One of the projects by staff at UBC Rare Books and Special Collections during the COVID-19 shut-down of on-campus operations was to develop a new online guide to Chinese-Canadian materials in their collections.
One of the subjects being researched for this project was the identity of the first Chinese-Canadian graduate of the University of British Columbia (UBC), and he was Thomas Whaun.
The fonds and collections included in the guide contain the records of Chinese Canadians, various associations by and for Chinese Canadians, and non-Asian creators whose records contain information relevant to the Chinese Canadian experience. They include the records of those who were/are composers, political figures, activists, writers, and businessmen, among other professions, in addition to multiple collections featuring materials from Chinese Canadian-owned businesses and documenting political upheavals.
One of the fonds is the Lee Family fonds. The Lee family were ranchers, storekeepers, and fur traders in Hanceville and Alexis Creek, BC. The fonds consists of correspondence (1895-1933) and financial records (1913/1914, 1921) which document the business activities of the Lee family, most notably Lee Thung and his son Lee Kepment.
Other notable fonds include those of Won Cumyow, the first Chinese Canadian born in Canada (1861) and Thomas Whaun, the first Chinese Canadian graduate of the University of British Columbia (1927).
Researchers will find five digitized fonds at the end of the guide.
