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The Story of Duncan's Chinatown
Chinese immigrants played a vital role in shaping the early history of our community. From the first arrivals and the creation of a vibrant Chinatown, to the businesses, families, traditions, and relationships that grew here, this history is deeply woven into the story of our town.
This page explores the growth of Chinatown, the challenges faced by the Chinese community, the eventual loss of the neighbourhood through redevelopment, and the lasting legacy that continues to influence our community today.
Arrival and Settlement
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Chinese immigrants began arriving in British Columbia seeking work and opportunity. Many came alone, leaving wives, children, and parents behind in China.
They worked in logging camps, railway construction, farms, and mills throughout Vancouver Island.
Conditions were difficult, and immigration restrictions such as the Head Tax and Exclusion Act created enormous financial and emotional hardship.
Despite these barriers, Chinese immigrants slowly established businesses and communities throughout Vancouver Island.
In Duncan, Chinatown began to take shape.
Building Chinatown
Duncan’s Chinatown was modest in size but full of life. Grocery stores, produce markets, restaurants, laundries, cafés, meeting halls, and boarding houses formed a close-knit district near Government Street, Jubilee Street, McAdam Street, and nearby alleyways.
Families often lived above or behind their businesses. Children helped in stores after school. New
immigrants found support through family networks and community organizations.
Chinatown was not only a commercial district — it was a social and cultural home.
Everyday Life
Benches lined storefronts where neighbours gathered and watched the movement of downtown Duncan. Produce deliveries arrived daily. Laundry carts moved through the streets collecting and returning clothes.
Restaurants such as the Pekin Café served both Chinese and Western dishes, introducing many local residents to Chinese cuisine for the first time.
Festivals and celebrations brought the community together. Cantonese opera music, Toisanese dialect conversations, and family gatherings filled the neighbourhood with life.
Community Organizations
Mutual aid organizations and associations played an important role in Chinatown.
Groups such as the Chinese Freemasons and Kuomintang-related associations provided social support,
financial assistance, translation help, and community leadership.
These organizations helped newcomers navigate life in Canada and strengthened connections within the Chinese community.
Chinatown & Indigenous Relationships
Committee discussions and community memory have highlighted the strong historical relationship between Chinese and Indigenous communities.
As minority groups facing discrimination and exclusion, these communities often supported one another through shared experience and mutual respect.
This relationship forms an important part of Chinatown’s broader story.
Redevelopment & Loss
By the late 1960s, redevelopment reshaped downtown Duncan.
Buildings associated with Chinatown were demolished to make way for new civic development projects, including the round building, courthouse, and related infrastructure.
The physical neighbourhood disappeared.
Yet the families remained.
Businesses relocated, descendants stayed connected to Duncan, and memories continued through photographs, articles, and stories passed down through generations.
Legacy Today
Today, very little physical evidence of Chinatown remains.
This project exists to reconnect those places with their stories.
The Chinatown Heritage Project is both a historical archive and a living act of remembrance — preserving
the contributions, struggles, and resilience of the families who helped shape Duncan.