David Chuenyan Lai taught in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria for thirty-five years and retired in 2003 as a professor emeritus. His major research interests are the urban development of Chinatowns and the history of Chinese migration to Canada. More than half of his three hundred publications are related to these two areas. He has surveyed over forty Chinatowns across North America and has been an honorary consultant to the Chinatown gateway projects of Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Portland. He has received forty-one awards in recognition of his scholarship and community services and is a member of the Order of Canada.