Lost Intersections - Shining a Light on the City's Overlooked Past

What Once Stood Here

In the late 1800s, Chinese immigrants began arriving in Nanaimo to work in the coal industry. From the outset, they built vibrant communities throughout downtown, places that supported daily life, culture, and commerce, and quietly helped shape the city as we know it today.

As Nanaimo grew and evolved, those communities were repeatedly displaced. Two of the city’s three Chinatowns were relocated, while the third was tragically destroyed by fire and never rebuilt.

Today, very little remains visible. And unless you know where to look, you might miss it entirely.

Enter “Lost Intersections”, a contemporary wayfinding project reconnecting present-day Nanaimo with the layered and often overlooked history beneath our feet.

The Art

“Lost Intersections”, by artist Jackie Wong, is a public art project designed to bring visibility back to stories that have long gone unseen.

Across three historic intersections in downtown Nanaimo, glowing neon markers now trace the locations of the city’s former Chinatowns. Subtle, striking, and intentionally placed, you’ll know them when you see them.

These illuminated wayfinders mark sites that were once vibrant centres of community and resilience. Today, they invite visitors and locals alike to pause, reflect, and consider the histories that continue to shape Nanaimo’s cultural identity.

Each installation includes an accessible QR code linking to deeper historical context. It’s a blend of public art and storytelling and one that doesn’t just ask you to look, but to understand.

First Chinatown - Esplanade Street & Victoria Crescent 

At the intersection of Esplanade Street and Victoria Crescent stood Nanaimo’s First Chinatown.

By the 1860s, Chinese immigrants were arriving in increasing numbers, many employed by the Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Company. Housing was provided by the company, but as the community grew, so did the need for businesses, services, and gathering spaces.

What followed was the development of Nanaimo’s first Chinatown, one that would become the third largest in British Columbia.

By the mid-1880s, however, the community was forced to relocate. The land it occupied was deemed too valuable, and residents were pushed beyond the city limits. A new chapter began, but not by choice.

Second Chinatown - View Street and Bing Kee Street

From the mid-1880s to the early 1900s, Nanaimo’s Second Chinatown took shape in the south end, just outside what were then city boundaries.

It remained a strong and active community during this time, before being relocated once again, this time closer to the city at Pine Street and Hecate Street.

Another move. Another reset.

Third Chinatown - Pine Street and Hecate Street

At its height, Nanaimo’s Third Chinatown was home to approximately 1,200 people and served as a cultural and economic hub for Chinese communities across Vancouver Island.

But policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act in the 1920s led to a steady population decline, as families dispersed and integrated into other neighbourhoods. At the same time, shifts in Nanaimo’s coal industry pushed many to seek work elsewhere in British Columbia.

In 1960, a fire destroyed what remained of the third Chinatown. It was never rebuilt and for decades, much of this history faded from view.

Why It Matters

Projects like “Lost Intersections” don’t just mark places, they reintroduce stories.

They ask us to look a little closer at the streets we think we know, and to recognize the communities that helped build them, even when physical traces are gone.

It’s not loud. It doesn’t need to be. But it’s there, waiting for you to notice.
 

About the Artist - Jackie Wong

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jackie Wong is a multidisciplinary artist working across photography, painting, and ceramics.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia, with additional studies at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Her work explores themes of place, memory, and cultural identity, something “Lost Intersections” brings quietly, and powerfully, into the public realm.
 

Next time you’re downtown, take a different route. Look for the glow. Scan the code. Stay a little longer than you planned.

There’s more to Nanaimo than what meets the eye and sometimes, you just have to know where to stand.

Sources:

The City of Nanaimo: https://www.nanaimo.ca/parks-recreation-culture/public-art/temporary-public-art-program/lost-intersections/