Book Launch: “The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act”

Celebrate the launch of community historian, curator, and author Catherine Clement’s new book, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. Building on the stories included in the award-winning exhibition of the same name and exploring the lives of dozens more who lived through the Exclusion Act, this book presents an unflinching look at a monumental and shameful chapter in Canada’s origin story. Catherine Clement is an award-winning Chinese Canadian community historian, curator and author. She is known for her extensive, crowdsourced community history projects that help uncover, share and preserve the experiences of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Her books have been extensions of her history projects. Catherine first drew acclaim for her 10-year search, uncovering the hidden works of Yucho Chow, Vancouver’s first and most prolific Chinese photographer. At the end of that project, she published the award-winning book Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow. Catherine’s latest book, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, documents a monumental yet largely forgotten chapter in Canadian history. The pages of this book explore the human experience of Chinese exclusion as revealed through the stories of individuals who lived through this dark period. Despite encountering silence and a lack of community knowledge of this history when she began her research, Catherine has excavated haunting tales of tragedy, loss, despair, and powerful examples of courage, perseverance, and resilience. Many stories are being shared publicly for the first time. Based on a landmark national exhibition of collective remembrance, this book takes an unflinching look at a shameful chapter in Canada’s origin story. Recorded on June 24, 2025 at the Chinese Canadian Museum. Video recording and editing by Elwin Xie and Fanna Yee. The Chinese Canadian Museum is now permanently at home inside the historic Wing Sang Building in Vancouver's Chinatown. The museum honours the history, contributions, and heritage of Chinese Canadians, while elevating and engaging with voices and communities across this country. To learn more, visit https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/.