Announcing June Events at the Chinese Canadian Museum

The Goods from the Chinese Canadian Museum

Vancouver, BC | This June, the Chinese Canadian Museum is hosting two special events that explore culture, identity, and tradition through fashion and food.

Wearing the Cheongsam: Chinese Canadian Identity Through Fashion

Wednesday, June 3rd | Doors at 5:30 p.m., Program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The cheongsam (Cantonese for “long dress”), or qipao (Mandarin for “banner robe”) is an internationally recognized symbol of Chinese cultural identity and femininity. Originating as a combination of Han and Manchu clothing styles and later influenced by Western fashion, the garment carries layered meanings across generations and diasporas. For Canadian-born women of Chinese descent, wearing the cheongsam can evoke tensions between desire, fear, wonder, and contestation.

Drawing from her book Wearing the Cheongsam: Dress and Culture in a Chinese Diaspora, curator and author-scholar Cheryl Sim examines the cheongsam’s history and revival overseas, as well as its contested meaning for Chinese Canadian women as a symbol of heritage, traditional values, and cultural belonging.

Following the presentation, join Cheryl Sim and Mia Wu, owner and senior tailor at Modernize Tailors, for a discussion on contemporary cheongsam trends, garment production, and cultural appropriation.

Attendees are encouraged to wear a cheongsam to the program.

Tickets are $5 for annual pass holders and $15 for general admission (plus GST). Guests can reserve online.

Family Discovery: Dragon Boat Festival at the Museum

Saturday, June 20th | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Dragon Boat Festival (端午節) is a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on June 19 this year. It is marked by dragon boat races and zongzi (粽子), glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves with sweet or savory fillings.

Register for a special cooking workshop with Chinese-Singaporean chef Christopher Leow and explore the traditions behind zongzi. In this hands-on experience, participants will prepare both Teochew and Nyonya-style zongzi (also known as bak zhang in Hokkien), discover the symbolism behind the ingredients, and learn the precise techniques for hand-wrapping and tying their own zongzi.

Continue the festivities with our drop-in craft activity, where you can create a sporty felt zongzi magnet or pin celebrating our new exhibition, Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports.

Drop-in craft activities run all day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are included with museum admission. Registration is available online.

The zongzi cooking workshop will be held from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for annual pass holders and $25 for general admission (plus GST). Registration is online.