Philip T. Timms. (1889). Dupont St. (Pender) Chinatown Vancouver / Looking west from Columbia st. / Note 3 story building right / 1889 Yip Sang. The Chung Collection (CC-PH-10624). University of British Columbia Library, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. DOI: 10.14288/1.0355107.

Philip T. Timms. (1904). Old Chinatown Dupont St. at Main St. 5am, Vancouver BC. The Chung Collection (CC-PH-00221). University of British Columbia Library, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. DOI: 10.14288/1.0218186.

EARLY BEGINNINGS

The first Chinese settlers arrived in Vancouver in the late 1850s, with hopes of finding better opportunities. While the Chinese did thrive, other residents of Vancouver at the time were not so happy about that.

1885 - The federal Chinese Immigration Act is passed. Any Chinese looking to immigrate to Canada must now pay a $50 head tax.

1886 - Chinatown is born, and approximately ninety Chinese residents call Chinatown home. Many of them are living along Carrall and Dupont (later East Pender) Streets.

​1890 - The population of Vancouver's Chinatown increased to over one thousand residents.

1895 - The Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver is founded, with the headquarters built on Dupont Street.

1900 - The Chinese Head Tax increased to $100.

1903 - The Chinese Head Tax was increased again to $500.
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1904 - Construction in Chinatown creates new space for the Chinese to live in. These areas came to be known as Shanghai Alley and Canton Alley. Chinese businesses began to thrive.

Unknown. (1907). Shanghai Alley after Chinatown 1907 riots, Vancouver BC. The Chung Collection (CC-PH-00217). University of British Columbia Library, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. DOI: 10.14288/1.0219602.

C.I. 36 head tax certificate for Jew Chee Gee, 14 August 1918. The Chung Collection (CC-PH-00217). University of British Columbia Library, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved from http://ccs.library.ubc.ca/en/stories/viewItem/2/0/43/#!Stories[mixed]/3/​.

EXCLUSION, FEAR, & RACE RIOTS

Vancouver residents went to great lengths to show the Chinese who was in charge.
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1907 - On September 7, 1907, the Asiatic Exclusion League marched through Chinatown, smashing business windows, looting stores, and beating up Chinese.

1910 - Despite the riots, Chinatown thrived and grew into about four city blocks. 

1911 - Chinatown's population continues to grow, with its numbers growing to about 3,560 and becoming the largest Chinatown in Canada.

1914-1918 -  Approximately 200 Chinese volunteered for the Canadian military during World War I.

1920 - Chinatown's population booms and infrastructure grows. There are now theatres, a library, schools, and hospitals. 

1923 - The Chinese Exclusion Act is passed, effectively prohibiting any more Chinese from immigrating into Canada.

1936 - A gate is erected at Pender Street and Carrall Street. That site is currently occupied by the Chinese Cultural Centre.
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1939-1945 - More Chinese volunteered to fight in the Canadian army, this time in World War II. During this time, due to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Depression, the Chinese population drops from ~13,000 to ~7,100.

Steffens-Colmer Studios. (1945). V.J. Day Chinese Dragon Parade. Williams Brothers Photo Fonds (AM 1545-S3). City of Vancouver Archives, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved from http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/v-j-day-chinese-dragon-parade-2.

Vancouver (BC) Planning Department. (ca 1960-1980). View of East Pender Street at Night. City of Vancouver Fonds (COV-S511 -- CVA 780-476). City of Vancouver Archives, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

EARLY MOVEMENT, REDEVELOPMENT & EXODUS

The Chinese were now more widely accepted, and Chinatown began to change as people started to move around. 

1947 - The Chinese Exclusion Act is repealed, which is a big victory for the Chinese.

1949 - The area known as Canton Alley is destroyed, due to the demolition of many tenement buildings in Chinatown by the City of Vancouver.

1950 - Due to low property prices, many of Chinatown's residents begin moving to nearby Japan Town and the Strathcona districts.

1957 - Many people of Chinese origin were now living in Strathcona. It is now a "de facto residential extension of Chinatown".

1961-1965 - Redevelopment Project Number 1, 2, and 3 are launched in Chinatown, which demolishes plenty of residences and displaces nearly 3,300 residents.

1967 - A major freeway project that would cut through Vancouver's Chinatown and Strathcona neighbourhood is rejected after resistance from Chinatown residents.
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1968 - The Strathcona Property Owners and Tenant Association (SPOTA) is formed to petition City Council to lend residents money to help them improve their homes.

​1971 - The Strathcona Rehabilitation Program was launched to help rehabilitate various sites in the neighbourhood. The Provincial government also designated Chinatown as a historical district.

1986 - The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park and Chinese Classical Gardens were completed. Other beautification projects were completed throughout the 1980s.
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1987 - The Chinese arch from Expo '86 was re-installed in front of the Chinese Cultural Centre.

Condo construction in Vancouver's Chinatown. January 22, 2016. Photo by Darryl Dyck for The Globe and Mail.

No social housing in latest 105 Keefer proposal for Vancouver's Chinatown. October 30, 2017. Photo by Arlen Redekop.

THE MODERN AGE & GENTRIFICATION CRISIS

With a new generation already forging their own path, Vancouver's Chinatown has changed significantly.

​2000 - The Downtown Eastside Community Development Project through the National Crime Prevention Centre.

2001 - The Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee is formed to help revitalize Chinatown.

2005-2008 - The Three Year action plan for Chinatown's revitalization project.

2009-2012 - The Historic Area Height Review is completed. A 3-Year Economic Revitalization Strategy is also developed.

2011 - The first proposal for the redevelopment of 105 Keefer Street.
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2015-2017 - Widespread displacement of Chinatown residents come about due to gentrification and redevelopment. The development at 105 Keefer Street, though hotly contested, was denied multiple times.