'Chinese Canadians,' or 'Canadian Chinese' (with or without the hyphen)

It's almost as interesting as the question: "What is a Canadian?"  But, truly... What is a "Chinese-Canadian?"

I used to think it was like being a French-Canadian, but instead of my ancestors being from France, they came from China.  Presto!  I am a Chinese-Canadian.

But then I discovered that French-Canadians have different historical and parliamentary differences.  In 1985 I spent 2 weeks in Montreal and Quebec City, trying to speak French exclusively.  I learned that  being "Quebecois" is different from being a "Quebecker."  A Chinese-Canadian friend went to Montreal, and phoned me saying "Guess what? I'm not Chinese-Canadian anymore, now I'm an Anglophone!"

So... what is a Chinese-Canadian, or a Chinese (un-hyphenated) Canadian?

Susanna Ng asks the question on her weblog "Chinese in Vancouver." She cites a study by Julianne Rock titled "We are Chinese Canadian: The Response of Vancouver's Chinese Community to Hong Kong Immigrants, 1980-1997."

Susanna finds it interesting to discover that the "established" Chinese Canadian community (pre-1967) felt threatened by the new immigrant waves from Hong Kong during the 1980's, because of different values and cultures.  As one of the Hong Kong immigrants, she "didn't realize the Hong Kong Chinese were seen so much as an outsider by established Chinese Canadians then."  She goes on to "comtemplate about the recent wave of immigrants from China and how we - the Hong Kong Chinese now the established Chinese Canadians - responded. We see big differences in culture/habits/behaviours between 'us' and 'them.'"

I find Ms. Ng's article interesting and I look forward to meeting with her. After growing up in Canada amongst Chinese-Canadian pioneer descendants, then making friends with each of the subsequent Chinese immigration waves in the 70's, 80's and 90's - it is clear to me that each immigrant wave brings different cultures and regionalities of location and time.  This is similar to each of the different ethnic immigration waves that came to Vancouver's Strathcona neighborhood: Jewish; Russian; Chinese; Hong Kong; and Vietnamese.

The Vancouver / Canadian "Chinese-Canadian" community is itself very diverse and multicultural. Fact: China is many times larger than Europe, and filled with many "types" of Chinese ethnic groups. So it makes sense that there should be as many "types" of Chinese people, as there are European peoples.

I have made this point many times, especially when organizations try to label "somebody" a "representative" of the Chinese community. It's like asking somebody to be representative of the "white community" or the "Canadian community."  I once went to a CBC Radio breakfast meeting of "Chinese community representatives" and was shocked to see so few multi-generational born in Canada pioneer descendants.  Most were Chinese language speaking immigrants.

As a 5th generation Canadian, it's not surprising that Chinese-Canadian pioneer descendants from prior to the 1923 Exclusion Act would feel threatened by the massive immigrant waves from; post-1967 with a new immigration point system; 1980's Hong Kong exodus; recent Taiwanese immigration wave; and recent Mainland China immigration wave. 

Nor is it surprising that ethnic Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, would find themselves resentful of the new recent immigrants who don't integrate easily.  These complaints are not as harsh as the sentiments of the White Canadian (largely immigrant) population that created both the 1885-1923 Chinese head tax, or the 1923-1947 Exclusion Act, when they said that the Chinese would not integrate into Canadian society stating, "We don't want Chinamen in Canada, This is a white man's country and white men will keep it." or "The people of Canada do not want to make a fundamental alteration to the character of our population."  Hmmm... did anybody ask First Nations if European or Asian immigrants could come to Canada?

It was great when many of the post 1990 immigrants joined the Head Tax redress movement. Gabriel Yiu, Thekla Lit and Bill Chu really represented the immigrant-Chinese community very well.  The BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Family was a very cooperative work group of both Canadian-born pioneer descendants, China-born sons and daughters of pioneers who couldn't come to Canada because of the head tax / exclusion act - but came 1947-1967, and immigrants who arrived post 1967. It was an issue that brought Chinese Canadians together across the country, not dependant upon their regional or historical immigration culture or history.  Yiu, Lit and Chu spoke in many Chinese language debates in the Chinese media, as many pioneer descendants like myself do not speak Chinese (In 1967 - who would have ever thought that so many ethnic-Chinese immigrants would come to Canada, overnumbering Canadian-born pioneer descendants?).  A Georgia Straight article titled Head Tax Unites Activists summarized this alliance very well.

The reality is this: after a few generations everybody gets inter-married, and calls themselves Canadian. In the between-time, new immigrant Chinese will call themselves "Canadian" to distinguish themselves from the homeland they have recently left, than they will call themselves Chinese-Canadian, to distinguish themselves from mainstream white-Canadians, then as families inter-marry, they will call themselves Canadian.  Full circle.

Below is an excerpt from Susanna Ng's article.

We are 'Chinese Canadians'

When speaking about nationality, older Chinese Canadians who were either born in Canada or who immigrated in the post war years are adamant about their identity as Canadian first and foremost.

Bing Thom, a Vancouver architect with ties to the Chinese Cultural Centre, called himself a "true-blooded, third generation Canadian" and admitted that he is "getting the uncomfortable feeling now that, because [he] is of Chinese heritage, [he] is looked upon as an immigrant again.

Chinese Canadian history is alive and well in Vancouver and really beginning a renaissance.  The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC (I am a member) is active.  The Vancouver Public Library has been doing great stuff with their Chinese Canadian genealogy website.  The Chinatown Revitalization Committee is active.  And the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Familes are active.

Check this nice article by Charlie Cho in the Georgia Straight.  Charlie interviews leading Vancouver Chinatown historians such as Dr. Henry Yu of UBC, and Jim Wong-Chu.

They talk about the historic Anti-Asian riots in 1907 by the Anti-Asiatic League of Vancouver.  It was a scary night in Vancouver. A while back, I talked with tailor Bill Wong of Modernize Tailors, and he referred to it as Vancouver's own "Crystal Night" because so many store windows were broken.

Analysis

Asian-history anniversaries begin to coalesce

By charlie cho

On September 7 of that year, the Asiatic Exclusion League led a parade to City Hall at Main and Hastings streets, calling for an end to Asian immigration to British Columbia. More than 8,000 people, including local politicians, labour leaders, and members of fraternal organizations, rallied with banners reading Stand for a White Canada.

Only 2,000 could fit in City Hall, so crowds drifted to Chinatown, a block away. A rock thrown through a store window touched off a rampage of smashed signs and glass, and looting that continued into neighbouring Japantown, where the crowd faced some resistance before police showed up to quell the violence.

In the following days, Chinese and Japanese armed themselves with guns, preparing for another siege. They held a general strike, refusing to go to their jobs in homes, restaurants, and mills.

William Lyon Mackenzie King, then federal deputy minister of labour, held hearings on the riot. Almost a year later, damages were awarded: $26,000 to the Chinese, $9,000 to the Japanese.

Henry Yu, an associate professor of history at UBC, sees 2007 not just as the 100th anniversary of the 1907 riots but marking three other key years in the history of Asian immigration to Pacific Canada: 1947, 1967, and 1997.

Janice Chow - my wonderful artist/family historian / cook book cousin sends me this great news!

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