Exploring Chinatown was such a rich experience with Chris, our tour guide from Discover the Past. Chris really made Chinatown, come alive with stories about the people and the history of the 1800's - early 1900's in Canada's oldest Chinatown.
Our students and parents learned about the founding of the Chinese School, early segregation, the Lee family and how fluent English had helped to make this family wealthy. We learned about Fan Tan Alley and even learned the gambling game Fan Tan. We went to the Sam Kung Temple and learned about the Folk Temples with their many gods.
As we walked around Chinatown Chris helped us to visualize the size and the vibrancy of Victoria's early Chinatown. He pointed out important buildings and borders. He gave us a sense of the culture, business and politics of the time. He also helped us see how monies sent back to China made a difference to modern day China.
Because Chris had visited Southern China several times, he had a real understanding of the heritage of the people in Victoria's Chinatown's early days. It was a 1.5 hours of enthralling stories and information. Thank you Discover the Past!