Produced by the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, Chinese Canadians and First Nations: 150 Years of Shared Experiences focuses on an important and unrecognized component of BC’s history: the relationships between Chinese Canadians and First Nations people of the province. Most projects looking at the Chinese in early British Columbia have focussed on our history in relationship to the gold rush, the building of the railroad, in the fishing and agricultural industries and the development of Chinatowns in Victoria and Vancouver; however the Chinese  community was also in contact with First Nations peoples, sharing experiences of exclusion, racism, perseverance and love. Chinese and the First Nations people have in fact had an interesting and complex history together in British Columbia, however, this history has gone largely unknown and unrecorded.

This project is interested in the historical relationships between the Chinese and First Nations in British Columbia; how and why our communities entered into relationships with one another and why so little of our history together has been documented. Our two groups have had and continue to have social relationships, inter-marriage, and economic interactions throughout the province. The video project also examines the experiences and identities of four people who are either the children or grandchildren of a Chinese/First Nations relationship. This project is attempting to reconnect Chinese and First Nations communities and give people a chance to reunite with a lost part of their own histories. It also introduces people outside of these relationships to a rich history that is an important part of British Columbia’s past. It is important that these stories are not lost or forgotten, but retained for the Chinese and First Nations communities, the future generations and mainstream society.