Brian L. Evans, CM, studied Chinese and Chinese history at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and later served with the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. He was Professor of Chinese History at the University of Alberta (1961-1996). In his retirement, Brian Evans devoted himself to recording and preserving the stories of Alberta's Chinese pioneer immigrants. He lived in Edmonton until his death in 2016.

"This catalog accompanies an exhibition of the collection of Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung held at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library of the U. of Alberta, Canada, from June to August 2010. Evans, a retired professor of Chinese history at the university, presents photos, objects, documents, and letters, and describes the history of Chinese immigration to the Canadian Prairies over the past 132 years, including employment, religion, politics, attitudes towards them, and the lives of individuals." - Reference and Research Book News, October 2011

"[T]his book contains a wealth of information on the Chinese on the Canadian prairies. Written by Brian Evans, it provides a fact-filled and readable account of Chinese from the time the first Chinese ventured north from the United States to Winnipeg in 1877." - Book Reviews Editor, Alberta History, Autumn 2011

40th Annual UCDA Design Competition, Award of Excellence (2010) - Winner [United States]