Joe Li said he became inspired about Chinese heritage as began digging deeper into his own roots.
The Markham regional councillor is a Hakka Chinese from India, tracing his home and ancestry to immigrants who settled in a region of India hundreds of years ago. He helped bring the World Hakka Conference to Markham in 2022 and said he has spent more time studying his lineage recently.
After seeing the success of Tamil Heritage Month in January, Li said he wondered about a month to celebrate Chinese heritage. With one not designated in Canada, Li said he decided to make it happen.
“We have 5,000 years of history, and lately, we have a lot of tension between Canada and China,” he said. “By celebrating heritage here, maybe (we can) build a bridge across communities … So I decided, 'OK, I want to do this.'”
As a result of council motions from Li, both the Regional Municipality of York and City of Markham declared a Chinese Heritage Month at the end of February. They believe they are the first municipalities in Canada to recognize it, coinciding with the Lunar New Year.
Canada and Ontario do not have a specifically designated Chinese Heritage Month, with a wide-ranging Asian Heritage Month recognized in May. Li said he contacted MPs to raise the matter, but it has not yet received any traction.
Li said that visiting his hometown in India and seeing an incredible multicultural Chinese New Year celebration there, with people coming in from across the world, motivated him.
“This has nothing to do with politics. It’s about celebrating,” Li said. "I’m very happy it went through."
York Region has become a home for many immigrants, particularly from China. Based on the 2021 census, the region had 53,495 recent immigrants between 2016 and 2021, with the highest contingent coming from China at 18,805. This is followed by Iran at 5,095 and India at 5,050.
Chinese is also the largest visible minority population in Newmarket and York Region. According to the 2021 census, Newmarket has a visible minority population of about 30,230, with the largest contingent being Chinese (8,635), followed by West Asian (5,610) and South Asian (3,765). That bears out for York Region as a whole, with a minority population of about 641,195, headed by Chinese (289,320), South Asian (127,960) and West Asian (62,310) populations.
That diverse community has welcomed Li’s move for a Chinese Heritage Month, he said.
“By and large, the community welcomes what I did. This is long overdue,” he said. “Canada, it’s a wonderful country. We’re not like the (United) States; you go there, they tell you, ‘You have to merge, you have to change.’ Here, in Canada, we tell you, ‘You can share your culture.’ So that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re very proud and happy to be living in Canada.”
Promoting Chinese culture in Newmarket
For nearly a decade, Newmarket’s 108 Health Promotion Association has worked to promote Chinese culture in the community and provide a gathering place for many Chinese Canadians, focused on seniors’ wellness.
The association began with many Chinese Canadians moving north into Newmarket and Aurora, association president Huanming Wu said through a translator. The association was formed to help create connections and support for isolated seniors.
Since then, the association has held regular events, often at Upper Canada Mall. They have also hosted a variety of events around Chinese New Year, including dancing and music.
“Canada, everybody knows, this is the country of multiple cultures,” Wu said, adding that many seniors “have a deep respect for our Chinese culture. They bring this culture here, they want to share with other Canadians.”
Those efforts can continue through this new Chinese Heritage Month, Wu said,
“We always want to promote Chinese culture,” Wu said. “We hold so many events and activities every year, small and big. We hope more people get to know our Chinese culture.”
The association is facing challenges finding a more permanent facility, Wu said, along with engaging more young people in their activities.
But association director Jennie Yeung said they hope to be able to change that.
“China has so much to offer in terms of history,” Yeung said. “The whole family can come out to enjoy and take something from the Chinese culture.”
Although Li said there is not an appetite yet for declaring a Chinese Heritage Month at upper levels of government, he has hopes that more municipalities, including neighbouring Toronto, might soon get on board with the idea.
Without time to celebrate Chinese Heritage Month this year, Li said he is optimistic about a big celebration in 2024. He said he hopes to network with different parts of the local Chinese Canadian communities to showcase different aspects of their culture.
“I am excited,” he said. “We’re going to try to expand the culture, what else we can display here.”
