Dinner and Presentation Sunday Jan 25, 2026 6pm at Sun Wah.
- charlebois721
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Come join us for a dinner and presentation about Jean Ewen and her influence on Dr Norman Bethune in China on Sunday Jan 2, 2026 at the Sun Wah Restaurant at 6 pm.
This presentation was originally planned for Oct 2025 but it was postponed until now.
Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Restaurant: Sun Wah Restaurant
Location: 1515 Cook St, Victoria, BC V8T 5E5
Time: 6:00 PM – Dinner | 7:00 PM – Presentation
Presentation Topic: Jean Ewen and her influence on Dr Norman Bethune in China
Presenter: Larry Hannant
Larry Hannant’s long-standing study of the revolutionary Canadian doctor Norman
Bethune who died in 1939 while serving China’s war to defeat Japanese occupation,
has expanded to include an assessment of the women who influenced him. Among these is Jean Ewen, a Canadian nurse who in 1938 travelled with him to aid China’s anti-imperialist struggle. Historians describe Ewen as uninterested in politics and assert that she accompanied Bethune to China only under pressure. A reexamination of Ewen’s own memoir and of other historical accounts contradicts this view. In fact, Ewen was deeply committed to the Chinese people’s struggle against capitalism and imperialism and, even after having been inadvertently separated from Bethune, continued her work with the Chinese Communist Party’s Eighth and New Fourth Route Armies in 1938 and 39.
Biography
Larry Hannant is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of History at the
University of Victoria. He has written or edited four books, two website contributions,
and numerous articles. His edited collection, The Politics of Passion: Norman Bethune’s
Writing and Art, won the Robert S. Kenny Prize in Left/Labour Studies and has been
translated into French and Chinese. His most recent book, Bucking Conservatism:
Alternative Stories of Alberta in the 1960s and 70s, which he co-edited and wrote
sections of, won the 2022 Alberta Book Publishing Award for Regional Book of the Year.
Hannant is the author of more than 100 articles and has presented more than 50
papers at conferences and events in Canada, Britain, Germany, China, and the United
States.
Dinner Menu
Appetizer - Spring Roll
Dessert - Sesame Balls
Main - Beef - Black Bean Sauce
- Chicken - Lemon
- Fish - Salt & Pepper
- Prawns - Sweet & Sour
Noodles - Singapore Spicy
Rice - Steamed
- Sun Wah Fried
Vegetables - Bok Choy - Garlic
- Broccoli - Stir Fried
- Green Beans - Spicy
Dinner Price (includes tax & tip)
$30 for members and students
$40 for non-members.
Annual memberships were due September 1, 2026. To receive the $30 dinner price,
please include your membership fee in your payment; otherwise the $40 non-member price applies.
Annual Membership Fees
Single: $20
Family: $40 (applies only to those residing in the same home)
RSVP Contact
Please reserve and pay for your seat for the January dinner. Payment without
reservation or reservation without payment does not guarantee a seat.
Reserve by contacting Barry Ming at 250-888-9963 or barry.ming@gmail.com
Or Carol Charlebois at charlebois721@gmail.com or phone 250-882-5820.
Please do not e-transfer your payment to Carol. E-transfer info. is below.
Please reserve your seat early, as there is often a waitlist.
RSVP by Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
Payment Methods:
Cash, cheque, or e-transfer.
E-transfer to victoriacanadachinafriendship@gmail.com
Make cheque out to Victoria Canada-China Friendship Association. Please do not
use abbreviations on cheques.
Contact Barry Ming at 250-888-9963 or barry.ming@gmail.com for pick up of cash or
cheque.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Comments