Kilts and family history abound during two episodes of the 6-part Generations series on CBC Newsworld

Find out what a 250 year old Anglophone family in Quebec City and a 120 year old Chinese-Canadian family in Vancouver have in common.

Both have:
bagpipes and kilts
+ accordion music
+ canoe/dragon boat racing
+ immigration as a topic
+ Church music
+ archival photos/newsreels of an ex-premier
+ cultural/racial discrimination stories
+ prominent Canadian historical events to show how
   the families embraced them or were challenged by them
+ both featured saving a historical literary landmark.
+ younger generation learning the non-English language

Generations: The Chan Legacy features Todd Wong, founder of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a quirky Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner, which inspired a CBC Vancouver television performance special.  Todd's involvements with Terry Fox Run, Joy Kogawa House campaign and dragon boat racing are also shown.

July 29th 4pm PST / July 30th 12am

4:00 p.m.

Generations: The Chan Legacy - Missionaries from China come to the West Coast help Westernize Chinese immigrant workers in the late 1800's.

August 5th 4pm PST

4:00 p.m.

Generations: The Blairs of Quebec - An Anglophone family with 250 years of history in Quebec City struggles to maintain it's heritage.

Produced by Halya Kuchmij, narrated by Michelle Cheung.

Work took Ronnie Blair and his family to England in the 1960’s but his children longed to return to Canada, and to Quebec City. Alison Blair was the first to return, as a student, in 1972. Her brother David followed in 1974. Both were excited by the political and social changes that had taken place during the Quiet Revolution in Quebec and threw themselves into everything Francophone. David learned to speak French, married a French Canadian and settled into a law practice.

Alcan Dragon Boat Festival Friday: Blessing Ceremony + we crash the VIP Party


The blessing ceremony for the 19th annual Alcan Dragon Boat Festival went well.. except for Todd being slowed by North Shore traffic.  Channel M had just called me and was asking if our honourary drummer James Erlandsen, leukemia patient, would be on the boat...

"Nope" I said, "his white blood count is too depleted." 
"But James' spirit will be with us when we are on the boat, and our spirit is with his, in his recovery back to health." We are helping to find a matching Eurasian bone marrow for James.  3 of our paddlers are Eurasian, and we have 3 inter-racial couples on the team! Hapa is s-o-o-o in!

Hmmm.... I arrived late and the team was already on the dock.  I brought down the kilts which paddler Stuart Mackinnon and Drummer Deb each quickly put on. Team Captain Jim Blatherwick already had his kilt on.

We loaded up the boat, and Taoist priests were already chanting and dotting the eyes of the dragons...   then we paddled away from the Dragon Zone dock.  Usually it is this time that drummer Deb does her introductions of new guest paddlers on the boat - but in the 1st seat - the female priest was singing/chanting.  Hillary's mother Bev Wong (James Erlandsen's Aunt), and currently inactive paddlers Jeremy and Jen - took pictures of us and waved to us from the Dragon Zone deck.

We paddled over to a float set up on the North side of Dragon Zone - within good viewing of the VIP lounge on the North West side of the Science World deck.  We let off the priest + a VIP + Captain Jim... the priests did blessings.  Captain Jim stood during the ceremonies, and chatted with the captains of Concord dragon boat team - Fred Roman, and captain of Cathay Pacific - May.   Jim says the priests gave him a "lucky coin".  While we waited the 20 minutes while the priests did their equipment takedown - We paddled some figure 8's and Deb introduced our guest paddlers.  2 youngsters from Kitsilano Water Demons junior team, and their coach Chek Tay - whom I have known since 1999.

We paddled back to the Dragon Zone dock - We started saying our goodbyes because Deb & Todd were heading off to the ADBF VIP party, and our paddlers were deciding what to do next when they were immediately asked to help carrying things down to the dock, as Water's Edge was setting up the race course.  While our paddlers helped out, and Todd bumped into ADBF general manager Ann Phelps who said that she had to go help out her volunteers at the VIP party.  Todd asked if she needed more volunteers, and offered the GHFC paddlers. So we all did get to go to the VIP party afterall.... but as volunteers. 

It was easy... we served drinks, bused the used dishes, and Todd helped out at the reception desk.  We were told that we could relieve the current volunteer staff, switch off and enjoy the party.  We did...   Free wine, beer, drinks and food, food, food. 

Steven Wong saw his brother Peter who is past-president for ADBF.  Georgia and I talked with Marlene's very good friend Patrick Couling - who is an ADBF race advisor.  Vancouver City Councillor George Chow asked me to help out with the 100th anniversary dinner for the 1907 Chinatown Riots.  I chatted up the Rogers VIP representatives we had paddled over to the float - potential sponsorship maybe?  Deb even got her father into the VIP party, by putting a GHFC shirt over his t-shirt.  We schmoozed, we ate, we drank, and volunteered hard. 

Hillary, our rookie paddler is amazing... This is her first Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, and she is both a paddler and a volunteer. Tonight, she bused hard, following a previous night when she did a First Aid course for ADBF volunteers.  Two weeks ago she volunteered at the ADBF regatta, when Gung Haggis wasn't paddling.  And she will do so again during the festival.  Thank You Hillary.

Gung Haggis really helped out the ADBF tonight - both during the blessing ceremony and for the VIP party. ADBF Communications director Anita Webster, also said I saved her bacon this morning when I interviewed for 2 spots during the City TV Breakfast TV morning show- and especially for coming up for a tour of the DZ clubhouse, when the heavens let loose the rains at 9am this morning.

Thank You everybody.  This is a FANTASTIC team, because of the high quality of the people on the team.  It is a group that I and its team members really enjoy being around.

Slainte, Toddish

PIPING IN THE (CHINESE) NEW YEAR HOW VANCOUVER’S CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION IS PROMOTING INTERCULTURALISM IN CANADA’S WESTERN METROPOLIS http://www.maisonneuve.org/index.php?&page;_id=12&article;_id=2030 Christopher DeWolf writes about the different ways Chinese New Year is being celebrated in Vancouver - but I will just get to the good stuff here. Click on the links to visit the full article at Maisoneuve Magazine. GOOD ARTICLE!    more »

People have often asked "What would Robbie Burns think about Gung Haggis Fat Choy?" I am pleased to share that the Burns Club of Vancouver definitely approves of my combined Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner. In 2006, Dr. Ian Mason of the Burns Club of Vancouver spoke at Gung Haggis Fat Choy World Poetry Night at the Vancouver Public Library, January 16th 2006. As well Ian also came to the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event at the Floata Restaurant on January 22nd, bringing with him his wife and Burns scholar Dr. Andrew Noble.   more »

Last was indeed the best ever Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner. Every year has a different quality, different performers, different guests, different co-hosts and different suprises... We celebrate the diversity of a "gung haggis" world - full of intercultural fusion, no longer confined to self-contained boxes of multiculturalism. Max Wyman, one of Canada's leading cultural advocates and critics, as well as head of Canada's UNESCO program, was very excited about last night's dinner event. He first told me, then shared with the audience, that it was wonderful to see Canada's amazing cultural diversity expressed through the arts. All the hard work setting the ground work helps to make it possible for us to show case our Asian Canadian and cultural fusion artists. PICTURES of Rick Scott, Harry Wong, LaLa, No Shit Shirleys, Joe McDonald & Bravewaves, Prem Gill, Mayor Sam Sullivan, Joy Kogawa, Faye Leung... LOTS of PICTURES!   more »

This is going to be the most exciting Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner yet. We have people travelling from Seattle, Vernon, Victoria, and Kelowna, specifically to attend. We have people who are in town from Toronto, Edmonton, and Scotland and specifically want to be at our dinner. For the first time - we are going to integrate video with the dinner's events... From the CBC Gung Haggis Fat Choy tv performance special, and the Jeff Chiba Stearns animated film What Are You Anyways? The program is jam-packed...    more »

This seating plan has changed!!! We are now using only the left (north) side of the restaurant. The tables have been re-aligned and recognized according to purchase order. Here is the revised seating plan for the GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY dinner at the Floata Restaurant, January 22, 2006. Premium tables are in PINK - they are closer and two bottles of wine are served at the table. REGULAR tables are uncoloured. YELLOW tables are for Head Tables, Performer tables, sponsoring and beneficiary organizations such as Save Kogawa House committee, Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop and Gung Haggis dragon boat team.    more »

For people wishing to come to Gung Haggis Fat Choy... there are still tickets available at the door. The Firehall Arts Centre has now finished their part in handling advance sales. We thank them for graciously handling advance sales for us. There will be tickets at the door. But there are only about 30 seats left   more »

Arrive Early: The doors will open by 5:15 pm. All seating is reserved, and all tables are placed in the order that they were ordered.... Expect the unexpected...   more »

Listen on Friday, Thursday Jan 19th, somewhere between 7am and 9am on 690 AM CBC Radio One for co-host Margaret Gallagher to give away tix as part of "690 to Go" as she gives away tickets to the "city's hottest events." This will be the third year Margaret has given away GHFC tickets to CBC listeners. We must be hot! We think Margaret is hot. Margaret has both performed and co-hosted for Gung Haggis Fat Choy in past years. Margaret guest paddled in our dragon boat entry in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2005. We always sing "When Chi-rish Eyes Are Smiling" - only for Margaret.   more »

Busy busy days leading up to Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event now. CBC Radio Freestyle called in the morning to find out more about the dinner and to set up an interview for Friday morning to be broadcast on Friday afternoon, January 20th. ~~~ We had taste-testing at the Floata Restaurant for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner tonight. Attending was Roland Tanglao of www.vaneats.com, chef Stephen Wong, dragon boat team members Dave Samis, Daming and Deb Martin. CBC radio reporter Margaret Gallagher also dropped in to pick up some haggis won ton to use in an on-air segment of "What's going on" and to give away 2 tickets for Gung Haggis Fat Choy on 690 to Go! More on our taste testing tomorrow.   more »

The Scotsman, international journal for the Scottish diaspora has published a story about Gung Haggis Fat Choy. Journalist Christina Harper interviewed myself and bagpiper Joe MacDonald. GOOD STORY with PICTURES!   more »

Description of special guests attending the dinner including Vancouver, Mayor Sam Sullivan, Lion's Bay Mayor Max Wyman, Joy Kogawa, Libby Davies...    more »

Todd Wong appears in 4 different events listed this week in the Georgia Straight's Time Out section. 1) HAGGIS AND CHOPSTICKS, 2) GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY WORLD POETRY NIGHT 3) JANICE WONG + panel discussion Author reads from her book Chow From China to Canada: Tales of Food and Family, 4) GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner    more »

List of performers with discriptions and weblinks: Rick Scott & Harry Wong, The Shirleys, Brave Waves and Joe McDonald, LaLa, Joy Kogawa, Jeff Chiba Stearns   more »

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan to attend Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006 - will read poem in Cantonese?

It's official!  Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan will be attending the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event at Floata Restaurant on January 22nd.

But will Mayor Sullivan wear a kilt?  Will he wear the Sullivan tartan?  Or will he be stylishly attired in a Chinese jacket? 

Will he read a Robbie Burns poem, or a Chinese poem?  After all, this mayor is known for his fluency in Cantonese - the same language as the early Chinese Canadian pioneers, many of home all paid the Chinese head tax to enter the country.

I have known Sam Sullivan for a number of years.  We first got to know each other when he visited the BC History and Genealogy Day fair at the Vancouver Public Library back in 2001 or 2002.  Since then, we have bumped into each other many times at the Central Branch Library where I work, as well as the Yaletown neighborhood where he lives.

We initially had a great talk about our family histories in Vancouver, and we discussed how we both grew up in Vancouver's East Side.  My father had a signwriting shop on Venables St between Clark Drive and Commercial Drive, called Hopp Signs.  Sam's father ran "Sully's Autoparts" on Hastings Street, between Clark Dr. and Commercial Dr. 

As a councillor, Sam Sullivan has also attended a number of events for Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop.  At our 2003 ACWW dinner, he gave a welcome as deputy Mayor.  At the recent Ricepaper 10th Anniversary dinner in September 2005, he surprised people by showing up after a long hard day, which saw him victorious over Christy Clark for the NPA position of mayoralty candidate.

This morning, I learned that my Sam and I were both attending Vancouver Technical Highschool at the same time.  I was in grade 8 at Van Tech when the young Sullivan was in grade 9.  Then I moved to North Vancouver.  Sam will probably see some his old Vancouver Tech school mates as some of my Laura Secord Elementary School classmates are planning to have Laura Secord alumni table for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner.  I hope they invite Howard Jang, who is now general manager for the Arts Club Theatre. Sam went to the other feeder school, Chief Maquinna.

Last year we started the tradition of inviting the Mayor of Vancouver with Larry Campbell - now Senator Campbell.  Mayor Campbell showed up wearing a brightly coloured Chinese jacket over his mult-coloured kilt.  And we had him on stage reading the Burns poem "A Man's A Man for All That A' That" along with MLA's Joy McPhail and Jenny Kwan, along with myself and co-host  Shelagh Rogers.


Mayor Larry Campbell at the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner: 
1) reading Burns poetry in his brightly coloured Chinese jacket
2) having a slice of the haggis with host Todd Wong
3) reading Burns poetry "A Man's A Man For All That and All That" with MLA's Joy McPhail, Jenny Kwan, and hosts Todd Wong and Shelagh Rogers. photos by Ray Shum - Tempest Photography

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY 2006: Dinner update

The tickets sales are picking up, and the media calls are coming in.

One Wednesday night, I bumped into Max Wyman and his wife Susan Mendelson. Max is the new mayor of Lion's Bay, and is excited to be coming as one of my special guests at the head table.  He told arts curator Tom Graff that he will be reading some Burns poetry.  Susan asked about what to wear, and we told her that ethnic-chic was very very cool....

City Councilor Suzanne Anton confirmed she is coming, and thanked me for making Kogawa House one of the beneficiaries of the fund raising dinner.  I replied that the decision was a no-brainer and that I really appreciate what Joy has done for the Asian Canadian literary and arts community and it is very important to save her childhood home. Last year city councilors Ellen Woodsworth, Anne Roberts, Sam Sullivan and Peter Ladner attended, along with Mayor Larry Campbell.

Sandee Wong of the Calgary Herald called me for a short interview, asking what the special surprise for 2006 was going to be.  I said I couldn't tell her - it would ruin the surprise.

Christina Harper who lives in Everett WA, is hoping to come across the border to attend the dinner with friends.  Christina writes for The Scotsman, an international newspaper for the Scots diaspora around the world.

I am looking forward to the January 16th GHFC World Poetry Night.  I talked to  bagpiper Joe McDonald the other day.  He is readying the pipes for our annual free event, and he will be bringing some of his self-penned songs to perform.

On the cover of the January Events for the Vancouver Public Library is my cousin Janice Wong on the cover - because her book reading/presentation for CHOW: memories of food and family, is being presented at the Central Library with a panel discussion on January 18.  Chef Steven Wong is joining us, Janice, historian Larry Wong and myself.  That makes it 4 Wongs or Quad Wongs says Janice.

Earlier this week, I also confirmed my participation for the SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games 3-day festival.  On January 25th, there will be opening ceremonies with Lion Dance, and a rice and chopsticks relay.  On January 26th, there will be the Dragon Carts races, and on January 27th, there will be a brand new world's first - "Human Curling."

I can't believe how my simple idea of Gung Haggis Fat Choy is morphing into such crazy and unbelievable permutations.  But I love it.

GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY For most of the year, Todd Wong is a community activist who works on issues such as Chinese head-tax redress and the preservation of the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa. Once a year, however, the mild-mannered Wong transforms into Toddish McWong, the host and organizer of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a celebration of Chinese and Scottish culture in honour of Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day, which occur a few days apart. PICTURE + Short Story...   more »

Scottish Hogmanay New Year + Asian Canadian style =  Gung Haggis Fat Choy

What better way to celebrate Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year tradition, than by releasing the 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy poster?

The origin of Gung Haggis Fat Choy started when I was asked to participate in the 1993 Robbie Burns Day celebration at Simon Fraser University.  In 1998, I decided to host a dinner for 16 guests that blended Robbie Burns Day(January 25th) with Chinese lunar New Year (late January to early February). 

The result has been a dinner event that has grown steadily to a 2005 dinner of 600 guests, a CBC television special, an annual poetry night at the Vancouver Public Library, a recreation event at Simon Fraser University.... and media stories around the world!

Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year's Eve, and it is celebrated on New Year's Eve with a Grand Dinner. It can be very similar to Chinese New Year's in many ways:

1) Make lots of noise.  Chinese like to burn firecrackers, bang drums and pots to scare the ghosts and bad spirits away.  Scots will fire off cannons, sound sirens, bang pots and make lots of noise, I think just for the excuse of making noise.

2) Pay off your debts.  Chinese like to ensure that you start off the New Year with no debts hanging onto your personal feng shui.  I think the Scots do the same but especially to ensure that they aren't paying anymore interest.

3) Have lots of good food.  Eat lots and be merry.  Both Scots and Chinese enjoy eating, hosting their friends and visiting their friends.

4) Party on dude!  In Asia, Chinese New Year celebrations will go on for days, lasting up to a week!  Sort of like Boxing week sales in Canada.  In Scotland, the Scots are proud partyers and are well known for making parties last for days on end.

Come to think about it... the above traditions can be found in many cultures... I guess the Scots and Chinese are more alike than different with lots of other cultures too!

2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Dinner event poster - original design by Jaime Griffiths, updates by Carole Lee



It is Hogmanay - Scottish New Year and we are celebrating the release of the 2006 poster for....
Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.

The original design was by Jaime Griffiths who is an incredible interactive multi-media artist.  She dances, she paints, she does computer graphic design, she conceptualizes far ahead of the curve.

Carole Lee made the 2006 updates.  She is the Art coordinator for Ricepaper Magazine.  She has attended the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner for the past two years, as a volunteer.

What:  Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner

When: 6pm, January 22, 2006,
            Sunday  Reception at 5:30pm

Where: Floata Restaurant
             #400 - 180 Keefer St.
             Vancouver Chinatown

Tickets: Firehall Arts Centre
              604-689-0926

Advance Premium price: $60 single / $600 per table.
includes wine and Ricepaper Magazine subscription

Advance Regular price: $50 single / $500 per table
includes Ricepaper Magazine subscription

After January 7th - Premium price $70 each / Regular price $60 each.  Children 13 and under 50% off (no Ricepaper subscription).

The origin of Gung Haggis Fat Choy started when I was asked to participate in the 1993 Robbie Burns Day celebration at Simon Fraser University.  In 1998, I decided to host a dinner for 16 guests that blended Robbie Burns Day(January 25th) with Chinese lunar New Year (late January to early February). 

The result has been a dinner event that has grown steadily to a 2005 dinner of 600 guests, a CBC television special, an annual poetry night at the Vancouver Public Library, a recreation event at Simon Fraser University.... and media stories around the world!

Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year's Eve, and it is celebrated on New Year's Eve with a Grand Dinner. It can be very similar to Chinese New Year's in many ways:

1) Make lots of noise.  Chinese like to burn firecrackers, bang drums and pots to scare the ghosts and bad spirits away.  Scots will fire off cannons, sound sirens, bang pots and make lots of noise, I think just for the excuse of making noise.

2) Pay off your debts.  Chinese like to ensure that you start off the New Year with no debts hanging onto your personal feng shui.  I think the Scots do the same but especially to ensure that they aren't paying anymore interest.

3) Have lots of good food.  Eat lots and be merry.  Both Scots and Chinese enjoy eating, hosting their friends and visiting their friends.

4) Party on dude!  In Asia, Chinese New Year celebrations will go on for days, lasting up to a week!  Sort of like Boxing week sales in Canada.  In Scotland, the Scots are proud partyers and are well known for making parties last for days on end.

Come to think about it... the above traditions can be found in many cultures... I guess the Scots and Chinese are more alike than different with lots of other cultures too!

Hosted by Todd Wong and Prem Gill (City TV's multicultural director and host of Colour TV)

Special performing guests are: 

Rick Scott and Harry Wong, creators of "5 Elements" children's cd and show - featured at Vancouver International Children's Festival in 2004

Joy Kogawa O.C.
Award winning author and poet, of Obasan (Vancouver Public Library's 2005 choice for One Book One Vancouver) and Naomi's Road (Vancouver Opera's production for Opera in the Schools)

Joe McDonald & Brave Waves
Bagpiper, band leader, combining traditional scots, gaelic, celtic and Canadian songs with Asian and South Asian music and instruments.

La La
Exciting blend of contemporary soul and hip hop music with Asian roots and traditional Canadian songs.

Sean Gunn
Singer /Songwriter - Head Tax Redress activist and composer of "The Head Tax Blues"

Jeff Chiba Stearns
Classical Animator - creator of award winning animated film "What Are You Anyways?"

The Shirleys
Seven sassy soulful females singing accapella songs of protest and lullabyes.

             
            



 

The Tyee: Article on Mixed Marriage aka inter-racial marriage by Amy Chow

Amy Chow has written an article called The Face of Asian Mixed Marriage in BC
 http://thetyee.ca/Life/2005/12/27/MixedMarriageBC/ for The Tyee.ca

She tells the story of a nice Canadian boy eloping with a nice Canadian girl because his mother, has always wanted him to marry a girl that would be "more appropriate" for him and the family. It's a familiar story - not a new story... but one that most Canadians could related to and share. In this case, the boy is of Jewish ancestry and the girl is of Chinese ancestry.

I grew up in Vancouver, first meeting people from mixed marriages in the early sixties when I was a child. "Chinnie" was somebody who always was hanging out at my great-grandma's house - one of her best friends. She was white. I have recently bumped into her daughter Evelyn. It's great that we have shared history of our elders.

Mixed race marriages is common place on both sides of my family. On my mother's side, there has been a mixed race marriage in every generation since our elder Rev. Chan Yu Tan arrived in Canada in 1896. There was his son Luke, who became an actor in Hollywood. There were his grandsons Henry and Art. Incidently it was Art who married a First Nations woman, and their daughter Rhonda has become the elected band chief for the Qayqayt Nation (New Westminster), that she singlehandedly resurrected.

My mother's youngest brother married a woman of Scottish-English background, steeped in Ontario Canadian heritage. 9 of my 12 cousins on my mom's side have married caucasians + my brother. And on my father's side, 6 of my 9 cousins married caucasians.

I was the only person out of my maternal cousins that married somebody of Chinese Canadian descent. It should have worked out... our grandparents had known each other, as had our parents, our aunts and uncles, our cousins, and even their children.... but it was not to be. No regrets.

And today, I am spending my 2nd Christmas with my Canadian girlfriend of British ancestry, and her parents. I haven't seen another Asian since I left the Kelowna airport two days ago. There haven't been any racial clashes. We talk about the issues that I am involved in such as the Save Kogawa House campaign and the Chinese Canadian head tax - even with their caucasian friends.

We listened to my friends Joy Kogawa and Ann-Marie Metten on CBC radio yesterday, and we read in the newspaper about my friends Bill Chu and Gabriel Yiu and Thekla Lit who helped organize a Boxing Day press conference on Head Tax redress. And these are just Canadian issues. And the 3 dogs love all the hugs they can get. Race isn't an issue for them.


Todd out walking with dogs in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.