B.C. Museum to Celebrate Chinese Canadian Soldiers Who Fought for Canada and Citizenship Rights

Randall (Bud) Wong vividly recalls greeting his uncle Delbert Yen Chow at a Vancouver train station in 1945, as the soldier returned home from World War II service in India. Wong, then five years old, watched his uncle, clad in an army uniform and knapsack, rejoin his family after years overseas.

The contributions of Chinese Canadian soldiers like Chow will be spotlighted in an exhibition titled “A Soldier For All Seasons,” set to launch in spring 2025 at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown. The exhibit will honor hundreds of Chinese Canadians who served in both World Wars, despite facing discrimination and being denied full citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections until 1947.

The Chinese Exclusion Act, which halted Chinese immigration to Canada, was also repealed in 1947, but it wasn’t until 1949 that Chinese Canadians could vote in all provincial elections. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, over 200 Chinese Canadians fought in World War I, with more than 600 serving in World War II.

Wong, a board member of the Chinese Canadian Museum and president of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum, emphasized that these soldiers fought on two fronts — for Canada and for equal rights. “When they returned, their credo was 'one war and two victories,’" he explained, referencing their battle abroad and their push for recognition at home.

The exhibit will highlight figures like the members of Force 136, a group of Chinese Canadian soldiers deployed on high-risk missions behind enemy lines in Japanese-occupied Southeast Asia. Known for their daring sabotage efforts, they operated under the code name “Operation Oblivion” due to the high risk of capture or death.

Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the museum, noted that the exhibition will detail how Chinese Canadians contributed to every part of Canada’s war efforts. As the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II nears, only four Chinese Canadian veterans from the war remain.

Reflecting on their legacy, Wong said he would tell those veterans, “We are forever grateful for what you have accomplished.” Inspired by his uncle’s ethics and dedication, Wong became the first Chinese Canadian provincial Crown counsel in 1967.