QUAN Yuen-Yen was born in China in the district of [開平 Hoiping / Kaiping], as the youngest of seven siblings. At age 15, he and his next older brother traveled to Canada aboard the Tacoma Maru, arriving in Victoria, B.C. on August 14, 1912.

In Victoria, Yuen-Yen worked at Man Yuck Tong, a Chinese herbal store and tailor shop originally located at 532 Fisgard Street. Yuen-Yen’s father was a major shareholder in the business.

Quan Yuen-Yen returned to Hoy Ping in 1921 to marry Tse Sau-Chun (Jessie Tse). Due to the pending Chinese Exclusion Act, Yuen-Yen was forced to leave a pregnant Jessie in China and return to Victoria alone in February 1923. Jessie was able to reunite with her husband in Canada in 1929, traveling under the purchased identity and papers of Chan Yet-Ngo. However, the exclusion law prevented Jessie from bringing their six-year-old daughter with her. Their daughter grew up in China, separated from her parents, under the care of her grandparents.

In 1938, Yuen-Yen purchased the building at 544 Fisgard Street. Man Yuck Tong moved and operated at the new location until 1983. Today, Man Yuck Tong is part of the Royal British Columbia Museum’s permanent collection. Parts of the store are also on display in Barkerville Historic Town and in storage at the City of Victoria Archives.

Yuen-Yen was an active member of Victoria’s Chinese community. He served on the Chinese School Board, raised funds for China’s war effort against Japan, and served as a warden during the war years. He possessed good business sense and foresight, branching into farming, restaurants, and real estate in Victoria and Vancouver. He was secretary of the United Greenhouse Cooperative Association, president of Parkview Greenhouse in Victoria, and shareholder of Parkview Greenhouse and United Fruit (Vancouver).

On June 16, 1943, during a heated argument, Yuen-Yen was murdered in his office by an employee. He left behind his wife Jessie and their seven children.