Restoring Chinese Names

In English-language historical records, public archives, and educational materials, early Chinese migrants are often referred to by anglicized names that are sometimes inaccurate, misleading, or entirely incorrect. Immigration, burial, and death records typically recorded only anglicized versions, which not only obscure the original identities of individuals but also impose English naming conventions on people who, until the mid-20th century, commonly used multiple names in accordance with Chinese naming customs.

Recognizing this lack of cultural sensitivity in both archival systems and public education platforms, the Foundation for Chinatown Dignity began to restore the original Chinese names of people and places. The goal is to ensure that those who lived through these times are remembered and recognized through the lens of their own culture, rather than filtered through an Anglo-centric framework.

Grave Marker at Harling Point Chinese Cemetery in Victoria. Photo: Yao Xiao, 2025

Thank you letters in《大漢公報》The Chinese Times

Historical Context

Chinese names in public records in North America have historically been anglicized, often without regard to their original Chinese characters or cultural meanings. These Anglicized names were not the names that individuals or communities used among themselves. A romanized spelling could correspond to dozens of different Chinese characters, obscuring identity, lineage, and cultural nuance.

Naming practices in Chinese communities are also far more complex than commonly understood. Early Chinese migrants often had multiple names, specifically formal names, courtesy names, literary names, trade names, used in different social or kinship contexts. However, Anglo-centric systems of documentation reduced these to a single “official” name in English, often imposed at the point of immigration or in administrative records, erasing the richness of Chinese naming traditions.

This erasure extended to Chinese-owned businesses. Many establishments were recorded only under Anglicized or phonetic names, even though the Chinese community referred to them by their original Chinese names. Over time, these Chinese identities were lost in public memory and historical archives.

The Problem

The use of Anglicized names in historical documents, heritage designations, signage, books, and archival systems reflects a deeper systemic issue: the colonial erasure of racialized histories and the prioritization of English as the dominant mode of recognition. This problem extended to Chinese Canadian history, musuem, and scholarship spaces.

Without the Chinese names recorded in public archives, scholarship, or visible on physical markers, descendants often struggle to trace their ancestry, and communities are denied access to the full dignity of their histories. What remains are partial, distorted records that marginalize Chinese voices and ways of naming.

This is not simply a matter of accuracy, but a matter of justice, dignity, and cultural survival. Restoring Chinese names challenges colonial naming practices and makes space for Chinese diasporic history to be told through its own lens.

List of Donors in 《大漢公報》The Chinese Times, July 4th, 1923

Our Approach

To begin restoring Chinese names and identities, we draw on a range of primary and community-based sources, including:

《大漢公報》The Chinese Times (a historic Chinese-language newspaper)
C.I. registration files (Chinese Immigration certificates held at Library and Archives Canada)
Grave markers and tombstone inscriptions
Oral histories from descendants and elders
Bilingual and Chinese-language records preserved by families and local archives

This work requires fluency in Chinese, familiarity with historical Chinese naming systems, and the triangulation of English and Chinese sources, both oral and written. It is a meticulous process that combines archival research with community memory and cultural knowledge.

Our goal is to return humanity and specificity to individuals whose lives were reduced or mistranslated by colonial systems.

Grave Marker at Harling Point Chinese Cemetery in Victoria.
Photo: Yao Xiao, 2025

Outcomes & Impact

Our efforts have revealed just how deeply the erasure of Chinese names has permeated historical records, public memory, and institutional collections. In many cases, individuals are still identified only by their English names that are often incorrect, incomplete, or imposed by colonial systems. This erasure persists across archives, heritage listings, and even museum exhibits.

In Richmond, we worked with the City of Richmond Archives to reinstate the full and partial Chinese names of the well-known merchant 林德調 Ling Lam and his wife, 趙氏 Chew Shee Lam. These restored names are now formally reflected in the Richmond Archives' blog post about 林德調 Ling Lam and his legacy in local business history.

In Nelson, we recovered the identities and Chinese names of the proprietors of 成昌 Sing Chong Laundry, the last remaining Chinese-built and Chinese-owned building in what was once the largest Chinatown in the BC Interior. These names will appear in an upcoming book on the history of Kootenay Co-op Radio, which currently occupies the building, on an interpretive sign on the same building, and in the Nelson Museum, Archives, and Gallery. This work combined oral histories, grave markers, and historical records to reinsert these individuals into public memory.

In Nanaimo, we are working to make the Chinese names of key historical Chinatown organizations visible through physical interpretive markers. This is being done in partnership with the SEED Co-op, which operates Bing Kee Food Forest on the site of Nanaimo’s former second Chinatown. We are also developing an educational zine with the Nanaimo Innovation Academy, located near the sites of the city’s third and fourth Chinatowns. These efforts aim to bring visibility to names and organizations long erased from the public landscape.

In the Cowichan Valley, at the Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery, we transcribed grave markers and identified the Chinese names of early migrants buried there. This initiative is only the beginning of a broader effort to transcribe grave markers of early Chinese migrants across the country, creating a fuller and more dignified historical record.

In addition to place-based projects, we continue to update widely-used public platforms such as Wikipedia and FindAGrave to include restored Chinese names. These updates make names more accessible to descendants and researchers, while also improving the accuracy of widely referenced information. Together, these efforts reclaim public space for Chinese diasporic history and disrupt the dominance of Anglicized naming in public records.

Obituaries in 《大漢公報》The Chinese Times

What’s Next

Looking ahead, we plan to continue working with institutions to restore Chinese names across interpretive signage, archival records, and other forms of public historical material. These efforts are part of our ongoing commitment to upholding Chinese dignity in public memory and challenging the Anglocentric narratives that have long dominated historical representation.

To support broader participation in this work, we are developing a public-facing toolkit that will provide practical guidance on how to identify, recover, and restore Chinese names in historical research, signage, and archives. Designed for researchers, cultural workers, community members, and institutions alike, the toolkit will make this process accessible and culturally informed.

In tandem, we will advocate for heritage institutions, archives, and cultural sites to adopt name restoration as a standard and necessary practice, rather than a special exception. At its core, this work is about refusing the erasure caused by linguistic hegemony and colonial naming systems, and ensuring that the cultural truth embedded in language and identity is no longer lost to anglicization. By restoring these names, we move toward a fuller, more just historical record where Chinese lives and legacies are remembered in their own terms.

Partners & Acknowledgements

This work has been made possible through the generous contributions of community members, oral history participants, and institutional collaborators who have shared their time, knowledge, and care.

In Richmond, we are grateful to Dovelle Buie at the City of Richmond Archives for her partnership in restoring and documenting Chinese names of 林德調 Ling Lam and his family.

In Nelson, we thank Darwin Der; Catherine Fisher at Kootenay Co-op Radio; and Tressa Ford and Jean-Philippe Stienne at the Nelson Museum, Archives, and Gallery for their support and collaboration.

In Nanaimo, this work has been supported by Michael Geselbracht of SEED Co-op and Keely Freeman of the Nanaimo Innovation Academy, who are helping to make historical names visible through community-based education and signage.

At the Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery, we are deeply thankful to Neil A. Dirom and Wendy Jang for their contributions to documentation, transcription, and historical verification.

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