As the Chinese Lunar Year of the Horse begins, Vancouver’s Chinatown Storytelling Centre has become a hotspot for people wanting to learn more about the neighbourhood’s vibrant history.

The East Pender Street museum is home to Canada’s first permanent exhibit space dedicated to telling the stories of the Chinese Canadian journey.

“This isn’t about Chinese history, this is about the Chinese presence in Canada. So this is, in essence, a Canadian story 100 per cent,” said spokesperson Ramona Mar.

With dozens of permanent and rotating exhibits, the centre showcases stories and art.

One studio, with its own photobooth, is dedicated to the work of Yucho Chow, who arrived in Vancouver in the early 1900’s. Chow rose from poverty to become Vancouver’s first and most prolific photographer of Chinese descent.

The center says it’s always looking for more stories to tell, such as the ones of Chinese Canadian Pacific Railway workers, building families with the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

“They came here, and worked very diligently, at half the pay of white workers, to help join Canada coast to coast to coast,” Mar explained.

“Many of the men who stayed had relationships with Indigenous women. And as they went further into the province, we know there are special relationships amongst them, so we are trying to track Indigenous-Chinese stories.”

Heather Lockhart, a tourist visiting from Calgary, says she stopped by to learn more about the city’s Chinese history this Lunar New Year.

“I think it’s wonderful that Vancouverites and visitors have access to all these photographs, all these stories, all this history about Chinese heritage in Canada. And this is really where it all begins. I feel very fortunate to be here, and I’m absolutely inspired.”

Education Manager Claire Lloyd says the centre is busy preparing for the upcoming Lunar New Year parade this Sunday.

“It’s a fantastic way to celebrate Chinatown and Chinatown’s culture, and everything that Chinatown has to offer,” said Lloyd.

“I think it’s a really important time to celebrate all that’s good about Chinatown.”

After years of change, Mar says some visitors can’t believe what a vibrant, go-to destination Chinatown once was.

“There’s is so much to still see, and the Chinatown Storytelling Centre is part of that.”