christina is a 2.5 generation Cantonese settler born and raised on unceded and ancestral lands and territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Downriver Halkomelem) and Skwxwú7mesh sníchim (Squamish) speaking peoples.
christina thrives in spaces of imagination and world-building. With five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she is comfortable ‘building the plane while flying it,’ and has developed a learn-by-doing approach that centres reflection and growth over outputs. In her spare time, she finds her peace on the water, as an amateur outrigger canoe paddler.
🌏 開平+台山 diaspora
🐶 pup enthusiast
🍊 生果王
🍜 民以食為天
Contact
Side Projects
joss paper library is a research collective based in Vancouver’s Chinatown with a focus on self- & independently- published works centering the Asian diaspora.
Projects
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, at all levels of government and in public institutions, language accessibility has been –and continues to be– a major equity issue. With public health updates initially provided only in official languages, in a region where 44% of the population speaks a language other than English or French at home, it is clear that translation work is no longer just a ‘bonus,’ but rather is a necessity in public engagement.
We believe in a healthy, democratic society where all people are empowered to make informed decisions regarding their health and well-being, and have equitable access to resources provided by the institutions intended to serve us.
a collaborative, cross-sector program to ensure ongoing access to culturally appropriate groceries for chinatown seniors during covid-19
Exhibitions
Take a virtual trip to Hoiping / Kaiping county of Guangdong province in Southern China, from which many early Chinese migrants made their journey to Canada. Explore the UNESCO-designated fortress towers called “diulow” / “diaolou” and visit a traditional lion head workshop in the village through our virtual reality film station.
請來進入虛擬旅程，參觀中國南部廣東省的開平縣，是許多早期的加拿大華裔移民的原居地。您可通過展覽的虛擬現實（VR）電影站，探索被聯合國教科文組織指定為世界遺產的碉樓 ，並參觀村莊里傳統的舞獅子頭工作坊。
请来进入虚拟旅程，参观中国南部广东省的开平县，是许多早期的加拿大华裔移民的原居地。您可通过展览的虚拟现实（VR）电影站，探索被联合国教科文组织指定为世界遗产的碉楼 ，并参观村庄里传统的舞狮子头工作坊。
Speaking
From seasonal migrant workers producing food in unsafe working conditions to Black and Indigenous communities struggling to afford their next meal, COVID-19 has laid bare the foundational inequalities in Canada’s food system. Join Jolene Andrew, Just Transition Coordinator for the Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Paul Taylor, Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, Christina Lee 李嘉明, Project Manager for Transformation Projects & Food Programs with Hua Foundation, and Colin Dring, PhD candidate in Land and Food Systems, Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, for a discussion on the racial inequalities that exist in our food system, and the systemic changes required to ensure just, sovereign, and reliable food access for all.
Features
Food can teach us love and bring people together. But for Tammara Soma, a food professor, food was originally a source of pain. Join her journey to learn about the healing power of food.
Diasporas produce a vital but unheralded food industry in Canada. Can we make it easier to set up shop and grow? Last in the series: Fresh Off the Shelf.
Audio documentary produced by: Kaitlyn Fung
The closure of Goldstone Bakery and Restaurant in Vancouver’s Chinatown caused grief to many people – and for a lot of them, it was about more than just losing their favourite restaurant. What made Goldstone more than just a restaurant to people? “Chinatown’s Heart of Gold(stone)” explores how food, race, class, and culture combine in unique places to create a sense of community.
A short video profiling the "Chinatown Cares" grocery delivery service for Chinese elders in Vancouver.
Work Experience
Language Access Project
- overseeing the development of a resource guide geared towards communications and engagement professionals to improve language accessibility within public institutions
- generating buy-in and convening director-level staff within local, regional, and provincial institutions to commit to long-term systemic change
Capacity Building Portfolio
- visioning and rooting for Roundtable Educational Society, a newly-established charity to reimagine the philanthropic sector
- formalization of ongoing mentorship and incubation work, to support the creation and expansion of other adjacent grassroots initiatives
Internal Transformation Projects
- collaborative development of policies and practices to reimagine the ways that we work as a team, including: asynchronous work infrastructure, disability justice audit, cultural holidays policy, wellness-first media responsiveness strategy, 4-day work week
Representing hua
- advisories and steering committees including: Unpacking Precarity in British Columbia, local grassroots coalitions and networks
- speaking engagements (panels, podcasts, documentaries) and media (local, national, international)
program development, Chinatown Cares Seniors' Grocery Delivery Program
- development of back-end logistical systems for weekly grocery delivery program (built, funded, and operating in under 2 weeks)
- coordination and relationship management between community partners, across multiple sectors & industries
- operational management and improvements on day-to-day tasks
- hiring and management of operational staff, volunteers
- development of resource / how-to guide, documentation of standard operating procedures
transformation projects, operational overhaul
- supporting research and data migration to new operational software (financials, payroll, etc.)
- managing and coordination of office space closure (due to COVID-19) and related adminstrative tasks
- planning, design, & facilitation of outreach/interviews with ‘ethnocultural’ businesses regarding upcoming 30-year Broadway Plan
- summary & analysis of qualitative interview data
- writing of comprehensive report
- presentation to 40+ staff of key themes & learnings
- travelled to Kaiping, China to film 360 degree Virtual Reality footage of Kaiping Diaolou (UNESCO World Heritage Site) & related intangible heritage pieces
- responsible for pre-production, filming, & post-production to create 2 short Virtual Reality films, to be shown at the Museum of Vancouver’s upcoming “A Seat At The Table” exhibition
- planning, design, & implementation of a complex, community-oriented research project
- researching, reviewing, & compiling existing scholarly research
- facilitating interviews with community stakeholders to understand local needs & challenges
- supervising & coordinating 6 students (UBC Faculty of Land & Food Systems), 2 research partners throughout data collection process
- analyzing qualitative & quantitative data
- writing & editing a comprehensive 62-page report
- overseeing contracting & design of finalized report
- other media responses and speaking opportunities related to the report
- acquisition, coordination, & facilitation of equipment rentals
- assessment of existing infrastructure availability & constraints
- establishment of processes, systems, & best practices
- liaising between City staff & local community groups
- reporting back learnings to determine feasibility of application to other neighbourhoods
- introduced organizational tools to ensure smooth transfer of documentation year over year
- liaised between event organizers and area businesses to ensure mutual event success
- supported the planning and execution of two large-scale public street festivals, each drawing over 150,000 guests and hundreds of vendors and performers
- oversaw a cohort of 9 interns, assigning appropriate tasks to assist in their learning goals