Chih-Chuang and Yien-Ying Wang Hsieh Award
Chih-Chuang Hsieh (1923-1994) and Yien-Ying Wang Hsieh (1925-2008) were born and raised in China, but lived in Hong Kong for the first nineteen years of their married life (1951-1970). Their three children, Lilian, William and Yvonne, were all born in Hong Kong. In 1970, the family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, as part of the first wave of white-collar immigration from Asia.
While a university student, Chih-Chuang Hsieh interrupted his studies to participate in the resistance against the Japanese invasion of China, serving as an interpreter for the American army allied with the Chinese. A businessman in Hong Kong after the war, he travelled widely in Asia, Europe and Africa in the 1950s and 1960s. After immigrating to Canada, he worked briefly as a realtor in Vancouver before settling into an office position at BC Rail, where he remained until his retirement in 1987. Although his degree at the National Chengchi University (Nanjing, China) was in Public Administration, Chih-Chuang had a strong appreciation for all the arts (literature, music, painting and cinema). He particularly enjoyed reading, and visiting museums and monuments while travelling.
Yien-Ying Wang Hsieh worked as an elementary school teacher and an office worker for several years prior to her marriage. She then devoted herself to the care of her three children. After immigrating to Canada, she developed a passion for gardening, and enjoyed visiting gardens, parks and other scenic areas of her new country. She had a special love for animals, and kept rabbits and canaries as pets. Although she received no formal training, she had a natural gift for music, which was transmitted to all three children.
Chih-Chuang and Yien-Ying Wang Hsieh converted to Catholicism in the 1960s and remained devout Catholics all their lives. They were long-time parishioners of the St. Francis Xavier Chinese Catholic Church in Vancouver.