Events › Donna Seto: Chinatown Vancouver

Local writer and artist Donna Seto created a colourful illustrated history of the buildings in Vancouver’s Chinatown, celebrating the richness, diversity, and vibrancy of the Chinese community.

With more than seventy vibrant illustrations, writeups on the buildings, interviews with community members, and select archival photographs, her book Chinatown Vancouver celebrates the invaluable contributions of the Chinese to Canada.

Donna Seto will appear in conversation with urbanist and SFU Professor Andy Yan.

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Donna Seto is a writer, self-taught artist, and occasional academic. Growing up, Donna accompanied her parents on regular ventures through the bustling streets of Vancouver’s Chinatown, where they bought groceries, ate dim sum, purchased newspapers, and visited her poh-poh. Her childhood, heritage, and long-lost passion for art influenced her new book, Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History. She holds a PhD in political science and international relations but dreams of being a poet.

Andy Yan is the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners. He has worked extensively in the non-profit and private urban planning sectors, with projects in the metropolitan regions of Vancouver, San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles and New Orleans. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including a King Charles III’s Coronation Medal.