DoFoo, Paul
This photo was exhibited as part of Builders and Patriots: Portraits of Chinese Canadians, a 2005 historical photo exhibition by the Sien Lok Society of Calgary, Alberta. The exhibition featured images of Calgary’s early Chinese Canadian settlers, demonstrating their rich family and community life. Its follow-up exhibition, Builders and Patriots II: A History of Calgary’s Chinatown, was on display at Sien Lok in 2010. All photos are courtesy of Paul DoFoo and the Chinese United Church of Calgary.
The Luey Kheong family is the first known Chinese family in Calgary, Alberta. Mrs. Kheong (seated woman, third from right) was the first Chinese woman to arrive in Calgary in 1905. She gave birth to her first child, Harry, in 1910. The family played an important role in the Chinese Mission, and hosted many church gatherings in their home. In the 1930s, the Kheongs migrated to China. Later, some of the family returned to Calgary to settle.