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A new display space has been created in Chinatown to help visitors learn about a forthcoming museum dedicated to Chinese Canadian history.

The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) and UBC, with support from the City of Vancouver and the B.C. government, have teamed up to launch a curated pocket gallery at the Chinese Canadian Museum project office located at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver (50 East Pender Street).

The pocket gallery features an MOV exhibition curated by UBC history professor Henry Yu, PhD candidate Denise Fong, and MOV contemporary culture curator Viviane Gosselin.

Both the gallery and the office have been designed to help raise public awareness and understanding of the project.

The gallery offers a brief historical overview of the Chinese experience on Canada’s West Coast.

In addition, a lightbox tabletop features photos from private and public collections that illustrate street life in Chinatowns across the province.

There's also a paper art and light installation by Mere Phantoms that offers a sense of the interactive nature of the public programming that will be offered at the forthcoming museum.

Short archival and contemporary films will also be displayed throughout the space.

In September 2018, the City of Vancouver and the B.C. government announced their plans to create a Chinese Canadian museum.

A year ago, the B.C. government launched public consultations about the project. On November 8 of this year, the B.C. government announced it would provide a $1 million grant for the museum, part of which was used to create the project office.

MOV and UBC will launch a collaborative research and multisite exhibition, A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia, in the spring that will incorporate themes such as belonging, mobility, racism, resilience, and repatriation.