The Chinese

The Chinese

 

One of the largest groups who immigrated to Canada were the Chinese. The immigration of Chinese began in 1850s. Most of them were from Guangzhou and Fujian. There were many push and pull factors which leaded to immigration.

Push Factors:

 

-flood and war in China

-population jumped in 1780-1850

-not enough fertile soil

-not enough land

-peasant rebel

-opium rebel which led to the loss of Hong Kong

 

Pull Factors:

 

-start new life

-gold rush in B.C.

-Chinese workers needed for railroad

 

When the Chinese immigrated to Canada, they had to pay a head tax of 50$ ($1,100 today). The price of immigration increased to $500 in 1903. The White Canadians didn’t want Chinese in their country; therefore, a head tax was applied to them only.

 

When the Chinese arrived in Vancouver, they were discriminated. A great way to fight the discrimination is by gathering all the Chinese together and form one group. They helped each other. The Chinese lived in an area called Chinatown which was the poorest area. Anyone who lived around that area were considered poor. As soon as some Chinese arrived, they started small businesses like laundromats and diners. There businesses grow over time and soon, they became wealthy.

 

In 1858, the Chinese made over 7 million dollars from gold mining.

In 1881, the construction of Canadian Pacific Railroad began. The Chinese were hired to build these railroad. As soon as the construction was complete, the Canadian government decided to obliterate Chinese immigration. This will be explained later on.

 

In 1890, White missionaries wanted to convert the Chinese to Christians; however, they failed. The Chinese were weak; therefore, they were constantly pushed around.

 

A lot of companies wanted to hire Chinese workers because they were efficient and cheap. Coal mines were mostly made up of them. In 1877, White miners went on strike due to low wages; however, the Chinese workers broke the strike. In 1883, the White miners went on strike again and they demanded that all Chinese miners need to be fired. Between 1887 and 1888, 2 accidents caused the lives of 208 workers and 104 of them were Chinese. Again, the White blamed the Chinese and wanted them to be fired. Some employers still used Chinese.

 

The discrimination of the Chinese was bad. They were considered lower than Whites and the Whites believed that they were filthy and carried diseases. The White Canadians believed that they were superior and their way of doing things was right. The Chinese also were not allowed to vote. After all the discrimination, the Chinese tried their best to fit in this society. When the World Wars occur, the Chinese decided to help Canada fight.

 

An assumption made by the Canadian Government is that foreigners are poor; therefore, they are filthy. They believed that Whites are superior. During World War, about 300 Chinese have served in the war. During World War II, the Chinese help battle and raised money for the Chinese military.. Their decisions have made the White people realize that the Chinese have helped them through their hard times. Also when World War II is over, United Nations is already established. They have passed the document called “UN Declaration of Human Rights” which states that everyone has equal protection regardless or nationality. After this law is passed, multiculturalism is established! Immigration from other countries to Canada is open again.