Heritage Plaque Unveiling - Sam Ching Lane

Join us on Tuesday, February 24, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Ontario Heritage Centre, as we unveil a Toronto Heritage Plaque that celebrates the challenges overcome by the Chinese Canadian community in 19th-century Toronto. 

One of the first Chinese residents on record in Toronto was Sam Ching, the owner of Sam Ching & Co. Chinese Laundry at 9 Adelaide Street East in 1878. Ching was recorded in the 1878 Toronto directory with another Chinese man, Wo Kee, at 385 Yonge Street. Ching and Kee were joined by Chinese men across the Asia Pacific who migrated from western Canada after helping to build the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway, which was completed in 1885. Unable to join the workforce due to racist hiring practices at the time, many Chinese men chose to open laundries, a line of business that was generally unpopular. 

At the event, we will be joined by Heritage Toronto and Chinese-Canadian Historian and Author Arlene Chan to talk more about the significance of this location and Ching's history. 

Watch the Museum of Toronto video to learn more about Sam Ching's legacy.