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.  

The follow-up to the successful Made in Chinatown photo storytelling project launched in 2024, this second phase is a series of 4 videos, and 25 still photographs (forthcoming later in 2025), highlighting 4 legacy businesses in Montreal’s Chinatown, produced by the JIA Foundation. 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.

Unfortunately, their stories are little known – much less told – to the general public, whose interaction with shopkeepers and businesses owners rarely goes beyond the transactional. This series aims to remedy that, by revealing the daily gestures, resilience and pride that render these family businesses essential to the survival and well-being of Chinatown.