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The Wing’s Collection: Archiving Chinatown’s Memory through Objects
In collaboration with the JIA Foundation

Wing Noodles memorabilia belonging to the Lee family tell the living history of Montréal’s Chinatown.

Group of people marching on the street near the Wing’s factory building.
Source: Archives de la Ville de Montréal

Event description

At the request of his friend Gilbert Lee, owner of the Wing’s company, Jean-Philippe Riopel embarked on an ambitious heritage project with the organization Objets de Mémoire – groupe d’action muséologique. Their goal was to establish, document and conserve a collection of objects reflecting the history of the Lee family, of the Wing’s company and of Montréal’s Chinatown.

After four years of rigorous work, the collection today comprises over 5,000 series of objects, most of which have been inventoried and documented. This exceptional heritage collection was recently donated to the MEM by the Lee brothers.

Lors de cette conférence, Jean-Philippe Riopel, guide professionnel, muséologue et fondateur d’Objets de Mémoire retracera le parcours remarquable de ce projet collaboratif, de sa genèse à sa patrimonialisation. Il présentera également certains objets phares de la collection, véritables témoins matériels de l’histoire sociale, commerciale et culturelle du quartier chinois.