** Canadian immigration Chinese








Canadian Immigration: The Chinese


Figure 1.-- This is a photograph of the male members of a Chinese family in British Colombia about 1910. It was taken by the famous Chinese photographer, C.D. Hoy, who recorded with his camera revealing aspects of Chinese life in British Columbia. We are unsure just what the plant represents. We suspect that it is just a prop in what looks like a very basic photographic studio.

We do not know a great deal about Chinese immigration yet. As far as we can tell, it followed a very similar pattern to Chinese immigration in the United States, with its association with gold rushes and railroad construction. The Chinese also encountered racial and legal descrimination in Canada. Many of the early Chinese immigrants clannishly stuck to Chinese cultural and social patterns. In part this was incouraged by the hostility of European Canadians. We see some Chinese integrating into Canadian culture by the turn of the 20th century.

Historical Background

Chinese immigration to America began with the discovery of gold in California (1848) and for many yeas was confined to that state. The Chinese played a major role in building the Western railroads in America (as the Irish did in the East). The Chinese were subjected to discriminatory legislation. We know little about Chinese immigration in Canada. We believe that as in America it was primarily concentrated along the west coast, meaning British Colombia. Chinese immigration appears to have followed the same pattern in Canada as it did in America. It was also gold that attracted Chinese immigrants to Canada. After gold feaver had abated in California, some Chinese miners traveled from San Francisco to British Cololbia (1858). They joined the trek northwood along the Fraser River. Chinese immigrants also arrived directly from Canada, especially from Guangdong province (southern China). These Chinese miners established the first continuous Chinese community in Canada. The Chinese were denied the right to vote by the British Columbia Qualifications of Voters Act (1872). There were also restrictions on employment. The British Columbia provincial government banned Chinese in construction projects financed by the provincial government (1878). Chinese laborors played a major role in the construction of the western section of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1880-85). Many of the early Chinese immigrants clannishly stuck to Chinese cultural and social patterns. In part this was incouraged by the hostility of European Canadians. We see some Chinese integrating into Canadian culture by the turn of the 20th century. The image here is an example of this (figure 1).

Chinese Family

This is an interesting photograph by the famous Chinese photographer, C.D. Hoy, who recorded with his camera revealing aspects of Chinese life in British Columbia (figure 1). He learned to take pictures in Barkerville in 1909 and in 1911 became Quesnel's first professional photographer. He documented the Native, Chinese, and Caucasian peoples of the Cariboo region of western Canada in the early 20th century. This photograph, apparently taken in Barkerville, B.C., in 1909 or 1910, shows four local members of the Chinese community there. The two boys sitting in the foreground, about 14 and 16 years of age, appear to be brothers. They illustrate the way the Chinese have adapted to western dress. The younger of the two lads wears knee pants, double breasted dark suit, with white collar and tie, black long stockings, and hightop boots with brass hooks for the laces. Note the clasps of his hose supporters which show at his knees below the hem of his trousers, an illustration of the point often noted before that boys' long stockings were sometimes very short--in this case barely long enough to cover the boy's knees. The older boy wears a jacket or heavy sweater in a cardigan style with long trousers. He seems to have a bow tie and a dark-colored shirt. Note that both boys wear black felt hats with brims turned up. This seems to be a boys' style. One of young men standing in the rear wears a flat cap with a bill while the other adult is hatless. Notice also the flowering plant that forms he centerpiece of the photograph and the oriental rug which covers the steps on which the boys sit. This photograph was clearly posed as a formal portrait. Possibly the older man at the left rear is the father posing with his three sons--an older son in his twenties and the two boys still in their teens.

Hong Kong

The Chinese have become an increasingly important immigrant group. They are mostly concentrated in Vancouver and Toronto. it is the result of the unification of Hong-Kong to China (1997).








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Created: 5:26 AM 5/21/2005
Last updated: 12:38 AM 11/27/2011