Market Village 城市廣場: End of an Era

Written by Matthew Lee · Translated by Avvy Hung

Photography by Curio Studios

Market Village closed its doors in March 2018 – turning a new leaf for this important and dynamic landmark in the local Chinese-Canadian community. Looking back at its history of over 20 years, it was a frequent destination for many newcomers easing in Canadian society to seek familiar traditions, goods, and entertainment reminiscent of home. It allowed traditions to be celebrated in Toronto such as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Market Village was one of the first places to feature bubble tea, egg waffles, and ‘sticker picture’ stands before their proliferation in the larger community. 

In addition to the consumer aspects of the mall, Market Village was also an important meeting place to engage with the community, being the venue for local political debates, community organization events, and it has been the home of the Federation of Chinese Canadians of Markham — an organization focused on bridging Chinese Canadians and the wider mainstream community. Chinese Canadians knew that Market Village was the place where they could expect to meet famous singers and actors from Asia, as well as, personalities from local Chinese television and radio. The mall helped create an inviting place for the wider community to better understand Chinese culture. The mall was a common site for the community to express and understand diverse facets of both Chinese and Canadian Chinese cultures. Its language of legacy was the way its space served as a site of belonging for newcomers and those locally-born to Canada.

城市廣場於2018年3月關閉—為當地華人社區重要且充滿活力的地標揭開了新的一頁。回顧20多年的歷史，它曾是許多新移民尋找熟悉的家鄉傳統文化、商品及娛樂消閒的必到之處。在這裡傳統節日仍然存在，如農曆新年和中秋節，但也容納了新一代的潮流，如珍珠奶茶、雞蛋仔和貼紙照片。它更是一個讓社區傳譯、辯論和理解中華及加拿大華人文化多元化的重要地標。

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RURAL BEGINNINGS 農村的開始

While it is hard to visualize now, Market Village was not originally conceived as a Chinese-themed shopping centre but instead as a rural market, very much consistent with the countryside character of Markham at the time (such as its neighbour Cullen Country Barns). By the early 1990s, Market Village adapted to the surge in Chinese-Canadian settling in Markham. As business began to take off, numerous phases of roofing were constructed to enclose the outdoor promenade sections including the central gazebo stage area, which became the food court. At one point, Market Village was also home to a movie theatre, featuring movies primarily from Hong Kong — the centre of Chinese film and entertainment at the time. Market Village became a household name as the place for Asian goods and entertainment.

此刻也許有點難以想像，但起初的城市廣場並不是一個以華人為主題的商場，而是一個農村市場，與鄰近西邊的 Cullen Country Barns 一樣非常符合萬錦市的鄉村特色。到90年代初，隨著希望定居萬錦市的加拿大華人激增，城市廣場才慢慢轉形。隨著生意開始起飛，室外長廊上的屋頂也逐步完成，包括中央涼亭舞台區（後成為美食廣場）。城市廣場逐漸成為亞洲商品及娛樂家喻戶曉的名詞。

Sponsored by Union Capital Realty, Brokerage.

MARKET VILLAGE AND
ITS COMMUNITY IMPACT 城市廣場及其對社區的影響

For the first time, the prominence of the mall along with the expansion of local Chinese-Canadian television, radio, and print-media created a new sense of home for Chinese-Canadians in Canada. While there were indeed other Chinese-themed retail areas in Chinatowns in the city centre, as well as in Agincourt and Mississauga, Market Village represented a notable critical mass that really manifested in the local community. Local Chinese Canadians held a strong sense of enthusiasm because they were capable of building a collective place — a place that’s uniquely and proudly Chinese, a space they carved for the Chinese Canadian legacy. With great momentum, a community that wasn’t really prominently visible beyond traditional Chinatown areas in Canadian society became unapologetically visible.

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But it was met with resistance. The previous deputy mayor of Markham, Carole Bell publicly denounced Asian themed malls in 1995. She declared that “everything’s going Chinese” in the community, noting in particular her resentment over what she believed to be an emerging “racial monopoly” resulting from the growth of Chinese-themed malls like Market Village. An ensuing polarizing debate caused the Town of Markham to establish a race relations committee. As such, Market Village has served as a catalyst for the discussion of cultural inclusivity in Canadian society.

這個商場的顯赫地位及當地華人電視、廣播和報章雜誌的擴張首次在加拿大創造了新的歸宿感。但它同時遇到了阻力。當時萬錦市的副市長 Carole Bell 宣稱在社區中「一切都在中國化」，意味著她對像城市廣場這類華人主題商場的增長所引起的新興「種族壟斷」感到不滿。隨後辯論的兩極化使萬錦市促成了種族關係委員會。因此，城市廣場成了討論文化包容性的催化劑。

“Chinese Canadians knew that Market Village was the place where they could expect to meet famous singers and actors from Asia, as well as, personalities from local Chinese television and radio.”

NEW GENERATION OF RETAIL 新一代零售業

The evolving community brings new opportunities for Market Village to reinvent itself. Market Village encapsulates the spirit of the Town of Markham: it blossomed from rural roots; evolved to serve a growing Chinese Canadian community; and is now poised to evolve again in accordance to the dynamic Canadian mosaic. Renamed as Remington Centre, the new shopping mall will spearhead a new legacy for the next generation.

正如社區的發展一樣，這些變化為城市廣場重塑自我帶來了新的機遇。在許多方面，城市廣場是萬錦市精神的一個縮影，從農村的根源開始，逐漸現變成為一個持續發展的加拿大華人社區，現在又要再次發展。新商場名為 Remington Centre，將成為新的地標，讓下一代回首。

About the writer, Matthew Lee

A long-time resident of Markham, Matthew Lee is a city planner whose family has lived and shopped through the various changes that Market Village has undergone over the years. He has a research interest in matters related to race relations in multcultural communites in Canada and is a staunch supporter of intiatives that elevate the Chinese-Canadian community.