YK’s Chinese association to host harvest celebration buffet

The Yellowknife Chinese Association is planning to bring Chinese language lessons to the city while raising funds through a new harvest festival.

This year’s Fall Harvest Celebration Fundraising Dinner Buffet takes place on Saturday, November 15 from 5pm at the Calvary Community Church.

The event will feature homemade Chinese food and a family-friendly setting aimed at bringing the community together while supporting future initiatives.

Association president Lynn Huang said the goal is to create a space for residents to celebrate cultural diversity. YKCA, officially formed in 2020, has been organizing annual events including a Lantern Festival to promote Chinese culture and strengthen community connections.

Since its formation, the association has taken part in city events such as Canada Day celebrations and the Multicultural Festival, where volunteers prepared and handed out more than 100 portions of homemade food. Huang said the positive response encouraged members to continue hosting community events.

This fall’s harvest festival will be the first of its kind organized by the association.

Funds raised will go toward launching an online Chinese language program for children and adults in Yellowknife. The program is being developed in partnership with the Chinese consulate in Calgary, which will help the group connect with trained teachers.

“Our language, I believe lots of people – adults, kids – they’re all interested. They want to learn Chinese as a language because China’s population [is] 1.4 billion, right?” Huang told Cabin Radio.

“They are big population in the world and people are learning Chinese. That’s what I would really want to do.”

Classes will take place through Microsoft Teams, offering weekly 50-minute sessions that follow a structured curriculum from Grade 1 through Grade 12.

The annual cost per student would be roughly $365, though Huang said the association hopes to fundraise enough to subsidize a portion of that fee for families who need financial support.

In Yellowknife, Huang said her three daughters don’t have opportunities to learn Chinese beyond what she can teach them at home. 

Before moving to Canada, Huang worked as a nurse in China and later owned a restaurant. With those experiences, she also wants to teach others how to cook simple, nutritious meals at home. She said the idea is not to replace restaurant-style food, but to show people how to prepare traditional dishes in a healthier way.

YKCA has about 60 members, though not all are active. Huang said many have not signed up or don’t participate regularly because of busy work schedules or language barriers.

“This is one of the challenges. We want to get people together,” she said, adding another obstacle is the lack of available funding.

“All the people are volunteers trying to do something. We don’t have that much funding … We need some funding to keep this society going.”