Introduction

The Chung and Lind collections underscore the contested perspectives that shaped this tumultuous time, and reflect the settler-colonial expansion, transnational trade, and economic development that followed. Throughout this period, people of disparate backgrounds interacted with, and adapted to, each other. As the collections show, many of these encounters resulted in conflict, discrimination, and settler dispossession of Indigenous nations – yet others led to accommodation and cross-cultural collaboration. 

Within this context, the Chung and Lind collections recognize the vast human and natural costs of migration and development, while celebrating the remarkable contributions and experiences of the individuals whose lives are echoed here. 

We invite you to explore the histories represented in these collections, and consider the ongoing relationship between past perspectives and life today.

Dr. Wallace B. Chung was born in Victoria and attended Victoria College, the University of British Columbia, and McGill University. Specializing in vascular surgery, he was the first Chinese Canadian to head a surgery department in Canada. Appointed to UBC Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital, Dr. Wallace B. Chung was instrumental in establishing vascular surgery as a specialty recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He developed and taught many new surgical techniques throughout his 40-year career. He served as Professor of Surgery and Head of the Department of Surgery at UBC Hospital and retired from the University of British Columbia in 1991.  

Dr. Madeline H. Chung was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong before coming to Canada in 1949. After graduating from Xiangya (Yale-China) Medical School in 1948, she completed a residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. After she married Dr. Wallace B. Chung in 1953, she set up her solo practice in Vancouver. Dr. Madeline H. Chung became the first female OB-GYN in British Columbia and the first of Chinese descent. She delivered more than 7,000 babies throughout her career; many of these “Chung babies” gathered as adults to celebrate her immeasurable contribution to the community. 

Dr. Wallace B. Chung and Dr. Madeline H. Chung have dedicated their lives to community service, philanthropy, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Dr. Wallace B. Chung served on numerous cultural boards in British Columbia, including the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver, BC Heritage Trust, and the Canadian Multiculturalism Council, where he shaped the 1987 Multiculturalism Act. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005 and the Order of British Columbia in 2006. Dr. Madeline H. Chung was a founding member of the True Light Chinese School and was an Honorary Life Member of the Canadian Medical Association. 

He championed the development of multicultural and multilingual programming and founded the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC). Throughout his long career, Phil Lind received numerous awards and recognitions that acknowledged his leadership, community engagement, and significant contributions to the Canadian television and independent production industries. In 2002, Phil Lind was appointed to the Order of Canada, and in 2012, he was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in the United States, the third Canadian to be so honoured. 

A committed supporter of the arts and education, Phil Lind served as Chair of The Power Plant, a contemporary art gallery in Toronto, and on the boards of the Council for the Business and the Arts, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Friends of the Vancouver Art Gallery. He endowed the Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize and the Phil Lind Initiative at the University of British Columbia in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. In 2002, he received a Doctor of Laws degree (honoris causa, from UBC) for his substantial contribution to culture and education. 

Phil Lind’s grandfather, John “Johnny” Grieve Lind, was one of the earliest miners to stake his claim in the Klondike goldfields. His stories, passed down through family members, inspired Phil Lind to build a collection focussing on the Klondike Gold Rush.