial celebrations

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I loved the film Double Happiness by Mina Shum.  It was like a grittier Canadian version of Joy Luck Club.  It starred Sandra Oh, as a young Asian Canadian woman trying to reconcile her love for her non-Asian boyfriend and her traditional Chinese Canadian parents.

Sandra Oh won a Genie award for her role in Double Happiness.  How timely that Mina Shum will speak about this movie, since Oh just hosted the Genie awards on March 3rd.

UBC is celebrating 100 years, and Mina Shum has been invited to screen and give a director's talk with the audience.

Following information from www.100.ubc.ca/events/more-info/15

  • 2008 UBC Centenary Screening Series – Double Happiness by Mina Shun, preceded by short film Scattering Eden

  • The UBC Film Production Alumni Association presents
    The 2008 UBC Centenary Screening Series
    February 5, March 11, May 20 & November 18th
    (For UBCO listings see Learn More)

    Screening of the hit debut film followed by a Q&A session with Ms. Shum about her experiences making the movie.

    www.ubcfilmalumni.org

    Please join us for a screening of the hit debut feature film Double Happiness directed by UBC Film alumna Mina Shum, preceded by the short film Scattering Eden
    directed by fellow alumna Nimisha Mukerji. Following the screening will
    be a lively Q&A moderated by Nimisha, where audience members will
    be encouraged to ask Mina questions about her experiences in filmmaking.

    Double Happiness, starring Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
    in her first feature role, was a ground-breaking film researched,
    written and directed by Mina Shum, and had a significant impact in
    Canadian cinema. In addition to the film becoming a touchstone for the
    Asian-Canadian community, Mina herself has been a role model for future
    generations of filmmakers.

    Vancity Theatre- 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3M7

    UBCO
    Screenings : SSC 026 Student Services Centre Theatre (3333 University
    Way, Kelowna) at 6 PM, free admission. Please contact Denise Kenney
    at (250) 807-9632 or denise.kenney@ubc.ca for further details.

  • Vancity Theatre- 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver
  • March 11 6:00pm-10:00pm (604) 683-3456

Toddish McWong to appear as Robbie Burns in “Battle of the Bards” literary pub crawl

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The word is out.  Scotland's favorite poet son, will be represented in Vancouver CelticFest's Battle of the Bards by 5th generation Chinese Canadian Todd Wong aka Toddish McWong – creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner, and other intercultural events.

Wong first participated in Celtic Fest's first St. Patrick's Day parade, when he put a Taiwanese dragon boat on a trailer and towed it down the street in the parade.  Seated in the boat were bagpiper Joe McDonald, and guitarist Andrew Kim, the Brave Waves.



Both McDonald and Kim were also featured in the CBC Vancouver television performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy – another spin off from the Todd Wong creative braintrust.


View Clip

Check out official CelticFest promotional blurbs from event organizer and poet Stephen Duncan
http://www.poetryradio.blogspot.com/

With CelticFest and St. Paddy's day fast upon us, we decided a tribute
to the Scotch and Irish would be appropriate, so we are raising the
dead for this show and bringing in William Butler Yeats and Robbie Burns to help celebrate.
Yeats and Burns (really two great performers, Mark Downey and Todd Wong) will be going head-to-head, along with Dylan Thomas in a unique literary event this year on Thursday, March 13: The Battle of the Bards Literary Pub Crawl, a
combination pub crawl/poetry slam where the legendary poets go from pub
to pub downtown performing their works and being judged by members of
the audience armed with scorecards. The event culminates in a Jack Karaoke-style match at Ceili's Pub, where they must do their pieces accompanied by a DJ (All Purpose's Michael Louw) and fiddler Elise Boeur. Once the contest is over much drinking and dancing is done into the wee hours.

Click on the image below for more details.

Where is Fu Sang? Did Columbus use a Chinese map to “discover” America?

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I read the Gavin Menzies book 1421 a few years ago.  It was very cool to see Western documentation about Chinese exploration of North America 71 years before the Columbus “discovered” America.  Click here to see a fascinating animated map of Admiral Zeng He's voyages that circumnavigated the world.

There are are “World Literature” courses that are Euro-centric and don't include Asia.  Why shouldn't “World History” be Euro-centric as well.  In the English speaking world, books written about North America by Chinese pioneers and explorers would have been written in Chinese. 

Over the past few years, I have also watched the Cheuk Kwan's film documentary  series Chinese Restaurants.  Cheuk has travelled across the globe interviewing people who run Chinese restaurants.  Along the way, he has also found not only the commonalities of Chinese restaurants and peoples across the world, but also the history of Chinese people.  How can you explain that a highland tribe of Madagascar can claim Chinese ancestry or that the national soup of Madagascar is called soupe de la Chinoise, and resembles Chinese won ton soup?  Are these the decendants of Admiral Zeng He's shipwreck on Madagascar?

Check my 2005 review of his movie: http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/_archives/2005/5/2/643422.html

Did the Chinese beat Columbus to America? is an interesting internet article I discovered this morning featured on the Yahoo! website.

by
Josh Clark
Inside This Article
1. 
Introduction to Did the Chinese beat Columbus to America?
2. 

Physical Evidence for the 1421 Theory
3. 

The 1421 Theory: Junk History?
4. 

Christopher Columbus Images
5. 

Lots More Information
6. 

Ron MacLeod Report Feb 29: a ceilidh, a TV program, Isle of Eigg and Talisker whisky.

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Ron MacLeod is Scots Chair V at the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University.  Here is his latest report featuring one of my favorite single malt scotch whiskey

Greetings, a message about a ceilidh, a TV program, Isle of Eigg and whisky.  Regards, the other Ron

 
1.  Ceilidh
What: Gaelic Society’s next ceilidh
Where: Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson (at 73rd Ave), Vancouver,B.C.
When: Saturday, March 1st, 2008
Time:  8:00 PM
 Other: small door fee; entertainment, munchies, some dancing.
All welcome
 

2. The following courtesy Angus MacIssaac. A short movie entitled “The Wake of Calum MacLeod” will be shown on Bravo television at 4:30 P.M., Friday, February 29th. The movie was made in Cape Breton so should have a great dollop of Highland realism.

 3. Life will never be the same on the island of Eigg again, and in this respect it can only be a good thing.  Islanders have at last joined the 21st Century and will now be able to enjoy the little things we take for completely for granted.  No
doubt there will be a rush of electrical equipment being delivered to
the island; appliances which the residents have not been able to use
previously because their power was provided by expensive diesel
generators and gas bottles. 

The
Isle of Eigg Electrification Project switched on for the first time on
1st February 2008, allowing power generated from renewable energy
sources around the island to be supplied to all residents, through the
new island-wide high voltage distribution network. The
system will generate over 95% of the island’s annual energy demand
through a combination of Hydro Electric, Wind Power and Solar Energy,
which is believed to be the first time that anyone has successfully
integrated these three renewable energy sources. To ensure that
constant power can be provided, a battery storage system has been
designed which will compensate for short periods where energy from
renewable sources is not available. Two diesel generators have also
been installed to provide emergency back-up power, and to supplement
the supply should the output from the renewable sources be lower than
the demand.

 

4. Talisker Distillery in Skye is
looking forward to increased interest from connoisseurs around the
globe after one of its products was named “the world’s best single malt
whisky” in the industry’s most prestigious awards event.

It
was Talisker 18 Years Old that took the fancy of the judging panel —
and the supreme title for the first time — in Whisky Magazine’s 2007
Awards. A spokesman for Diageo, the distillery’s owners, said that
demand for Talisker was expected to rise sharply as a result.  The
award coincides with the retirement of Charlie Smith, manager at
Talisker for the past three years, following a distinguished career in
the whisky industry. Mr Smith was also manager at Dufftown, Cardhu and
Glenkinchie distilleries.

He
is succeeded by Willie MacDougal, a native of Aberfeldy who was site
operations manager at Oban Distillery for six years prior to a brief
spell at Blair Athol. His family has a long association with the
industry and Mr MacDougal says he is “totally thrilled” to be taking
over at one of the world’s most famous distilleries.  “Talisker
is one of the most successful malts in the world,” said Mr MacDougal,
“though — or maybe because — the distillery’s output is deliberately a
good deal lower than some other top-selling malts. It’s a distillery
with massive heritage and an amazing future, with fans all over the
world.” He added that he also intended to improve his piping skills
while on Skye.  The
Whisky Magazine judging panel’s comments on Talisker 18 Years Old fully
endorsed Mr MacDougal’s enthusiasm for the brand. Dave Broom, one of
the world’s leading whisky commentators, described it as “elegant with
fascinating balance between smoke and subtle sweet fruit. Ever changing
in the glass and on the palate.”

Edinburgh whisky dealer Keir Sword waxed even more eloquent:

“Warm,
rich and attractive. Leather, pipe-tobacco, sweet sherry and polished
oak on the nose, followed by a good creamy texture and a warming
finish. A very attractive

CUPE BC holds its first “Worker of Colour Conference”: Jenny Kwan shares personal story of growing up and not fitting in

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Moe Sihota rocked the house at the opening session on Monday night.  Jenny Kwan told her personal heart-warming story about the journey to find her cultural and political identity.

It's the first ever “worker of colour” conference, hosted by CUPE BC.  I am attending as a member of CUPE 391, Vancouver Library Workers. We have four members attending the conference.

This morning's session opened with a panel discussion featuring Dr. Sunera Thobani (UBC Professor, Women's Studies), Raj Chouhan (MLA Burnaby Edmonds), Jenny Kwan (MLA Vancouver Mount Pleasant), and Sid Chow Tan (Founding co-chair of Head Tax Families Society of Canada).

Each speaker talked about their own experiences in dealing with racism, as well as their community activism and what they saw as ways to address it.  And each speaker received standing ovations.  Thobani talked about racism in society, and the challenges of racial profiling in the wake of 9-11 and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Chouhan talked about his community work as founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union, and how it is important for unions to be active.  Tan talked about the Chinese head tax redress campaign, and how unions have been leaders in racism a century ago, and how they helped lead the CCF party and overturning racist legislation in 1947.

For me, the most powerful talk came from Jenny Kwan.  I have heard her speak a few times, but this was the first time I have heard her speak about the challenges of growing up as an immigrant in a strange culture.  Kwan arrived in Vancouver at age nine, but never felt that she felt in.  She explained how challenging it was for her mother to go to work, so her father could attend ESL classes in order to get a better job.  She described reacting against her immigrant parents, and speaking only
English to them, when they could only understand Chinese.  She also described thinking that she was useless, and nobody would miss her if she died.

The turning point came when Kwan revisited her birthplace of Hong Kong, and saw the life her parents left behind so that they could come to Canada to build a better life for themselves and their children.  She then realized and appreciated the sacrifices they made, and she buckled down returning to SFU to complete her studies.  Kwan also became a community activist, working as a legal advocate.  In an effort to make a greater positive change for people's lives, she became the youngest ever councilor for Vancouver City Council in 1993.  In 1998, she became the first Chinese-Canadian cabinet minister as Minister of Municipal Affairs.

But it hasn't always been easy.  Whether it was because she was young, a woman, or a person of colour – Kwan was not treated with equal respect.  She shared stories from both her time as a city councilor and a MLA when male white opposition colleagues did their best to belittle and intimidate her.

For me, Kwan's story drove home the struggles that many people of colour face, not only from racial discrimination at school, or in the work place, but more importantly the struggle to fit in and find a cultural identity that is not in conflict with parental expectations and mainstream integration.  These same themes were repeated in the workshops that conference attendees sat on, addressing multicultural and racial issues in the union, the workplace, the community, political arena, as well as racial profiling.

I attended the workshop titled “Walking the Walk in the community.”  It was led by Sid Chow Tan and Shashi Assanand.  With 14 other union brothers and sisters, we shared our own experience of racism, and issues of colour.  We discussed barriers to equal opportunity and also suggested solutions to these challenges.  Everybody came up with ideas that could help combat racism, as well as to promote cultural understanding.  We left the workshop feeling positive and vowing to take these informative ideas back to our unions and workplaces.

Tomorrow…. expect more of the same!
 

Global TV News: Todd Wong and Gung Haggis dragon boat team interviewed for story on BC's cultural diversity

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Watch GLOBAL NEWS on Tuesday Feb 26 –
6pm
TOMORROW!

Everybody knowns that BC's cultural diversity is one of the best things about living in BC.  Where else can you celebrate almost all the world's cultures worldly cuisines in a single city, go dragon boat racing, go to First Nations pow wows, enter a St. Patrick's Day parade, and learn bangra dancing?

Todd Wong (me) 
was interviewed on Feb 17th for a Global TV story celebrating BC's 150 years.

I talk about cultural diversity in BC, and am seen with the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, paddling in the background.

Cultural diversity
is the topic, Todd and the Gung Haggis dragon boat team will
represent it to Global TV viewers.  Our dragon boat team itself has a good mixture of not only Asian and Caucasian paddlers, but also one paddler with Iraqi heritage and 3 paddlers with both Asian/Caucasian DNA.

I also explain the history of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner, which celebrates not only the Scottish and Chinese pioneer histories of BC, but also “everything inbetween and everything beyond.”

From Global TV producer/reporter Elaine Yong:



We
did a poll asking people what they thought were the things that made BC
a world-class place, and people/culture/diversity was one of the top 10
responses.  To illustrate some of BC's amazing culture and diversity, I
thought you would be a great person to profile.  But of course, we need
some viz of you doing something, and since we missed the dinner, the
dragon boating would be great, as well as another example of cultural
diversity.  The story is scheduled to air Feb 26.


Indo-Canadian fusion with Highland Dancing, Jazz music and Bhangra

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Tarun Nayar of Beats Without Borders occasionally sends me announcements of upcoming events and concerts.  Last night he and the group Delhi 2 Dublin performed at the CBC studios.  We met at the first Delhi 2 Dublin concert – back in March 2006 – see my review:
St. Paddy's Eve in Vancouver – What is a man in a kilt to do? –

Looks like a nice line up of South Asian music with some cross-cultural fusion.  Especially the Transfusion dance show where “Flamenco blurs into Kathak, and
Bhangra is intertwined with Celtic.”

I have seen Kiran Ahluwalia both performing traditional ghazal songs as well as her performance in the jazz opera Quebecite – written by Chinese-Afro-Canadian D.D. Jackson with lyrics by Afro-MicMac-Canadian George Eliot Clarke.

Kiran Ahluwalia
Saturday Feb 23, 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard St)
Tickets: 604.872.5200 or http://www.ticketmaster.ca
 
Kiran
is great! Check her out if you can… From the organizers:  “Ahluwalia
sings original ghazals and Punjabi folk songs, backed by her five piece
ensemble; featuring tabla, harmonium, guitar, and bass. She is a multi
award- winning artist, known for her lush compositions, stellar voice
and captivating live performances.  Her most recent album, Wanderlust
(Times Square/Fusion3) is a strikingly beautiful work just nominated
for World Music Album of the Year at the 2008 Juno Awards.”

———————————————————————————————
Rez Abbasi's Bazaar

Sunday, Feb 24. 4:30pm
Performance Works (Granville Island)
FREE
From
the organizers: “This all-star band will delight fans of Shakti, Trilok
Gurtu, and other world-jazz fusion masters. New York-based guitarist
Rez Abbasi whose organic mix of jazz with elements of Indian classical
music creates a singular and distinctive sound leads the group. With
Juno Award winning vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia, Hammond B-3 organ player
Sam Barsh, and drummer Dan Weiss in tow this stimulating cultural
crossover is rhythmically captivating and utterly mesmerizing.”
———————————————————————————————
Transfusion
indian dance inter-relationships

Friday Feb 29 and Sat March 1, 8pm
Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour Street)
Tix 18$ from ticketmaster or at 604.280.4444

Co-presented
by the VIBC Society and the Cultural Olympiad, this unique event blends
contemporary and traditional folk dance styles spanning the
subcontinent of India and reaching as far West as the Latin world and
the Highlands of Scotland. Watch as Flamenco blurs into Kathak, and
Bhangra is intertwined with Celtic in this presentation of folk dances
from around the world. Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Afro-contemporary,
Chinese, Balinese, Flamenco, Kathak, Bhangra, Breakdance, Celtic – all
re-interpreted with a heavy dose of multimedia. With dancers Sitara
Thobani, Chengxin Wei, Stu Iguidez, Raakhi Sinha, and many many more.
This is gonna be hot!!!!

———————————————————————————————
Bhangra Love
the City of Bhangra dance party

Thursday March 6, 9pm
The Red Room (398 Richards)
Tix 10$ @ the door

The
BWB crew's biggest annual party, and the kick off to the VIBC festival.
Killer acts including DJ Sandeep Kumar from LA, live bhangra from the
city's hottest bhangra band, En Karma, and a special dance performance
pitting bhangra dancers vs street dancers. More fun times at the red
room! This party will sell out, so come nice and early…

———————————————————————————————
City of Bhangra

For more info about this awesome stretch of events check http://www.vibc.org/cityofbhangra

Gung Haggis dragon boat team team hits the water with a Global TV cameraman filming them to celebrate BC's cultural diversity

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We had a great practice in the sunshine today with a full 22 paddler boat and a Global TV camerman!

It was the first practice of the year, and all paddlers were enthusiastic veterans who braved the chilly February sunshine.  We were even filmed by a Global TV camerman.  Maybe it's like a dragon boat version of ground hog day…. if we can see our shadow we will have have great season of fun and medals.

It's the earliest time we've ever been out on the water.  Last year we started on the first Sunday in March with only 8 paddlers in the rain who went out in Marathon canoes.  This year it was 24 team members. 

Even the media attention has come early.  Last April, a the ADBF sprint regatta, it was a ZDF German Public television crew filming us for a travelogue documentary titled Toronto to Vancouver.  We are featured near the end of the show.  Check out:
http://wstreaming.zdf.de/zdf/veryhigh/071219_toronto_vancouver.asx
go to 54 minute mark of the 58 minute documentary to find the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

Attending our first practice were:
returning Gung Haggis paddlers Wendy, Tzhe, Keng & Gerard, Georgia,
Julie, Ashleigh, Steven Wong & Jane, Stephen Mirowski, Joe, Emma,
Leanne, Daming, and myself…  + Lena who joined us in Oct + Raphael,
Adam & Nicole from the UA team (who had joined us for Lotus and Ft.
Langley Races) + 5 paddlers from CC Dragons Don & Paulette, Gail,
Marg, and Debbie = 24 people on the water – Wow!

We were enthusiastically enjoying the sunshine, and happy to be out paddling, stretching our muscles!

We are grateful to the CC Dragons paddlers
who are joining us, and bringing lots of experience from years of
competitive, and Rec A/B racing.  Thank you to the Gung Haggis paddlers
for making them feel welcome.  We will be inclusive, sharing
leadership, wisdom, experience, enthusiasm and lots of fun, food and
drink.

The Global TV cameraman came out
to shoot some shots of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team and to
interview Todd for a story about “The Best of BC”.  Cultural diversity
is the topic, and Todd and the Gung Haggis dragon boat team will
represent it to Global TV veiwers for the story celebrating BC's 150th
Anniversary.

From Global TV producer/reporter Elaine Yong:

We
did a poll asking people what they thought were the things that made BC
a world-class place, and people/culture/diversity was one of the top 10
responses.  To illustrate some of BC's amazing culture and diversity, I
thought you would be a great person to profile.  But of course, we need
some viz of you doing something, and since we missed the dinner, the
dragon boating would be great, as well as another example of cultural
diversity.  The story is scheduled to air Feb 26 or 27,

Today was a great start
to a new Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat season.  We plan to have two
teams where new paddlers can learn from veteran paddlers, and our best
paddlers can race to their potential. 

Please remember to dress warmly,
with polypropelene underwear that will wick moisture away, windbreakers
to cut the wind chill, and bring water – as we still loose moisture
through our breath.  It's important to stay warm and hydrated – even
more so, as we are just getting started again in cold weather and many
of us have not been exercising for awhile.

Two teams for 2008 will be GREAT!
Two boats can race together on Sunday afternoon practices
Tuesday
and Wednesday 6pm practices will evolve as either advanced paddler or
technique/beginner practices… or dependent upon which night people
can attend. 

We are building flexibility into our practice schedule.
People could also paddle on one day, and help coach or steer on another day or more.

If new people would like to join they can contact me at:
gunghaggis at yahoo dot ca

or phone Todd Wong
h: 604-987-7124
c: 778-846-7090

Eric on the Road podcast with Gung Haggis Fat Choy – hitting US pod cast waves

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Back in January, Todd Wong was interviewed by Eric Model for “Conversations on the Road.”  Model describes his  show as “journeys into the offbeat, off the beaten path, overlooked and the forgotten.”

“And today most appropriately takes us into the category of offbeat.  And today's journey we go to Vancouver and we are discussing and event called 'Gung Haggis Fat Choy.'”

It's a very interesting 21 minute and 38 second pod cast with a stimulating conversation about the origins of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, early Chinese and Scottish pioneers in the late 1800's, racism, cultural traditions, inter-racial marriage, and the Canadian explorer Simon Fraser who was actually born in Vermont.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Gung Haggis Fat Choy – A Unique Scottish-Chinese Cultural Celebration

Posted by: emodel // Category: Uncategorized // 8:15 am

Gung
Haggis Fat Choy is a cultural event originating from Vancouver, BC. The
name Gung Haggis Fat Choy is a combination wordplay on Scottish and
Chinese words: haggis is a traditional Scottish food and Gung Hay Fat
Choy/Kung Hei Fat Choi s a traditional Cantonese greeting (in Mandarin
it is pronounced Gong Xi Fa Cai) used during Chinese New Year. The
event originated to mark the timely coincidence of the Scottish
cultural celebration of Robert Burns Day (January 25) with the Chinese
New Year, but has come to represent a celebration of combining cultures
in untraditional ways.

In Vancouver, the event is characterized by music, poetry, and other
performances around the city, culminating in a large banquet and party.
This unique event has also inspired both a television performance
special titled Gung Haggis Fat Choy, and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy
Canadian Games, organized by the Recreation Department at Simon Fraser
University.

In this conversation, we speak with event founder and spearhead Todd
Wong. He tells us how it got started, and what it has come to represent
around Vancouver and far beyond. 

icon for podpress  Gung Haggis Fat Choy [21:38m]:  Download

Tailor Made: CBC TV documentary highlights Modernize Tailors' 80 year history in Vancouver Chinatown

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TAILOR MADE: Chinatown's Last Tailors
CBC Newsworld
Tuesday February 12th
7pm/10pm   EST & PST

Modernize Tailors began in 1913 when their father opened the store.  Brothers Bill and Jack took it over in 1953.  It's now 2007, and Bill's younger brother Milton wants to help brothers Bill and Jack retire gracefully by turning the tailor shop into a “living museum” and “hobby shop,” and move into the restored building and original site of their father's tailorshop. But will they pass the historic tailor shop on to an fashion journalist apprentice or the hot shot tailor at Holt Renfrew?

This is the story behind Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors, directed by Len Lee and Marsha Newbery, and produced by Marsha Newbery

This was a wonderful documentary that was more concerned with the present day human story of finding a successor for Modernize Tailors, rather than retelling the history of Chinatown and how the Wong Brothers Bill and Jack turned to their father's tailor shop after they were told there would be no jobs for them because they were Chinese, even though they had just graduated with UBC engineering degrees in 1946.  In following the two different successor storylines, the viewer learns an appreciation for what Bill and Jack Wong created with Modernize Tailors, and why it has a special place not only in Chinatown history, but also Vancouver history.  We learn that it once was Vancouver's busiest and largest tailor shop, employing up to 20 people and operating 7 days a week.

You really got to know a sense of Bill Wong, tailor.  He is such as nice down to earth person.  He genuinely was interested in apprentice JJ Lee, and the hot shot tailor David.  But now Bill is 85 years old.  There are other concerns in his life such as his wife and garden. It is shared that wife Zoe is in the beginning stages of Alzheimers disease, and there is a touching scene of them walking hand in hand in Queen Elizabeth Park near their home.  And then there are the many children and grandchildren that we are never introduced to.

There are even some celebrity appearances!  Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan comes into the shop to visit and says that he wants to be able to brag that he has a Modernize Tailors suit.  There is a picture of Sean Connery who was a customer, as well as a thank you note from Gordon Lightfoot.  At one time, Modernize Tailors was “the tailor shop” to go to in Vancouver – especially when the zoot suits were in fashion!  Nowadays they just make zoot suits for the theatre and film companies.

But the best celebrity appearance is their baby brother Milton Wong.  Bill shares that Milton was named to the Order of Canada and chancellor at Simon Fraser University.  The narrator says that Milton is a well-known investor and philanthropist who has bought the historic Chinese Freemasons building and restored it as a senior's residence.  It was also the early site of Modernize Tailors from for fifty years from 1936 to 1976.  Milton has created a smaller storefront for Modernize Tailors to “retire” into, as a kind of living museum and hobby shop, because elder brothers Bill and Jack aren't ready to quit tailoring yet.

Tailor Made was filmed over a 1 1/2 year period from 2006 to 2007.  Bill
Wong's son Steven is on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team so we
heard about some of the story ideas and filming events, such as “the
move.”  From time to time I pop into Modernize Tailors, so I also
bumped into the film makers and Wong family members.  At one point the
film crew was asking about having the 85 year old Bill Wong paddle on
our dragon boat team, because he had done so as part of “The Wong Way”
family dragonboat team in 2004 and 2005.

Bill Wong attended this year's Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, and his son Steven is a paddler on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  It's nice to get to know Bill over the past few years, as our family's have many connections.

It was nice to see my uncle Laddie in the show, since he is one of the tailors employed by Bill and Jack.  And I saw my Auntie Verna, when there was a food celebration with the Wong families in the store.

My cousin Joe Wai made a brief appearance as “the architect” of the restored heritage building, that Bill Wong's younger brother Milton has bought to house the “living museum” of the working tailor shop.

Over the past 3 years there have been 4 documentaries about Vancouver Chinatown families and individuals: Mary Lee Chan: Taking On City Hall, I Am the Canadian Delegate (the Douglas Jung Story), Generations: The Chan Legacy and now Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors.  I am proud to know descendants from each of the families documented, and especially that there are descendants from each family paddling on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team!

Bill Wong & Wong Family 2005 Carving dragon headphoto Todd Wong

Here's a picture of tailor-turned-woodcarver Bill Wong working on a dragon boat head with the youngest generation of Wongs.  Both the Wong Way and Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat teams took part in an experimental workshop to carve wooden dragon boat heads in the spring of 2005.