From Pacific Shores to Columbia River Banks: Historical Traces of the Chinese Community in Vancouver, Washington

Join Music Fusian NW and CCHM as they welcome Dr. Xiuyu Wang for “From pacific Shores to Columbia River banks: Historical Traces of the Chinese Community in Vancouver, Washington” during this month’s Speaker Series.

Since the late 19th century, Chinese immigrants to Vancouver and the Clark County in Washington have contributed to community life in various ways, creating a legacy that has remained poignant but also sparsely documented and imperfectly known. While different immigration journeys to Vancouver reflected broader shifts in national immigration policies and international relations, the immigrants themselves often had to rely on personal initiative and family resources in settling into business, labor, industry, service, education and other sectors. No two stories were exactly alike in this process of community adaptation and growth, but all reflected some form of fusion between Asian and American lifeways.

This presentation offers glimpses of individual stories in their regional and international contexts based on materials from the Clark County Historical Museum and other sources. In recognition that many more facets of this history remain scattered in the community, this presentation is intended both as a catalyst and an invitation for more community-driven discussions and connections around this local heritage going forward.

About the Presenter

Xiuyu Wang is Associate Professor of History at Washington State University, where he teaches courses on China and East Asia. His early life and education in Shandong Province coincided with China’s first two decades of reform. After immigrating to the US in the 1990s, he pursued studies in intercultural communication and journalism before earning a doctorate in modern Chinese history at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Wang’s research focuses on China’s late imperial and modern ethnic history, with publications on state-local relations in its southwestern region, including his book China’s Last Imperial Frontier: Late Qing Expansion in Sichuan’s Tibetan Borderlands. He lives with his family in Vancouver, Washington.

Music Fusian NW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Vancouver WA. It aims to use music to empower students, inspire creativity and collaboration, increase cultural awareness and build bridges between cultures. Music Fusian NW is excited to partner with the Clark County Historical Museum and Dr. Xiuyu Wang to present the stories and legacy of the Chinese immigrants in Clark County.

Funding for the evening’s event comes in part from Humanities Washington. The CCHM Speaker Series is sponsored by the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission and Versa Events (formerly Wager Audio). General admission is $5; seniors and students are $4; children under 18 are $3; and the evening is free for CCHM members, veterans, and active-duty military personnel.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, as seating is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

For more information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or outreach@cchmuseum.org.