In June of 2010, the University of Alberta's Bruce Peel Special Collections Library mounted an exhibit of documents, photographs, artifacts, and ephemera which provided significant insight into Chinese pioneer life on the Canadian Prairies. Written by exhibit curator Brian Evans, the accompanying exhibit catalogue chronicles the stories of these immigrants as they welcomed new opportunities, struggled with racism, and became integral parts of the communities in which they lived.

Brian L. Evans, CM, studied Chinese and Chinese history at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Later, serving as a cultural counsellor at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, he was involved with Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s historic visit to China in 1973. He was Professor of Chinese History at the University of Alberta (1961–1996) in Edmonton. In his retirement, Brian Evans has devoted himself to recording and preserving the stories of Alberta’s Chinese pioneer immigrants.

Brian L. Evans' profile page

• Winner, 40th Annual UCDA Design Competition, Award of Excellence

This catalog accompanies an exhibition of the collection of Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung held at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library of the U. of Alberta, Canada, from June to August 2010. Evans, a retired professor of Chinese history at the university, presents photos, objects, documents, and letters, and describes the history of Chinese immigration to the Canadian Prairies over the past 132 years, including employment, religion, politics, attitudes towards them, and the lives of individuals. Reference and Research Book News

"[T]his book contains a wealth of information on the Chinese on the Canadian prairies. Written by Brian Evans, it provides a fact-filled and readable account of Chinese from the time the first Chinese ventured north from the United States to Winnipeg in 1877." Book Reviews Editor, Alberta History