Cantonese Opera with the Lee Yuen Cheer Sing 梨園之星 Cantonese opera troupe at the Chinatown Plaza Mall on June 16th was a massive success!
There were so many people attending that we had to buy out all the stools from a local Chinatown store for extra seating.
Some heartwarming comments we received from attendees:
“This is my first time watching Cantonese Opera, and it’s so beautiful!”
“I’m here with my family because my mom and dad love Chinese Opera and we never get to see it otherwise!”
“We don’t usually come to Chinatown, seeing this event made us come down!”
“I’m so glad I could bring my children to come and watch this”
“We never thought we would see our culture being celebrated in a public place like this!”
“Amazing to watch Cantonese opera in Chinatown. My grandfather used to play percussion in the orchestra of one of the Chinatown Cantonese opera groups”
(By the way, if you attended, please tell us what you think in this 1 minute survey here.)
Some beautiful photos from the performance:
We also had the popular seniors market with handicrafts, tailoring services, palm reading, and William’s Library:
We also experimented with inviting a Chinatown grocer, Amy’s San Lee Market, to sell their fresh Chinese veggies and fruits at the event — and it was a resounding hit! Thanks to your support, Amy almost sold out three tables full of groceries. Her friend said of all the years she’s seen Amy in business, it feels like she finally made it with this event.
Organizations like the Chinatown BIA (Business Improvement Association), Chinatown Foundation (of the Chinatown Storytelling Centre), Chinatown Merchants Association, Sun Yat Sen Garden, and others say that gentrifier buildings like 105 Keefer will bring foot traffic that will benefit Chinatown’s businesses.
But with this Cantonese opera event, we’ve shown how culture can actually bring people to Chinatown and directly put money in the hands of the neighbourhood’s culturally-appropriate legacy businesses right now, right away.
Inspired by the success of San Lee, we’ll being bringing a local food corner at our next event that you won’t want to miss! Help us continue these events and the impact we make by donating here.
Speaking of our next event…
Have you marked your calendar for the Chinatown Variety Show yet?
There will 20+ intergenerational community acts from sword dances to accordion music to tap dances, mahjong, and game show prizes with Chinatown’s very own Super Trio 華埠無敵獎門人! We’re also featuring a new food corner with:
Deep fried wontons from Cindy’s Ho Yummy 水雲鲜好食檔 🥟
Refreshing traditional tofu pudding dessert from Dou Lok Fong Tofu 豆樂坊 🍮
Fresh Chinese groceries from Chinatown’s San Lee Market 生利公司 🥬
Also, did we say mahjong? Yes, there’ll be mahjong!
🗓️WHEN: Sunday, July 7 2024, 2:00PM to 5:00PM
📍WHERE: Sun Yat Sen Courtyard - 578 Carrall St, Vancouver
Help us continue Chinatown Together events until the end of the year!
We short on funding to be able to run events until the end of the year. If you love the free and inclusive public cultural events that we host in Chinatown to push back against gentrification, please consider donating.