Class photo in the traditional no-smile manner of Chinese schools. Photo credit: Mon Keang School
This year, the UBC Cantonese Program joyfully celebrates its 10th anniversary. As the only accredited Cantonese program in Canada, UBC Cantonese is renowned not only for teaching the language but also for immersing students in cultural experiences that enhance their understanding and appreciation of Cantonese.
We had the pleasure of speaking with our member Dr. Zoe Lam about one of her significant community projects over the past decade: the relaunch of the Cantonese program at Mon Keang School.
Located within the Wongs’ Benevolent Association Building on East Pender Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown, Mon Keang School first opened its doors in 1925, offering Cantonese classes at various levels. Initially, it served primarily the children of immigrants from Southern China who moved to Canada in pursuit of economic opportunities. As immigration policies and language needs evolved, the school experienced a period of hiatus but has recently relaunched its Survival Cantonese program with renewed objectives.
We also spoke with Aynsley Wong from the Wong’s Benevolent Association, Doris and June Chow, co-founders of the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown, and Celia Sze, an instructor of the new Cantonese program. For readability purposes, their answers have been edited and reorganised in this article. All changes were approved.
1. Mon Keang School has recently restored its popular Survival Cantonese Class on Saturday. I heard it’s in demand! Historically, who are the Cantonese speakers in Vancouver, and why was there a need for the language?
Zoe: The Cantonese community in Canada is diverse. In the late-19th century, major immigration of ethnic Chinese people began from the coastal province of Guangdong, specifically the Four Counties of Toisan (台山), Hoy Ping (開平), Sun Wui(新會), and Yan Ping (恩平), as sea transport was the primary mode of travel. Driven by economic opportunities, these Cantonese-speaking migrants settled in Vancouver, as well as other countries such as the US and Mexico.
In the 1980s and 1990s, ethnic Chinese immigrants were mostly from Hong Kong (hence Cantonese-speaking) due to a strong push factor----the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984. It was announced that Hong Kong would be handed over to China in 1997. The uncertainty prompted many to leave. The following table may illustrate this better.
June: As well, in 1967, early immigration restrictions in Canada based on race and country of origin were finally replaced by a points-based system, leading to an influx of those with higher levels of education, particularly from HK.
Zoe: In 2021, Canada introduced special immigration pathways for Hong Kong people. There was therefore another influx of migrants from Hong Kong. Since the Cantonese-speaking migrants traditionally came from different parts of China, we may hear many varieties of Cantonese in Vancouver.
Lastly, there are also Cantonese speakers from Guangzhou, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia etc. Personally, I have also met Cantonese people whose families moved from South America to Canada.
Doris: When Mon Keang first opened its doors in 1925, Chinese children in Canada were expected to grow up to have their livelihoods restricted to Chinatowns and Chinese-only communities, given the prevalence of anti-Chinese racism. Fluency in reading, writing, and speaking were therefore deemed necessary. Language instruction was given by teachers recruited from China and based on rote learning.
2. I see. I learnt that the school later went into a brief hiatus from 2011-2016 right?
Zoe: Yes, it was once closed in 2011 due to declining enrolment and changing demographics. Fortunately, with the goodwill of different academic and community partners, the school was reopened in 2016.
3. Great! Could you tell us how that happened?
Zoe: It really was a joint effort over a long period of time. Saturday School originally ran in 2014 as a public program of Centre A and its exhibit, M’goi/Do Jeh: Sites, Rites and Gratitude, curated by Tyler Russell. The program was guest curated by participating artist Kathryn Gwun-Yeen Lennon 姚君妍 (a co-founder of Youth Collaborative for Chinatown), with UBC linguist and language instructor, Dr. Zoe Lam 林慧雯, and numerous community partners. When the exhibition ended, there was demand for more classes but we were unable to find a good venue. After all, Centre A was an art gallery, not a language school.
In 2016, the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown partnered with The Wongs’ Benevolent Association to re-open the historic Mon Keang Chinese School to host the Saturday School program. It has a tremendous symbolic significance as it embodies the emphasis that overseas immigrants placed on the Chinese language and cultural education of their Canadian-born children. I taught the 8-week program for seven cycles between 2016-2020.
In early 2020, the classroom was closed due to the pandemic. In 2021, thanks to the support of UBC Partnership Recognition Fund, we were able to run a few online sessions about the Lunar New Year and Cantonese idioms. These online sessions provided a platform for learners from all over the world to build a virtual community. In 2024, when the doors re-opened again, we found new teachers to continue the program.
Aynsley: After the original school closed in 2011, we were really pleased to partner with UBC Cantonese and Youth Collaborative For Chinatown to offer the Saturday School program. With adult learners, we can offer introductory Cantonese, as well as experiential learning in some of the things we are passionate about: Cantonese cultural practices, appreciation for the people and places, support for legacy business and clan societies, activating space in Chinatown and knowledge of Chinese Canadian history.
The school has also served as a connection for many people - some to their past, to their social or family connections, to a language and culture they want to learn and understand.
4. Who are the learners of Cantonese today, and how have you adapted the program to their needs?
Doris: I would say today's students are adults who identify as Chinese Canadian; they come to Mon Keang to acquire language skills for the purpose of connecting with family and community members, especially elders, as important to their identity. Language instruction focuses on speaking and listening, and includes non-verbal cultural cues and practices.
Chinese Canadian history is founded on anti-Chinese immigration policies and racism. Internalized racism resulted in Cantonese language loss through the generations. New generations of Chinese Canadians are now returning to their language and reclaiming it for themselves and their families, which is very powerful.
Celia: I remember a few students who came for different reasons. There was a pair of siblings with one of their daughters. Their heritage language is Taishanese (台山) but they cannot find a class of it. So they took a Cantonese class because the two languages were close to each other.
There was also a pair of siblings who went to French Immersion school and were discouraged to speak their language, Cantonese, at school. Eventually, the language was lost, and they are now trying to relearn it. This class has become a space for some of them to reclaim their identity.
Some of the students also expressed a sense of ‘trauma’ from rote memorization and repetitive character writing in their Saturday Chinese schools when they were young. To respond to that, we design the materials and activities, we try to make the class fun and interactive, incorporating nursery rhymes and games as much as possible.
Zoe: The program adopts a place-based learning approach, where students are invited to visit Cantonese businesses and culturally significant spaces in Chinatown, such as clan societies and athletic clubs. In contrast to conventional schooling which takes place in a cultural vacuum, place-conscious education highlights the importance of responsible community engagement. For example, students can learn how to pay respects to ancestors, or how to show gratitude by bringing culturally appropriate gifts to elders.
Aynsley: We have found there is a great interest in Cantonese learning using the format we present. It’s approachable for beginners with the Jyutping romanization system and we stick to the basics in a “Survival Cantonese” format.
5. Doris mentioned internalized racism. In fact, many learners have expressed that school policies in their early education did not support heritage language speaking. Have things changed? How can schools do better in encouraging language diversity?
Zoe: Many had experienced internalized racism as young children due to bullying in school. They hated Chinese school and resisted everything labelled as Chinese. Learning Cantonese again is a way to come to terms with their Chinese Canadian identity, shake off white supremacist thoughts, and ultimately, decolonize knowledge.
We have heard all kinds of traumatic stories from learners. When they were kids decades ago, they were told “not to speak Cantonese at home” by their ESL teachers. There were “Speak English” signs everywhere in school. While teachers meant well to create an inclusive environment where everyone can understand each other in English, these practices could sometimes instill internalized racism where kids are led to believe that languages other than English or French are intrinsically inferior. Some parents also believe that English monolingualism could ensure that their kids acquire a native English accent, which has been disproved by a lot of research – children are actually capable of acquiring multiple languages simultaneously.
In recent years, the field of TESOL has been evolving to promote decolonization of knowledge. We believe the situation is going to improve when teachers encourage multiculturalism by comments like “Wow, it’s cool that you can speak more than one language!” as opposed to “only English should be spoken here”.
Language is a carrier of culture. If multiculturalism is celebrated in Canada, then we must value multilingualism equally and genuinely.
Celia: As an Education graduate from UBC, I have learnt from language socialization theory that children’s language skills are greatly shaped by their peers, even more than by their home environment. Caldas highlights four great schooling options [i] that can help kids become bilingual or multilingual, the most effective one being a bilingual program that teaches in both of their family’s languages.
Later researchers seem to concur with this view. For instance, after 32 years of studying language-minority students in U.S. schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, Collier and Thomas found that long-term bilingual programs, like dual-language programs, really support children’s bilingual and academic growth. In fact, after 5-6 years in these programs, English learners can close the achievement gap with native English speakers.
Despite strong evidence, bilingual education sometimes gets falsely blamed for not giving students enough exposure to the main language of society. I wish we can continue to work towards a more inclusive linguistic policy in schools that would ultimately help students to learn the societal language and maintain their heritage languages. Afterall, Canada celebrates multiculturalism within a bilingual framework. Can Canada be truly multicultural without being multilingual?
6. What is the school's upcoming plans? How can readers join your program?
Doris: The school is poised for growth and expansion, given student demand and the expanded teaching capacity of UBC. The school exists within a Chinatown community that likewise deserves and needs to grow and expand as a site of learning. Students can enroll and take the language program; they're also encouraged to build habits such as shopping and patronizing Chinatown regularly.
Aynsley: Interested people can follow @MonKeangYVR on Instagram for updates on next classes and how to register. We do have a 100+ people waiting list for the class, so please be patient!
[i] The four schooling options are: (1) a monolingual school in the majority language, (2) a monolingual school in the minority language, (3) a bilingual school offering both family languages, and (4) a school offering a third language. (Barron-Hauwaert, 2004; as cited in Caldas, 2012, p.357)