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The Families
Behind every storefront, café, market, and laundry business were families working long hours to build
stable lives in a new country.
The family stories below form the heart of the Chinatown Heritage Project.
The Thom Family;
A Family of Business, Leadership & Community Trust
The Thom family story is deeply woven into the history of Duncan’s Chinatown and the evolution of downtown business life in the Cowichan Valley.
Through grocery operations, retail businesses, community leadership, and translation work, the family became part of the social and commercial foundation of Chinatown during the early and mid-20th century.
Like many Chinese immigrant families of the era, the Thom family built their life during a time of significant discrimination and restriction. The Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion era created enormous hardship for Chinese families across Canada, limiting immigration and separating many families for years.
Despite these barriers, the Thom family established themselves within Duncan’s growing business community.
The Chow Family;
Merchants, Community Builders & Chinatown Leaders
When Wah Sing Chow arrived in Canada in 1908, he entered a country that placed enormous barriers in front of Chinese immigrants.
The Chinese Head Tax era separated families, created financial hardship, and forced many men to build lives far from home and family. Like many others arriving during this period, Wah Sing Chow came searching for opportunity while navigating a system designed to restrict Chinese immigration.
Over time, the Chow family became deeply connected to the growth of Duncan’s Chinatown.
The Wong Family;
Laundry Routes, Long Hours & Life Between Businesses
The Wong family story reflects a side of Chinatown history that was physically demanding, deeply personal, and essential to everyday life in Duncan.
Like many Chinese immigrant families throughout British Columbia during the early 1900s, the Wongs became connected to the laundry business — one of the few industries that Chinese immigrants were often able to enter during periods of heavy discrimination and employment restriction.
Laundry work was exhausting.
Sue Lem Bing & Pekin Café;
Food, Community & Daily Life in Chinatown
The story of Sue Lem Bing and the Pekin Café offers a glimpse into the everyday life of Duncan’s Chinatown during the mid-20th century.
Restaurants were among the most visible and socially important businesses within Chinatown. They brought people together, introduced Chinese cuisine to the wider public, and became gathering spaces for workers, families, and downtown residents.
The Pekin Café stood at the center of that experience.