KPU Asian Studies

Great story about our local partner, the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, which hosts KPU Arts Practicum students (including groom Asian Studies and History), in their digitization of the Chinatown News! Congrats Agatha and all for the recognition and thank you for your wonderful work!!

How archiving through digitization preserves Vancouver's Chinatown history A Vancouver newspaper that ran for more than 40 years is now available online. As the CBC's Pinki Wong reports, the pages of the Chinatown News have now been...

It was so wonderful having the Association of Asian Studies annual meeting in Vancouver this year! KPU Asian Studies Program faculty Justin Stein and Clement Tong were able to attend along with our recent graduate Rachael Hung and our 4th-year student Joe Reimer. We all learned a lot, as top scholars from all over the world came to the Vancouver Convention Centre to share their research! Very grateful to be able to have had that experience and share it with our next generation of Asian Studies scholars

Congratulations to our Asian Studies BA majors, Kevin Hongkai Wang and Shiyi Li, and our Asian Studies BA minor Aaron Chen! 🎉㊗️👏🧑‍🎓👩‍🎓👏㊗️🎉 We recognize your great achievements through hard work, and wish you much success in your future endeavours!

The Asian Studies Program and Department of Indigenous Studies would like to invite you to our event, Sacred Arts in Asian & First Nations Communities, to be held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Fir 128.

This event will feature dance performances, presentations by two artist-scholars visiting from Alberta and a local Squamish carver, and a screening of the documentary Carving the Divine: Buddhist Sculptors of Japan followed by a hybrid discussion with the director. There will be ample time for discussion and Q&A with all of our presenters. Refreshments and dinner will also be provided for all attendees.

2-2:30 pm - Welcomes and opening prayer by Elder-in-Residence Lekeyten

2:30-4:45 pm - Dance performances, presentations, and Q&A with our visiting scholar-artists:

- Soni Dasmohapatra is a trained Kathak dancer and choreographer of Indian folk dance traditions, as well as a PhD candidate in Social Sciences at Royal Roads University.

- Danni Daysky Okemaw dances in Old Style Jingle Dress and Woodland Strap Dress, grounding her movement in Anishinaabe teachings, language, and cultural responsibility. She is in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies.

5:00-5:45 pm - Presentation & Q&A with Aaron Nelson-Moody, Squamish carver working in the Coast Salish tradition. His Sḵwx̱wú7mesh name, Tawx’sin Yexwulla, translates to "Splashing Eagle," though most know him as "Splash." He teaches at Indigenous woodcarving at Langara College and metalworking at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

5:45-6:30 pm - Dinner

6:30-8:10 pm - Screening of Carving the Divine: Buddhist Sculptors of Japan

8:20-9:00 pm - Panel discussion and Q&A with filmmaker, Yujiro Seki & Aaron Nelson-Moody

Congratulations to our recent Asian Studies graduates! Not everyone was able to make it to our convocation ceremony but it was wonderful to see Rodel-John Mamaril and Rachael Hung receive their diplomas. Best wishes to you and please stay in touch 👩‍🎓🧑‍🎓🥳