Vancouver is getting the country’s first Chinese Canadian Museum

Big news was announced today, as the Rennie HQ in Vancouver will be transformed into Canada’s first Chinese Canadian Museum.

Sitting in historic Chinatown, the Wing Sang building has been a staple of the neighbourhood since being built in 1889. In fact, it’s Chinatown’s oldest structure. Back then, it was home to the business of Mr. Yip Sang, a prominent Chinese-Canadian businessman who rose to the top of the city’s social and economic chains.

The building was then bought by Rennie in 2004, whose real estate firm has used the building as a corporate HQ, museum, and acted as custodians of the Wing Sang legacy. “We are honoured and excited to have Vancouver Chinatown’s oldest structure now celebrated as home to the Chinese Canadian Museum for all Canadians to experience this piece of history and the journey of Chinese Canadians” Rennie stated in a release on Friday.

The BC government has announced a hefty pledge of $27.5 million to help the Chinese Canadian Museum get up and running by 2023, the expected opening date.

Even more, the Rennie family won’t be handing off the building without some significant help. In the same release, Bob Rennie stated that the “rennie foundation will donate a leadership gift of $7,800,000 to ensure the Chinese Canadian Museum is sustainable in its mission.”

Mark 2023 on your calendars folks, we’ll have a new museum to explore.