Latest news with #MelissaKarmenLee
South China Morning Post
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
From Leslie Cheung to Nicholas Tse, Cantopop's Canadian connections revealed in exhibition
Most people in Hong Kong who grew up in the 1980s and '90s would have listened to some measure of Cantopop, but they were not the only ones to do so – the Cantopop stars of that time had fans all over the world. A new exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, Canada, highlights how migration played a major role in the far-reaching influence of these stars – some of whom also sang in Mandarin. 'We actually have a whole list of 100 singers who have some kind of Canadian tie,' said museum CEO Melissa Karmen Lee at the launch of 'Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s-2000'. The exhibition examines how these stars, as well as other generations of Asian singers, continue to influence Chinese immigrants and their descendants in Canada through music and fashion. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum, at 'Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s-2000'. Photo: Chinese Canadian Museum
CBC
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Chinese pop music's 'deeply local' Canadian story shines in Vancouver exhibition
A new exhibition on Cantopop and Mandopop music in Vancouver is a Canadian story, says curator Melissa Karmen Lee. The Dream Factory exhibit, which opened on May 28 at the Chinese Canadian Museum, pays tribute to the golden age of Chinese pop music "through the lens of Chinese Canadian identity, migration and memory." Its stories are anything but foreign, said Lee, who is also the museum's chief executive. "It is a deeply local story about how many of these Cantopop stars [and] Mandopop stars made Vancouver their home. They lived here, they worked here, they grew up here," she said. "They all deeply considered Canada a part of their identity, and we're so pleased to feature that in this exhibition." Cantopop and Mandopop refer to Chinese-language pop music in the two most widely spoken tongues in the community, Cantonese and Mandarin. The exhibit, running through May 2026, features a collection of music from the genres between 1980 and 2000, when stars such as Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui wowed fans globally. But Lee said many outside the community didn't realize that such giant stars were living among them in Canada. Lee pointed out that Cheung — a singer and actor who became known to Western audiences by starring in movies including Farewell My Concubine and Happy Together — lived in Vancouver in the early 1990s. A park bench that honours Cheung in the city's Stanley Park is a pilgrimage site for fans of the star, who died by suicide in 2003. Lee said singer and actress Sally Yeh grew up in Victoria before reaching stardom. The Cantopop and Mandopop genres are intrinsically connected to Canada's large Chinese communities, especially in neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver and Toronto where their songs were ubiquitous at Chinese malls, restaurants and karaoke bars. Vancouver native Stephanie Kong, who designed a wedding dress at the exhibit that was inspired by Mui's 2003 farewell performance, said Cantopop music saturated many of her childhood memories. "Growing up here in Canada, that was definitely a part of my childhood," Kong said. "Going to Parker Place [a mall in Richmond, B.C.] and waiting while my parents were in those music stores buying LaserDiscs, and I would be like, 'What's taking so long?' "Because I didn't quite understand it … So it's funny that it comes kind of full circle, coming as an adult and getting a new appreciation for what I've always kind of — for the lack of a better word — just dismissed when I was a kid." In addition to costumes inspired by Cantopop and Mandopop in the exhibition's main room, there's a large screen blaring hit songs, a separate room featuring artwork using LaserDiscs, a stage set up for karaoke and listening stations for popular songs. On one wall, original sheet music for famous Cantonese movies from Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo are displayed. Koo lived in Richmond before his death in 2023. 'A preservation of culture' Lee said Cantopop culture seeped deep into many parts of Canada. She said Cheung's 1986 song Monica was anecdotally regarded as responsible for a large number of Chinese Canadian girls bearing the name. "They listened to Cantopop in Vancouver, in Toronto," Lee said of immigrant waves to Canada. "They made this very Asian music part of this global Chinese diaspora community. "So, part of the popularity of Cantopop and Mandopop across the globe was because of these overseas Chinese communities that made it really great. "Immigrants that came in the '60s and the '70s, they brought over their own culture and … made it a uniquely Canadian experience. And so, it's a preservation of culture, but it's also an evolution of something that is Asian into Asian Canadian."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Newsroom Ready: Chinese pop music's Canadian ties shine in exhibit
A new exhibit at Vancouver's Chinese Canadian Museum pays tribute to Canada's many links to Cantopop and Mandopop music. Museum CEO and curator Melissa Karmen Lee says while the exhibit is about Chinese-language pop music, its story is "deeply local" and uniquely Canadian. (May 28, 2025)
Vancouver Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau: Cantopop's pop idols showcased in Vancouver Chinatown museum
For countless Canadian Chinese, the soundtrack of their childhood takes centre stage at Vancouver's Chinese Canadian Museum, where a new exhibit celebrating the rise of Cantopop music opens Wednesday. Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s-2000s showcases popular music sung in Cantonese and Mandarin that swept Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and as the communities of the Chinese diaspora in Canada and around the world. For many immigrants to Canada, the music carried 'the pulse of home,' said curator Melissa Karmen Lee. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'This is in many ways an exhibition for our parents,' for that generation 'who immigrated and left behind homes to come here and rebuilt their lives,' said Lee. 'It provides an emotional connection they could reach across and have.' Lee's parents came to Canada in 1967, part of an early wave of immigration from Hong Kong. For the Canadian-born Lee and her generation who grew up in Canada, astride both worlds, the music is more than nostalgia. 'It's honouring the cultural heritage of our parents and the fact that this mix of being Chinese and growing up in Canada and listening to some Chinese music and western music is really what it means to be Chinese Canadian.' Many of the pop stars that defined the genre — and those working behind the scenes — weren't just from Hong Kong, Taiwan or China, but were products of the Chinese diaspora. That's something the exhibit highlights, said Lee, so people understand that while the genre is 'viewed as an Asian phenomenon, many of these singers had Canadian roots and Canadian ties.' That includes Cantopop diva Sally Yeh, who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Victoria. Early in her career, she did not know how to read and write Chinese and had to write out English phonetics to Cantonese lyrics. There's also Chinese Canadian composer Joseph Koo, who has been called Godfather of Cantopop for his musical creations that defined Hong Kong in the 70s and 80s. And pop icon Leslie Cheung who, at the height of his career, moved to Vancouver. To this day, fans make a pilgrimage to a memorial bench outside one of his favourite spots, the Teahouse at Stanley Park, on the anniversary of his death. The exhibition includes a mix of installations by Chinese Canadian artists, vintage album art, music videos, and fan memorabilia. Original handwritten scores by Koo, who died in Metro Vancouver in 2023 at age 91, are displayed. Hundreds of artists are featured in various ways throughout the exhibition, including music legends Teresa Teng, Anita Mui and Faye Wong and the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok. A fashion section shows the work of Chinese Canadian designers who redesigned some of the costumes worn by the pop superstars. There's a floor-to-ceiling LED sound wall with custom-built 1980s-style speakers playing Cantopop hits, with hundreds more accessible at listening stations where visitors can be immersed in the music of that age. For Lee, who described the exhibit as her 'dream exhibit, the one I always knew I wanted to do,' the connection was personal. She vividly remembers going with her parents' to their friends' homes and playing with other kids to the strains of Cantopop. One song resonated: Cheung's bright and bouncy 1986 chart-topping hit, Monica. 'It's this pivotal song, which is on our exhibition, and I remember we as seven- and eight-year olds just dancing to this song,' said Lee. 'That's a core memory of mine.' And not just hers. According to Lee's research, there was a boom that year of Chinese Canadian baby girls named Monica. Listening to Cantopop perhaps set Chinese Canadians apart from mainstream Canadian culture back in the 80s and 90s, but that's something Lee wants to reclaim as part of Canada's story. 'The music always has been a key part of culture an Canadian culture, but in many ways it was left out,' she said. 'But it was so emotional and important and sparked the imagination of many in the Chinese Canadian community.' Dream Factory runs to May 31, 2026 at the Chinese Canadian Museum at the Wing Sang building in Vancouver's Chinatown. Also on exhibit: A Soldier for All Seasons, on the third floor, which features overlooked stories of Chinese Canadian soldiers in the Second World War. chchan@
Cision Canada
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Cision Canada
Chinese Canadian Museum Unveils New Military Exhibition: "A Soldier for All Seasons: Chinese Canadians in the Second World War"
Open to the public on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, "A Soldier for All Seasons" is located on the newly expanded and renovated third floor of the Chinese Canadian Museum. This powerful exhibition shares the heartfelt and often overlooked stories of Chinese Canadian soldiers who risked their lives to serve a country that, at the time, regarded them as "second-class" citizens. Their sacrifices were instrumental in prompting the Canadian government to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1947 - marking a critical step toward full citizenship and equal rights for Chinese Canadians. "These were men and women who risked everything for a country that did not yet recognize them as equals," says Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum. "Their bravery and sacrifice challenged deep-seated discrimination and helped lay the foundation for lasting change. It was through their service that the Chinese Exclusion Act was eventually repealed, and Chinese Canadians were finally acknowledged as full citizens. This exhibition honours their legacy and ensures their stories are remembered." Curated by Catherine Clement, Naomi Louie, Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, and Sarah Ling, A Soldier for All Seasons marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and highlights the powerful stories of Chinese Canadian men and women who served in every branch of the armed forces—despite being denied full citizenship. Their service at home and abroad helped challenge discrimination and reshape Canada's path toward equality. "Our mission is to ensure Chinese Canadian veterans are never forgotten," says Randall (Bud) Wong, President of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum and retired B.C. Supreme Court Judge and Chinese Canadian Museum Board member. "This exhibition with the Chinese Canadian Museum helps share their stories of courage, sacrifice, and the fight for belonging in Canada." This exhibition brings their stories to life like never before—with rare photos, immersive design, and a groundbreaking 3D holobox that lets visitors hear directly from Chinese Canadian actors retelling the powerful experiences of wartime soldiers." At the exhibition entrance, a commemorative artwork by Vancouver artist Jeanette G. Lee - niece of a Second World War veteran - honours Chinese Canadians who served in the World Wars. Through the Looking Screen features engraved names of known soldiers, offering a poignant tribute to their sacrifice and legacy. The exhibition highlights powerful stories of resilience and heroism, including: Albert Mah, a fighter pilot who, alongside his brother Cedric, survived hundreds of perilous missions transporting vital supplies from India to China. George Chow, who narrowly escaped death during the D-Day invasion when Allied planes mistakenly bombed his unit, killing two comrades beside him. Roger Cheng, who led a team of Chinese Canadian soldiers who parachuted behind enemy lines in Borneo on a top-secret sabotage mission for Britain's elite Force 136. "These stories are powerful reminders of courage, sacrifice, and the fight for dignity. Chinese Canadian soldiers served this country with honour and helped shape a more inclusive Canada," says the Honourable Spencer Chandra Herbert, B.C. Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. "I'm deeply moved by this exhibition, and proud that our government continues to support the Chinese Canadian Museum in sharing these vital histories with all of us." A Soldier for All Seasons is housed in the Chinese Canadian Museum's newly expanded third-floor permanent exhibition space, dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of Chinese Canadian war veterans. Presented in collaboration with the Chinese Canadian Military Museum, the exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Jack and Sylvia Gin Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia. For more information about the Chinese Canadian Museum and its current exhibitions, please visit About the Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society | The Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society (CCMMS) was founded in 1998. Its mandate has been to collect, preserve, document and commemorate the role of Chinese Canadians in service to Canada's military with a focus on the role these "unwanted soldiers" played in the community's efforts to achieve full equal rights in Canada. Today, the society also works to educate a new generation of Canadians on the role the Chinese played in Canada's history. The Chinese Canadian Museum Society of British Columbia is an independent, non-profit organization established in March 2020 to create a museum honouring and sharing Chinese Canadian history, contributions, and living heritage. Guided by its mission statement "Connecting to the Chinese Canadian story – addressing inclusion for all", the Chinese Canadian Museum aspires to provide an invigorating and transformative experience for present and future generations through its exhibitions and educational programming throughout B.C. and Canada. The first of its kind in Canada, the Chinese Canadian Museum opened to the public in 2023, and is located in the historic Wing Sang Building in Vancouver Chinatown.
