Henry Young was just 25 when Nina Simone walked into the Marco Polo theatre restaurant in the spring of 1968. The Vancouver jazz guitarist had no idea who she was beyond her striking cover of I Put a Spell On You.
When Young asked to play alongside the acclaimed musician, Simone was blunt: “You don’t know my music.”
“Well, I’ve always had good pitch,” Young replied.
That impromptu response earned the young guitarist a spot on Simone’s set—and, before sunrise, an invitation to join her tour. Young, now 84, shared the tale at Marco Polo Memories, a sold-out event held last June at the Learning Lab inside Vancouver’s Chinatown Storytelling Centre.
A Journey Through Chinatown’s Heyday
To commemorate the cultural hub’s fifth anniversary, organisers converted a 4,000-square-foot basement into an immersive exhibition tracing Chinatown’s golden era from the 1950s through the 1980s. Recreated façades of eateries and curiosity shops, coupled with vibrant neon signage, transport visitors back in time.
Carol Lee, chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, explained the deliberate design choice to avoid labelling the centre a museum. The ground floor confronts challenging chapters of Chinese-Canadian history—the perilous labour endured by Canadian Pacific Railway workers, escalating head taxes, and the Chinese Exclusion Act. But the Learning Lab celebrates what followed those hardships.
“Upstairs is kind of the challenge of what we faced when we got here, but despite that, they created a very vibrant community,” Lee said. “And that’s what we wanted to show with the Learning Lab: This is what we created, despite all the hardship and obstacles.”
Guests descend beneath plum blossom-themed neon lights and walls bearing the neighbourhood’s characteristic chipped green paint. Historic Hong Kong cinema posters, vintage flyers advertising “authentic Chinese cuisine,” and copies of the 1950s Chinatown News magazine line the corridor leading into the space.
Where Music Bridged Divides
Alex, Victor and Harry Louie—brothers from a family that transformed a modest general store opened in 1903 into a business empire including the London Drugs chain—launched the Marco Polo in 1964. The venue operated until 1982, drawing as many as 500 patrons with its smorgasbord buffet, yo-yo champion emcee, and eclectic entertainment.
Despite being promoted as “Canada’s only Oriental nightclub,” the establishment attracted diverse audiences and performers, its name a tribute to exploration. Racial segregation at the time prevented other major Vancouver nightclubs from booking Black artists.
“The idea was when they brought in minority acts, like Redd Foxx and Sly and the Family Stone, they would not draw the rich Shaughnessy people they wanted,” Young recalled. “So they would shoot down to the Marco Polo. Thank god, we had some good music.”
Richard Pryor, the Platters, and the 5th Dimension also graced the stage.
After his serendipitous evening with Simone, Young drove across town to his second gig—starting at 2 a.m.—playing guitar at an after-hours club owned by fellow musician Tommy Chong.
“All of a sudden, the room hushed. Nina was in the crowd,” Young told the rapt audience. “We played, she listened for an hour and a half and said, ‘Send him a plane ticket and a contract. I want him in New York.'” Young subsequently toured internationally with Simone for two years, including a performance at Carnegie Hall.
Preserving Family Legacies
Karen, Jari, and Mark Louie—children of founder Alex Louie—took the stage alongside Young, sharing childhood memories of the bustling venue. Karen Louie described legendary lemon chicken, whole barbecued pigs, and elaborate dragon artwork adorning the walls. She painted a vivid picture of the frantic kitchen below: sizzling woks, meat cleavers striking wooden blocks, cooks stopping mid-motion to greet the children like family.
“And then dad would tell them to get back to work,” she added, projecting old photographs and vintage menus.
Jari Louie reflected on the unexpected gift of preparing for the exhibit—poring over memorabilia, swapping stories, “trying to approximate some kind of truth out of all this crazy.”
“We passed these stories around like a basket of bread between us, and it was really joyful at times,” she said. “It was really hilarious at times, and at times, it was really emotional.”
Agatha Sit, the centre’s archivist, noted that the semi-permanent design allows displays to evolve. “We believe that archives are not to be stored, but to be seen,” she said. “And from seeing, people know.”
The Learning Lab, accessible through guided tours, features a media studio and workshop space for hands-on programming. Family Saturdays launches this month on the second Saturday of each month, offering arts and crafts activities. A fifth anniversary celebration is planned for November.
Why it Matters
The Learning Lab addresses a vital gap in how Vancouverites understand their city’s cultural landscape. By showcasing the thriving community that emerged despite systemic discrimination, the exhibition counters narratives that reduce Chinatown to a heritage district requiring preservation. Instead, it documents a living, dynamic neighbourhood where families built businesses, entertainers defied social boundaries, and ordinary people created extraordinary spaces. As Lee noted, many had forgotten that vibrancy existed at all—and the centre aims to remind them what was, and what residents hope it can become again.
