In the summer of 2024, Dragon Food Tours encouraged people to experience Chinatown through its culinary delights. Organized by the the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society (CTC) and led by summer students, the tours featured a sweet and savoury versions – both of which were hits. In fact, the tour is a finalist for the 2025 Edmonton Tourism Awards. The awards ceremony will be held in early June.

“The intention behind the Dragon Food Tours is to celebrate and revitalize Chinatown by showcasing its rich cultural heritage, diverse culinary offerings, and strong sense of community. As a youth-led initiative, it was also created to mentor and elevate young people by giving them the opportunity to activate their amazing creative skills, organize meaningful projects, and make a real impact in their city,” says Joanna Wong, an organizer and board member with the CTC.

“Many youth today have incredible ideas and talents but often lack a platform to put them into action. Dragon Food Tours provides that space. Through storytelling, education, and public engagement, the program connects younger generations to the neighbourhood in a way that is both empowering and purposeful. Our board members play a key role in supporting and guiding these youth-driven efforts, ensuring they have the tools and confidence to lead and shape the future of Chinatown. This initiative also fulfills a key pillar of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative (CTC): Celebrating Chinatown as a Destination.”

Wong emphasizes that the success of the Dragon Food Tour is due to “the authenticity of the experience, the passion of the youth leading the initiative, and the strong collaboration with local businesses. By blending food, culture, and personal storytelling, the tours created a genuine connection between participants and the community. They revealed just how much richness exists in our neighbourhood: stories, flavours, and history that many had forgotten or never knew.”

The tour also used social media with short videos on CTC's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/changechinatown/) and TikTok from various influencers to reach a wide audience, and even had its own theme song written by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Felix Hatfield.

Carmin Wong was a Student Lead for the tours, and is currently a third-year student at the University of Alberta. “Organizing these tours gave me the opportunity to apply the skills I’ve gained through my education to create a platform for sharing the culture and history of Chinatown. Leading a team to develop these tours helped me enhance my leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal abilities. Furthermore, learning the unique stories behind each business made these tours truly special and allowed me to connect more deeply with the Chinatown community.”

Jason Ng, Senior Tour Guide and Social Media Producer also in his third year of university, says of the experience: “Being a tour guide in Chinatown has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not only have I had the chance to share stories about the rich culture and hidden gems of the neighbourhood, but I've also deepened my own understanding of its long history and the stories behind every smile and storefront.

Community partners and supporters included the City of Edmonton, Chinatown Business Improvement Area (BIA), and businesses located in North Chinatown, “who generously opened their doors and shared their stories. Their collaboration and unwavering support made the tours not only possible, but deeply meaningful for our young tour guides and participants while helping to strengthen community connections and bring the vision of Dragon Food Tours to life,” says Joanna Wong.

If you missed the 2024 tours, don't fret: the Dragon Food Tour is returning this year. Get on the waiting list for the 2025 tour here. 

Paula E. Kirman is the Editor of Boyle McCauley News.