Over $5 million in federal funding for new Chinese Canadian Museum

Exterior of the Wing Sang Building in Vancouver's Chinatown, the location of the future Chinese Canadian Museum. (Chinese Canadian Museum)

With just over a month before the Chinese Canadian Museum’s opening on Canada Day 2023, the new museum in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown district has received $5.2 million in new funding from the federal government.

This funding is provided jointly through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.

You might also like:

“Our government knows that tourism does not exist without culture. By investing in the Chinese Canadian Museum, we are supporting the creation of an important cultural asset that celebrates the legacy of Chinese Canadians and creates a best-in-class heritage experience that will draw visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Harjit Sajjan, the federal minister of international development and the minister responsible for PacifiCan, in a statement.

This adds to the $48.5 million the museum has received to date from the provincial government towards capital costs and ongoing operating costs upon opening.

The museum is taking over the Wing Sang Building, one of the oldest buildings in Chinatown, at 51 East Pender Street — immediately north of the Chinese Cultural Centre and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. This building was previously upgraded for the offices and private museum of Rennie.

The building’s new use for the Chinese Canadian Museum is described as a three-phase, multi-year project focused on revitalizing and upgrading over 21,000 sq ft of floor area, including expanding exhibition and programming space to house future permanent and temporary exhibitions.

“We thank the Government of Canada for this funding at a pivotal juncture in the Chinese Canadian Museum’s development,” said Melissa Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum. “The funds will assist the museum with finishing its first renovation phase and exhibition preparations. We are thrilled to open this summer to present historic exhibitions and significant public programs that honour the diverse Chinese Canadian communities across the country.”

You might also like: