Celebrating Dr. Wallace Chung's 99th Birthday Chinatown Story Telling Centre, Vancouver BC

 

Celebrating Dr. Wallace Chung's 99th Birthday

At the Chinatown Storytelling Centre

On November 30, 2024 Vancouver's Chinatown Storytelling Centre hosted Dr. Chung’s 99th birthday celebration and a tribute. There were three speakers. His daughter Maria, his son Stephen, and I gave talks that shared anecdotes about his personal life, his contributions as a physician and teacher, 

and details of his many decades of passionate collecting.

In my opinion, Dr. Wallace Chung is one of Canada's greatest living collectors of history and culture. His collection at UBC, a rather unique distinction, was entered into UNESCO’s World Register of cultural treasures 

in recognition of its important historical value.

 

 

 

Dr. Chung’s donated collections (and there were many) consist of more than 25,000 artifacts, photographs, rare books, ship models, posters, photo albums including vast quantities of highly elusive documents related to Victoria and Vancouver Chinatowns.  He also collected anything related to the experiences of Chinese people throughout all of Canada and especially the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.  He was also interested in Canadian history, anything to do with British Columbia, maritime history including ocean liners like the Titanic, the Normandie, the Cunard shipping line and anything to do with the Canadian Pacific Railway and Steamship lines. Most of the maritime treasures were donated to the Vancouver Maritime Museum in two stages.

Earlier, on April 19, 2024, a celebratory inauguration took place for a new gallery that highlights some of the treasures in the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection and Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush Collection which were merged into a dedicated gallery space in the Barber building on the UBC Campus.

Here is UBC’s official presentation.

Although there were many, many booksellers and antique dealers in Canada and the United States who have helped Dr. Chung with his collecting, it was satisfying to see some of the publications, posters and artifacts that I sold him over four decades prominently displayed in the new gallery. 

Bjarne Tokerud