Artist Donna Seto takes readers on a tour of Vancouver's Chinatown in new illustrated book

Vancouver artist Donna Seto spent a lot of time in Chinatown as a kid; she went grocery shopping with her parents in the neighbourhood; she got medical care there, and her grandmother lived just outside the community. 

She really got to know the area when she joined the local foot patrol to keep the community safe. 

But Seto has also seen it change. 

"I went to school overseas and coming back, you see that difference there," she told CBC's Margaret Gallagher. 

"Up and down Keefer Street when I was a kid, you used to smell that sweetness of those oranges. I don't smell that anymore; there are very few grocery stores left in Chinatown."

Years later, Seto started painting different buildings in Vancouver's Chinatown for fun. But the response to her work on social media showed her just how important the community has been to Chinese Canadians for many, many years.

"Chinatown is a living community. It is a living history."

Now, she's released a collection of her illustrations along with stories from community members, a history of the buildings and archival photographs of the neighbourhood entitled Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History, published by House of Anansi Press.

Chinese Freemason building

On the corner of West Pender and Carrall streets stands what some people describe as the building with two faces, Seto said. 

"When you look at one side, on the Pender side, you see these beautiful recessed balconies and these beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows. But on the other side, the Carrall side, it's just kind of plain."

Built in the early 1900s, that building was the original home of the Chinese Freemasons, which Seto said connected the community to other parts of the world. 

The Chinese Times

Nearby, a painted red brick building with green trim stands proud. That's where the Chinese Times was based. 

The newspaper published daily from 1914 until 1992, according to Simon Fraser University. 

Legally, the building is two storeys high, although it appears to be three. 

"You kind of see this kind of narrow, short kind of middle storey," Seto explained. "A lot of the buildings in Chinatown have what's called a mezzanine floor. It's roughly about six feet high. The typesetters were actually on that middle floor … because they actually spent the entire day sitting down; you didn't have to stand up. So it was OK for it to be a short floor."

Ming Wo Cookware

Ming Wo Cookware left Chinatown in February 2020 after more than 100 years serving the community, first as a hardware store and then as a kitchen store. The family-owned business still has two locations elsewhere in Vancouver, but the Chinatown location was a staple for many, Seto said. 

"There's rumours that the ladies in Chinatown used to play mahjong on that mezzanine floor," she said.  

The Ming Wo building was one of the first paintings Seto did.

"I just love the cornice up top and the fact that it has that old Ming Wo Cookware kind of etched up on there and the green." 

Chinese Benevolent Association

Seto says the Chinese Benevolent (CBA) building, built in 1909, is one of the most significant buildings in Chinatown. 

Its sage green paint job at the top of the building, wrought-iron railings, recessed balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows stand out among plainer brick structures nearby. 

Seto said the building is linked to early merchants in the neighbourhood, and many have known it as the home of Cathay Importers. 

The Chamber of Commerce was located in the building, as was the first Chinese hospital, or makeshift clinic, Seto said.

Preserving history

Seto said it's important to preserve the stories and the history of Chinatown for younger generations to see themselves reflected in Canadian culture. She hopes her book supports that work. 

"When I was growing up, I didn't see myself in history, I didn't see myself in Canadian identity," she said. 

"The Chinese did a lot of great things, and I think we need to have more and more conversations about that."