The Esplanade/Victoria Cres. area represented Nanaimo's first Chinatown settlement in existence from the 1860's to 1884. (Image Credit: Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW staff

bright idea

Temporary art pays tribute to Nanaimo’s lost Chinatowns

Feb 25, 2026 | 3:28 PM

NANAIMO — Key to the formation of Nanaimo’s economic, social and cultural identity, a trio of temporary art pieces are reminders of once bustling local Chinese settlements.

Errington-based artist Jackie Wong, whose grandparents immigrated to Canada in 1907, created illuminated markers of where Nanaimo’s three prior Chinatown communities once stood.

Titled Lost Intersections, the temporary art displays are located near the intersections of Esplanade/Victoria Cres, View St/Bing Kee St., and near the Pine/Hecate St.

“As the city grew and land values increased, the first two Chinatowns were relocated; the third was later destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. Today, little visible evidence of these communities remains,” a City news release stated.

Nanaimo’s second Chinatown settlement was situated in the View St/Bing Kee St. area. (Image Credit: City of Nanaimo)

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Chinese immigrants moved to Nanaimo beginning in the late 1800’s to work in the coal industry.

After the first two Chinese settlements were displaced, the third community in the Pine/Hecate St. areas was flattened in a landscape-altering Sept. 30, 1960, fire and never rebuilt.

The temporary artwork features red neon lights shaped into Chinese characters of one, two and three, reflecting each of Nanaimo’s once vibrant Chinese neighbourhoods.

The City states the art is solar-powered to offer an energy-efficient design with focused light to minimize brightness and light pollution.

Onlookers helplessly watch as Nanaimo’s third Chinatown settlement located between present-day downtown and the Harewood neighbourhood burned to the ground. (Image Credit: Nanaimo Community Archives)

“Each installation includes an accessible QR code linking viewers to historical information about the Chinatown that once stood at that location. By blending visual impact with research-based storytelling, Wong’s project encourages reflection and a deeper appreciation of the contributions Chinese Canadians have made to Nanaimo’s development,” the City release stated.

An interactive map of all of Nanaimo’s public art is expected to be launched by the City of Nanaimo shortly.

Wong said broadening the recognition of Chinese contributions to Nanaimo history is the focus of this project.

“The three Chinatowns not only hold tucked-away stories and memories but are also integral components to the city’s identity and to the cultural diversities that began long ago. Currently, there is little or no evidence of the three Chinatowns; one would not know they were standing where a Chinatown once was!”

Nanaimo’s third Chinatown depicted in 1960, not long before all of these buildings were destroyed by fire. (Image Credit: Rudolf Stueck/Nanaimo Community Archives)

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