The Executive Director's report

While Toronto's much-touted cultural renaissance was about to begin with SuperBuild funds, the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (CCC) unveiled its Phase II expansion before the end of 2001, which will include a 600-seat theatre and a multi-purpose hall. The new expansion will help CCC to play a more important role in the cultural life of the city. It will also become a cultural landmark, providing performing spaces, learning opportunities, entertainment, and recreational venues.

The objective of Phase II is to develop a high-profile Cultural Centre that will enrich the cultural and recreational lives of all Torontonians. With its rich local and international programming, our hope is that the CCC will become a major destination of local and overseas visitors.

The CCC still has many hurdles to clear for the expansion, even though it has secured donations and pledges of over $5 million for this $7 million project. However, we all have a “can do attitude.” We are quite positive that we will be getting the necessary support. Over the last year, we have forged closer and stronger ties with the government, the corporate sector, the community, performing and artistic groups, and individual dancers, musicians, and artists.

The daily operations of the Centre involve many hardships, including budgetary limits, fighting for funding, and employing the most cost-effective means to keep the Centre running, and organizing more than 40 different programs and activities during a single year with a skeleton staff. Many thanks to the Board of Directors who understand the difficulties, and appreciate our problems, as well as the dedicated volunteers who always give us a helping hand.

Committed to the development of arts and culture, the Centre has undertaken the responsibilities of presenting many artistic exhibitions and cultural performances, such as the Hong Kong Ballet's The Last Emperor. We have supported activities organized by young people or for the younger generation, such as the Chinese Canadian Youth Conference, debates organized by high-school and university students, and the Literary and Arts Contests for Chinese Canadian Youth. We are entering into new working relationships with several mainstream orchestras, and organizations such as the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, and the Multicultural History Society of Ontario.

Our new initiatives have been very rewarding. The “Jews in Shanghai” exhibition was not only a smash hit in Toronto, but also a big success when it was later held in New Jersey in the United States. The “By Leaps & Bounds – Images of Chinese Women Since Footbinding” symposium, jointly organized with the Bata Shoe Museum, had a tremendously enthusiastic audience. The first annual Orchid Show drew a record number of 5,200 visitors to the CCC over one weekend. These successes proved that we are on the right track, and many people in the community share our vision.