About the project
Years of encroachment with urban projects that are not connected with Chinatown’s history and its people has contributed to its gradual decline. Since the successful community mobilization that led to the heritage designation of Montréal’s Chinatown in 2021, the JIA Foundation has organized the Chinatown Reimagined Forum and numerous cultural events through its Chinatown House programs to protect Chinatown’s cultural heritage and facilitate intergenerational dialogues.
Made in Chinatown is a new JIA Foundation initiative that aims to (re)weave social ties, reclaim collective and personal spaces, reconcile with the territory and its Peoples to (re)create Chinatown’s vibrant and inclusive neighbourhood by shining a light on the stories and images of individuals who share a sense of connection to this place.
Subverting a common stereotype about cheap and lesser-quality products that are “Made in China” and a neighbourhood’s image that is often associated with food and tourism in a superficial way, this project affirms not only the individual and collective humanity behind this cultural neighbourhood, but also the resiliency of the community and the sense of belonging many Montrealers have with Chinatown.
Why “Made in Chinatown”?
In reference to the famous “Made in China” phrase, our project “Made in Chinatown/Fabriquées au Quartier chinois” serves to illustrate that Asian/Chinese Canadians are actual ‘products’ of the diaspora; something we are proud of. We are “Made in Chinatown” because our identities are intrinsically linked to this neighbourhood, shaped by our hands, by our experiences of uprootedness and building roots.
Chinatown is about People.
Made in Chinatown is an artistic photo-storytelling exhibit showcasing peoples’ living and past stories as captured through photography. It is about the Asian/Chinese diaspora and its allies reclaiming the neighbourhoods’ streetscapes and spaces through images and stories.
Chinatown is a Place of Meaning.
Made in Chinatown shares peoples’ memories of the past, with stories of belonging and hopes for a future where Chinatown thrives. Our collective and individual memory evolves over time, and continues to be created and perpetuated.
Made in Chinatown Phase 1
Stories, memories and hopes are created every day in Chinatown.A public art installation on Clark street, this photo storytelling project, Made in Chinatown, shares and celebrates some of these stories, memories and hopes that otherwise might never be recognized. Over forty people affirm their sense of belonging to Chinatown and reimagine what Chinatown could be for future generations.
Made in Chinatown Phase 2
The follow-up, Made in Chinatown: Portraits of Montreal’s Chinatown Businesses, is a series of videos highlighting 4 legacy businesses in Montreal’s Chinatown. Legacy businesses, as vectors of intergenerational cultural transmission – whether it be medicine, cuisine, visual art or music – are important elements making up the intangible cultural heritage of Chinatowns in Montreal and beyond.
