Lily Chow was born in Malaysia but immigrated to Canada in 1967. She is married to a supportive husband with three grown children and a beautiful grandson. She has taught in Prince George Secondary School and in the University of Northern British Columbia. Fifteen years ago, she began research and writing about the Chinese Canadian history in the interior of British Columbia. Her publications include Sojourners in the North, Chasing Their Dreams and Legends of Four Chinese Sages, and numerous articles related to Chinese culture for magazines and local newspapers. Sojourners in the North won the Jeanne Clarke Memorial Local History Award, Prince George. In 2002, she received the Golden Jubilee Medal from her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to the Chinese Canadian history.
Her latest works include two short stories, “A Princess in a White Jade Jar” and “The Land of Offices,” and two essays “Barkerville and Its Chinese Canadian History” (in Chinese) and “Intermarriage between the First Nations and Early Chinese Immigrants.”
In recent years, she had travelled to other provinces and to China to present papers on topics related to Chinese Canadian history to First Nations University (Saskatchewan), Peking University, Liaoning University, Hebei University, Shijiazhaung Normal University, and Zhong Shan University. She has also participated in symposia on Aboriginal Education in Vancouver and Canadian Studies at Shandong University.