Monthly archives: October 2018


Save Chinatown Committee

In the late 1960s, Jean helped in a campaign to save Toronto’s Chinatown. She was in charge of representatives from over 40 Chinese organizations who went to City Hall to save their Chinatown. Wealthy businessmen with their own ideas about improving the downtown area wanted to tear it down and build expensive high-rise apartments and […]

Jean Lumb sitting in back of converitble down busy pedestrian street in chinatown holding a megaphone. Young girl beside her holding a lantern.

young chinese women in tradition attire standing next to small potted tree.

Chinese Woman comes to Toronto

“In the 1920s, Toronto was bigger and busier than ever. People had steady jobs and families had a place to live. There was plenty of food to go around. Until that time, most people living in Toronto had a British background but now thousands were arriving from other parts of Europe to live and work […]


Jean Lumb at the 1990 Dragon Ball

“As [Jean] said so well herself at the Dragon Ball in 1990, honouring her accomplishments – speaking to an audience of over 1,200 people – “Through the hard work and sacrifices of our forefathers, they have passed on a legacy of loyalty, honour, obedience, and respect. Through education, through the strength of family unity, and […]

newspaper cutout of Jean Lumb atteding Dragon Ball

text of a directory

The first Chinese man in Toronto

“By the late 1800s, Toronto was growing by leaps and bounds into a major urban centre. Newcomers from England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and Italy poured into the city. This growth was largely due to the railway that linked Toronto with everywhere else in Canada. New factories sprang up to serve the rail industry, and new […]


A country that does not remember its past has no future

“There’s an old expression: A country that does not remember its past has no future. We need to look to the past to move forward. Chinese Canadians have added to the rich fabric of Canadian life in so many ways. Each wave of Chinese immigrants has been unique. The early immigrants were the most homogeneous […]

book cover with photos of chinese culture in Toronto