H990.277.62 - Envelope
These envelopes were meant to hold headache pills. The Chinese printing reads: "Western Medicine Kip Kew Ghim Clinic / 531 Main Street Vancouver, B.C. / take 1 ever 3-4 house, 3-4 times a day. Each dozen costs 20 cents." Doctor Yip Kew Ghim was well known for practicing Chinese and Western style medicine.

H990.277.98 + 99 - Box of Luggage Stickers
These round labels were glued directly onto a passenger's suitcase or trunk for a trip by ship or train. The labels show a Canadian Pacific Railway Company steamship.

H990.277.102 - Package of Cloth
This bolt of blue polished cotton peeking through its original Chinese wrapping was probably meant for retail sale at the Wing Sang Company store. It may have imported for one of the Chinese tailors in Vancouver, who produced special order clothing, or for seamstresses who worked at home on a piece-work basis. The fabric is similar to the lining found in some of the collars and wadding jackets featured in the collection.

H990.277.105 - Package of Red String
This heavy red cotton string in its original packaging has had Chinese calligraphy written down its side, identifying its contents. The Chinese writing on the package reads "Red Hair Tie". The red string was traditionally used to tie back an unmarried girl's hair. The red string would be tied once at the nape of a young girl's neck and then again at the end of her long ponytail.

H990.277.109 + 110c - Package of Tassels and loose tassel
These black cotton tassels in their original packaging were probably sold through Yip Sang's retail business. The characters on the package read "tassel extra large" and possibly "dress." The single tassel pictured shows the proper arrangement of such tassels.

H990.277.142 - Box of Rubber Stamps
These rubber stamps were kept in an old cigar box. The stamps include some from the Wing Sang Company as well as some of Yip Sang's other businesses. Both English and Chinese characters appear on the stamps. One stamp in particular shows three large Chinese characters that represent the Wing Sang Company's name.

H990.277.143 - Packet of Collars
The Chinese text written on the original collar package reads "Stand up, outer collars". The collars are stiff and backed on each side with different colours. Each collar has a velvet or velour side of mottled brown, black and orange. The other side is black or purple fabric with a woven pattern. The edges are finished with a band of black fabric. The collars were probably meant to be sewn on to vests or jackets. The collar shown next is beside its original package.

H990.277.148 - Mickey Mouse Notebook
This artifact is a good examples of how Western and Chinese cultures came together. The interior of this exercise booklet is ruled for Chinese writing practice in vertical columns, while the cover shows one of the most popular Western comic book characters of the twentieth century: Mickey Mouse. The notebook dates between 1935 and 1955.

Photo, top: Detail, Wing Sang Building with Yip Sang and Family, c. 1905. Vancouver City Archives, CVA689-9.
Unless stated otherwise, all photos are from the collection of the Vancouver Museum.

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