On a clear September afternoon, a small crowd gathered on a Hecate Street parking lot where Nanaimo’s Chinatown once stood, to remember a fire that levelled the neighbourhood six and a half decades ago. The event, organised by the newly created Nanaimo Chinatown Heritage Foundation, marked the 66th anniversary of the 1960 Nob Hill blaze and was billed as the foundation’s first commemoration of the loss.
Ceremony blends tradition and local memory
Attendees followed a traditional Hakka Kirin (unicorn) dance as it moved up and down the stretch of Hecate Street, offering blessings and drawing attention to a neighbourhood that once bustled with Chinese-owned businesses and community life. Photographs, framed newspaper clippings and other archival material were displayed at the site, where once there were homes, shops and social hubs for Nanaimo’s Chinese residents.
The foundation, formed earlier in 2026, described the commemoration as an effort to preserve stories and prevent the erasure of the city’s Chinese past. Organisers emphasised the event was as much about education as it was remembrance — an attempt to weave the Chinatown story back into public awareness as Nanaimo grows and redevelops.
"the Nanaimo Chinatown Heritage Foundation held its first ever commemoration of the fire that happened on September 30th, 1960."
What unfolded at the site
The public ceremony featured several elements meant to engage passersby and residents alike:
- Hakka Kirin unicorn dance – performers invited the crowd to follow the procession and receive symbolic blessings.
- Historical displays – photos and newspaper clippings were presented to illustrate the scale and character of the former Chinatown.
- Oral context – foundation leaders offered introductions to the area’s history and to the impact of the 1960 fire on families and business owners.
Heritage Foundation Chair Sherron Sue opened the event with remarks about the neighborhood’s past and the imperative to remember it. Local media followed up with interviews, underscoring the community’s interest in documenting and protecting the stories tied to the city’s Chinese population.
Why the commemoration matters now
The commemoration arrives at a time when Nanaimo’s urban landscape is changing. As infill, new developments and shifting commercial patterns rework the downtown and surrounding areas, the visible traces of earlier communities can disappear quickly. For descendants of Chinatown residents and for longtime citizens, a public act of remembrance is a way to anchor those vanished places in the city’s narrative.
Organisers say the foundation’s work will extend beyond the annual event: collecting oral histories, cataloguing photographs and exploring ways to interpret the former Chinatown site for residents and visitors. The public display on Hecate Street was intended both as a memorial and as a prompt for future projects around education and preservation.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original fire | September 30, 1960 |
| Anniversary marked | 66 years (commemorated Sept. 12, 2026) |
| Organising body | Nanaimo Chinatown Heritage Foundation (formed earlier in 2026) |
For many present, the ceremony was subdued but resolute: a public recognition that the Chinatown’s history is not merely a footnote but a part of Nanaimo’s identity. The foundation’s leaders stressed that preserving memory is also about informing future development choices, placemaking and civic recognition.
As the Kirin procession wound down and the displays were examined, conversations turned to next steps: how to reach younger residents, how to expand the archival record, and how to ensure the story of Nob Hill continues to be told as the city moves forward. The foundation has signalled those will be among its priorities in the months to come.
The commemoration offered a moment to reflect on loss, resilience and the layers of history beneath present-day Nanaimo — and to declare that those layers will be part of the city’s collective memory going forward.
