Hi! I’m a Vancouver journalist who writes about the sociology of my city.

I am currently a staff reporter at The Tyee and am working on a number of book projects. The first will be published with UBC Press in fall 2024.

I hold a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia.

I’m interested in the power and politics behind urban change, and how Vancouver’s many diasporas strive to make a home in a city with colonial legacies.

I’ve reported on the “Baklava Man”, a Syrian politician turned refugee food vendor on our downtown streets; the colonial history of the Himalayan blackberry; the making of suburban Chinese malls; and crunched data on how poor immigrants are displaced further and further into the suburbs.

I’ve also written personal essays that reflect a side of the city you don’t often see in the postcards, from life in Vancouver’s most diverse neighbourhood to our history of bubble tea to our “cha chaan tengs”, a Hong Kong export.

I used to write a reported column in the Vancouver Courier called Talk of the Block (2015 to 2018) and another in Metro called Urban Scrawl (2017 to 2018). These popular stories include the real story of why the Vancouver Special is so special and my profile of the legendary Duffin’s Donuts and its Cambodian-Californian roots. Both of these papers have since closed.

My writing has also appeared in publications such as Business in Vancouver, the South China Morning Post, Spacing, SubTerrain, and Megaphone magazine.

I have a passion for learning about neighbourhoods as they really are, centered on people, places, and the power dynamics at play. This means combining the sidewalk perspectives of locals and the big ideas of academic research. (PR people who contact me thinking that my “neighbourhood reporting” means covering their client’s new restaurant opening are often disappointed.)

This has led to many invitations to speak in educational settings, from courses at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Langara College, and the University of Toronto on urban issues, housing, journalism, and creative non-fiction.

I have also been invited to speak at events hosted by the Cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond, the Planning Institute of British Columbia, Hua Foundation, and SFU Public Square.

My radio/podcast appearances include CBC shows such as The Current, The Early Edition, On the Coast, North by Northwest, and BC Today, as well as Canadaland COMMONS, CKNW’s Lynda Steele and Jas Johal Shows, Vancouver Co-op Radio and CiTR.

You can contact me for personal and freelance inquiries at bychrischeung[at]gmail.com.

For Tyee inquiries, you can contact me at ccheung[at]thetyee.ca.

I am on Twitter at @bychrischeung and Instagram at @bychrischeung.