Chinese Immigration To Canada In Iron Road

Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing to the early 20th century, many Chinese families struggled to gain social, economic, and educational stature in both China and the United States. In the book, A Transnational History of a Chinese Family, by Haiming Liu, we learn about the Chang family rooted in Kaiping County, China, who unlike many typical Chinese families’ exemplified hard-work and strong cultural values allowing them to pursue an exceptional Chinese-American lifestyle. Even with immigration laws preventing Chinese laborers and citizens to enter unless maintaining merchant status, Yitang and Sam Chang managed to sponsor approximately 40 relatives to the states with their businesses in herbalist

Contrary to the United States’ initial warm welcome to Chinese immigrants, Canada began their era of peak Chinese immigration with hostility. One large factor in why this occurred can be found in the time frame of peak Chinese immigration to Canada which was after the United States enacted their Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) which effectively prevented almost all new Chinese immigrants from entering the US for the following decade. Because of that newfound barrier, Chinese that still wanted to come to North America to take advantage of economic opportunities found themselves purchasing tickets to British Columbia, Canada. However, sentiments towards Chinese in 1880s western Canada were analogous to those present in the United States; those which led to the enactment of America’s Chinese Exclusion Act. As Chinese populations in California continued to grow, Americans found that the Chinese began making economic conditions less than ideal for white laborers which later started social uproar in the latter half of the 19th century. Because Canada is directly adjacent to the United States, Canadians witnessed the economic woes of native-born laborers along the west coast. As a result, they became increasingly wary of Chinese currently in or the increasing number now entering Canada. Between January 1881 and October 1884, approximately 17,00 Chinese entered Canada. A Canadian fear of succumbing to the same economic

During the 1870’s to 1930’s, large numbers of Chinese immigrants came to the United States in search of a successful life for themselves and generations to come. Although some immigrants found it possible to Americanize, the extent to which the vast majority of Chinese immigrants in California preserved the cultural traditions of their homeland was much greater than that of assimilation. This outcome was due to the fact that they were logically more inclined to place themselves within ethnic enclaves after coming to a land of unfamiliarity, but they were also pressured and outcast as aliens under several legal acts and extremely discriminating prejudice from original Americans.

In spite of the harsh discrimination and mistreatment, Chinese immigrants established an everlasting signature in the development of Canada. During the early 19th century, war and rebellion in China forced many peasants and workers to seek their livelihoods elsewhere. Along with an increasing volume of job opportunities in Canada, there were many motivational factors which influenced thousands of Chinese people to immigrate to the new, developing nation of Canada. Nevertheless, alike other non-Caucasian immigrants, the measure of racism and discrimination that the Chinese were forced to endure left many mentally, physically, and spiritually scarred. Despite the countless acts of racism and segregation, the Chinese continued to work hard

Ultimately, the Chinese were different from those in America. From 1849-1882, the

Chinese immigration was stopped by the Chinese immigration act in 1923. The number of Japanese immigrants were restricted due to the gentlemen’s agreement. During the Second World War hostility towards Japanese Canadians rose significantly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The federal government ordered all Japanese Canadians to evacuate the pacific coast area. The government sold their properties, and planned to deport them back to Japan after the

Bolaria, B. Singh, and Sean P. Hier. Race and Racism in 21st-century Canada: Continuity, Complexity, and Change. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 2007. Print.

Barth, Gunter Paul in his book "Bitter Strength: A History of the Chinese in the United States, 1850-1870" depicts the life of Chinese immigrants during the periods of 1850-1870. Barth portrays the experience that the Chinese went through at the Pearl River delta in China to get to the United States and there arrival here in California.

To delve into a piece of my family’s immigration history, I had the pleasure of having an in-depth conversation with my cousin Randall Quan, our family’s historian. In our chat, we navigated through the travels of my great-great-grandfather, Quan Wei. The hour-long discussion allowed me to learn about the dire conditions that lead to the Quan’s decision to leave a small village outside of Gau Gong and also about their rich history upon arriving in America.

1858 denoted the beginning of progressing Chinese movement to the districts of British North America that would later shape the present-day Canada. In the east were the settlements of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, and additionally the "United Province of Canada," including Quebec and Ontario (The Early Chinese Canadians, 2015). On the Pacific coast was the settlement of Vancouver Island. At the time, none of these provinces had migration confinements. An immense region under the control of the Hudson's Bay Company lay between these eastern and western settlements (The Early Chinese Canadians, 2015). First Nations individuals were the fundamental inhabitants around this region, and also in British Columbia (The Early Chinese Canadians, 2015).

According to Historian David Silbey “Many Chinese worked in industries that were disrupted by the arrival of the railroad and the telegraph. There was a sense that China’s balance had been thrown out of whack by these modern innovations, and only by destroying the innovations and the foreigners who brought them could the balance be restored.”

Just as immigrants come from many different places in the world, they settle in different places in Canada. Most Immigrants tend to settle in cities, either in Ontario or British Columbia. The simple reason why people settle in cities is because it is easier. Support systems available in cities help immigrants settle in and adapt more comfortably to their new home. For example, there are English and French classes offered to the people who cannot speak Canada’s official languages, so they feel more comfortable when interacting with other people. Another reason why people move to these provinces is because of economy. Ontario and British Columbia both have good economies and a variety of companies that people can work for. This helps immigrants to support their families (something most people

The goal of my project is to make a video which is approximately 8 minutes long for introducing how Chinese immigrants’ qualities of lives changed after they moved to Canada. This includes writing 5 - 15 survey questions to interview the Chinese immigrants in Montreal, meeting with them and recording our conversations, translating Chinese words to English, analyzing and summarizing their answers to explain how Canadian environment influenced them, merging all interview videos, editing the whole documentary, and adding background music and subtitles to the video.

1880s.The movie revolves around the perspective of Little Tiger, and the struggles she encounters. It consists of engaging illustrations that effectively explain the push and pull factors compelling the Chinese to leave China as well as demonstrated the many struggles endured in Canada. The film displayed many different perspectives of the Chinese, through the filthy setting, and each of their individual financial struggles and conflicts. This also explains the sudden compulsion to move to Canada, as the income was better, the environment was cleaner and they would be properly fed and tended to. China was not the best place to live in during the 1880s. Due to

The Open Door policy was introduced in 1978, which led to further improvements in Canada’s access to Chinese markets