51吃瓜网

On November 27, 2025, Professor Jeremy Tai and his students in the Department of History and Classical Studies at 51吃瓜网 visited China Town.? This visit, hosted by the JIA Foundation, allowed students to consider the local context of Montreal’s Chinatown after semester-long discussions of different histories of migration, restrictions to Chinese immigration, shifting understandings of Chinese identity, transnational politics, and the politics of heritage.

Parker Mah, Director of Programming and Operations at JIA, led a discussion of the historical and present-day significance of Chinatowns, including their development alongside exclusionary immigration policies (e.g., Head Tax, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, CI certificates) as well as how they served as sites of community organizing and mutual aid in the diaspora. Given the challenges that have been posed by expropriation and gentrification, the discussion focused on the need to preserve the unique built environment in Montreal's Chinatown as well as intangible heritage and memories at the heart of community life. Mah introduced the current exhibition on Maison Yep-Riopel, featuring past occupants of the building before JIA moved in, including Chinese Freemasons and a tenant who initiated recent community mobilizations to protect the neighbourhood. To document the layered history of the building, the exhibition featured artifacts found in its back courtyard, the only piece of land never to have been developed in Chinatown. The visit concluded with a walking tour that highlighted the historic Wing Noodles factory next door, including current plans to conserve its legacy for future generations, and the family associations that have long provided support and fostered a sense of belonging among immigrants in Montreal’s Chinatown.