In 1997, a group of Calgarians of Shunde descent came together to form a non-profit organization as a way to give back to the Chinese community and to further extend the tradition of Shunde hospitality. The Shunde Association of Calgary, Canada was founded by eight members, with David Ng appointed as the first president. Other founding members include Margery Yee, Laurence Ho, Aaron Lai, Richard Lai, Hung Chi Wong, Tim Ho, and Stephen Law. Former mayor, Al Duerr, was also invited on board as our honourary president as his father-in-law was of Shunde descent.

For a long time, all meetings and activities can only be carried out at restaurants or other public places. Mails were sent to a local bakery operated by one of our members. The founders later realized the importance of having a permanent location to facilitate events and activities, a rendezvous for the community to socialize and mingle, so together they raised money to purchase a location on the third floor of Dragon City Mall in chinatown. This is the home of the association as we know it today.

With years of proven track record, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission has allowed us to host casino activities every 18 months for fundraising purposes to help with operational costs, which proved to be immensely beneficial. Today, we are able to organize more activities to fulfill our dream of serving Chinese seniors (60+).