The purpose of the 2007 McCord Colloquium is to explore the
dynamic interactions between China and Canada from historical and contemporary multi-disciplinary perspectives.

Where:McCord Museum, 690 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec
When:1-3 November 2007

The McCord invites proposals for presentations addressing the interrelationship between Canada and China. Presentations are not restricted by discipline or field of study, as long as they focus on this relationship. Presentations are particularly solicited from museum curators, archivists, and artists.

Papers are invited in English and French. Proposals should be 250 words in length and accompanied by a short resume. Those interested in chairing a session are also invited to forward a resume.

Since the middle of the 19th century, immigrants have arrived in Canada seeking the Golden Mountain that would provide them with the wealth to realize their dreams, both in China and in the new country. These ties of family and aspiration have forged in their turn other links between Canada and the Middle Kingdom. Canadian missionaries brought their religious practices to Chinese communities; Chinese companies established trading relationships in Canadian cities. Imported Chinese labour helped construct railways; Chinese residents built local businesses from restaurants and laundries to multinational companies. Chinese antiquities decorated Canadian homes and furnished major Canadian museums with spectacular treasures. Norman Bethune went to China to serve its people and became a national hero in a country far from his birthplace. Chinese students come to Canada to study English and French; Canadian students return to study Chinese language and culture. Canadian companies partner with Chinese corporations to build railways, and Chinese companies invest in Canadian resources. And we all eat egg rolls, noodles, and General Tao’s chicken.