Museum researchers conduct recorded interviews with immigrants, refugees, settlement workers and others who have lived experiences relating to immigration. As a learning institution, these accounts help us understand how individuals recollect, interpret, or construct meaning from events and experiences that are within living or family memory. Excerpts of these audio and video interviews, such as those accessible here, are used by the museum in various ways. Please consult the Reproductions and Use information page for details on how to request the original, unmodified recording.
From 1980 to 1984, Tung and his family lived in Kelowna, British Columbia, where there were few Chinese families. The warm welcome he received from his neighbour made him feel more comfortable in his new environment.
My wife and I went to Kelowna, and were living in a motel at the time because we hadn’t bought our house yet. We went into a McDonald’s, one Sunday morning. We walked in. And we look around. We were the only Oriental family in there. We didn’t feel comfortable. We didn’t feel comfortable at all. But we sat down anyways, and, we felt at the time that people were looking at us and the strange eyes and wondering what this young family moved into. So, after we moved into our house though, again is another thing that we always remember and treasure. Our doorbell rang. I opened the door, and it was our next door neighbour, Mrs. Wood, with a cake in hand and her daughter by her side. And says, "Welcome to our neighbourhood. I’m Mrs. Wood, I live next door to you. If there’s anything we can do for you, just let us know." And we thought, Wow! This is incredible! That people will welcome us in such a way.
Tung Chan was born in January 1952 in Hong Kong, the third of seven children. His parents immigrated to Hong Kong following the Communist takeover of China in 1949. In Hong Kong, Tung worked as a floor trader at the Kowloon Stock Exchange. In 1974, Tung immigrated to Canada, settling in Vancouver where his older sister lived. His fiancée Shirley joined him there a short while later. Tung graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1978 with a degree in sociology and a minor in commerce. After graduating, Tung began working at TD bank and went on to have a 28 year career in the banking field. From 1990 to 1993, Tung served as a Vancouver city councillor. After retiring from banking in 2006, Tung became the CEO of the settlement organization SUCCESS. Tung later became the chair of the board for the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
Interview conducted by Emily Burton on 18 February 2014 at CBC Studio 44 in Vancouver, BC. The interview is not restricted; contact Museum staff for access to the full interview.
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