Condo king Bob Rennie is restoring one of the most historic buildings in Vancouver's Chinatown area for his new offices and a personal art collection.
The building, at 51 East Pender, is the former headquarters of Yip Sang, a businessman and pioneer, who died in 1927.
After he left China is in 1858, Yip settled in San Francisco, made cigars, sold coal door to door, did lots of jobs, then he came to Vancouver in 1881.
He worked for CP Rail, recruiting Chinese labour. After the last spike was driven, he became a successful businessman.
During his life, Yip had four wives, 19 sons, and four daughters. Since a big family needs a big home, they moved into the Wing Sang building in 1901.
The building is the oldest in Chinatown. It is part of the city's history, and in 2004 it was bought by Rennie, one of the modern faces of the Vancouver real estate sector.
To celebrate the restoration effort, Rennie invited Yip's descendents -- all 377 of them -- to see the progress
"It was really important to us that the Yip family approve it, bless it, sanction it,'' he said. "This is a venue for the imagination."
Yip's grandson Ricky Yip says his childhood home is in good hands.
"I'm very proud of it,'' he said.
His grandfather died before he was born. But Yip Sang lives on today, in the generations that followed and his building in the heart of Chinatown.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
