Letters to My (Grand)Parents
寫給（祖）父母的信
Art Cover: “懷舊—nostalgia; cherishing the old” by Jia 何家嘉
May 30, 2026
Sun Wah Centre
Poster illustration of Letters to My Grandparents. An old red telephone rests on an intricate peony tablecloth with the receiver resting off the hook. Covered on the table are a blue porcelain vase with chrysanthemum blooming, white rabbit candies laid on pink chinaware, traditional green mahjong tiles scattered across and hawflakes out of its wrapper. Behind the living space is a Chinese calendar dated May 30th of the fire horse year, a clock, and textured jade wallpaper revealing a ripped Qing Dynasty motif. Bold title in English and traditional text reads "Saturday, May 30, 2-6pm, Letters to My (Grand)Parents." Sponsored logos sit below.
Dear friends,
It started with a letter to Gong-Gong. A small thank you to my grandparents who raised a family on foreign soil; their children switching their lives around in a generation, and making a home for the next first to third generation of Chinese-Canadians. I reached out to Michelle, my fellow co-worker and friend, and we spoke about our hopes to build a space for the generation of in-betweens. Raised in a vibrant culture but still fell under the shadow of the minority ethos, we shared a partnership. Now, it has become a movement and continuation of a larger iteration.
Letters to My (Grand)Parents began as a need to record moments in history of an aging generation in our local Chinese-Canadian communities. It started off with a deeply rooted disconnection to cultural identity and familial loss; a memory to cling to while being stuck in the in-between. Left with feelings of nostalgia and a search for healing from unanswered questions, I sought to build a space that can heal a heart that craved for belonging, trust, and enrichment.
These collections of letters seek to be the first phase of a larger story. “What do you wish to know about your parents and grandparents, and what would you share with them now?” I hope these letters can provide a space to grieve and reflect together, and connect across generations, marking as a reminder that your community is closer and larger than you think.
Co-leads, Shanna Cheng 鄭嘉慧 and Michelle Jia Ha 何家嘉
Featuring our writers:
阿子 with 爸爸
Shanna Cheng
Carmen Cheung
Allison Chow
Michelle Ha with Baba and Mama Ha
Megan Kwan with 公公
Yan Nok Noelle Lee 李茵諾 with 嫲嫲
Amy Lü 吕嘉仪 with 妈妈
Wen Wen Lu
Yihk Qu
Featuring our seniors:
Jack Chang
Eva Cho
Albert Lee
Lance Lim
In Partnership with:
Future Arts Network
Gal with Chinatown Together
Health Arts Society / Concerts in Care with Zhongxi Wu and Sarah Tan
Janice with The Chinese Canadian Museum
BCA in Sun Wah Centre
Hosted by: Yun-Jou Chang
Translation by: Joyce Deng
Photograph Credit: Kimberly Ho
Video Credit: Annika Walsh
A short film compiled from Letters to My Grandparents open mic with set-up, concerts in care, mahjong, and printmaking. Videos show an intergenerational crowd mingling with our writers and seniors, connecting through shared stories at our open mic and book launch. Neo Harmonia duo performs in the background while mahjong and printmaking plays throughout. Video ends with credits and community logos in signature jade green and pink fading into the background.
