The Ontario Heritage Trust plaque featuring Jean Lumb was unveiled in April 2016. The plaque is located on the southeast corner of Elizabeth Street and Foster Place. Here’s what it says: Jean Lumb was born Jean (Toy Jin) Wong in British Columbia, and came to Toronto in 1935. She was soon operating a profitable fruit […]
The Ontario Heritage Trust plaque featuring Jean Lumb was unveiled in April 2016. The plaque is located on the southeast corner of Elizabeth Street and Foster Place. Here’s what it says: Jean Lumb was born Jean (Toy Jin) Wong in British Columbia, and came to Toronto in 1935. She was soon operating a profitable fruit […]
Happy Birthday! It was Canada’s Centennial, its 100th anniversary as a country. A grand celebration was organized for June 30 and July 1, 1967, in Ottawa for Canadians and for Her Majesty, the Queen. The Chinese Community Dancers of Ontario, a dance group that Jean had formed, was chosen to perform for the celebration in […]
Chinese immigrants with the same surname formed family associations. Among the early family associations were the Li She Kong So (Lee Association) and Lem Si Ho Tong (Lem Society) that can still be found in Chinatown. Another long-standing association is Lung Kong Kung So whose membership is made up of people with four surnames: Liu […]
Jean and Doyle decided to open a restaurant, rather than continue the grocery store. In 1959, they opened the restaurant in downtown Chinatown and called it Kwong Chow, named after a city in China – famous for its Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant was successful for many years and attracted well-known people over the years from […]
“Head tax certificates were required for all Chinese immigrants as proof of their payment for entry into Canada. Officially called C.I. 5 certificates, “C.I.” an abbreviation for Chinese Immigration, these were issued by the federal authorities to show the amount of the head tax and the port and date of arrival. An official stamp was […]
Chinese names consist of three parts: the surname and two given names. The surname appears first. One of the two given names is a generation name that is usually shared by others born in the same generation such as brothers and cousins. The other is a personal name. Yip Kew Dock, Canada’s first Chinese-Canadian lawyer, […]
