by May Ip
A long time ago, in a land far away, fifty men embarked on a journey --- one which took them three months across the ocean --- to a place that bore no resemblance to home. Seventy more followed the next year. Recruited by British Captain John Meares in 1788 and 1789, these men sailed from Canton, China to Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, British Columbia to work at a British fur trading post building a dockyard, a fortress and a 40-tonne schooner, the North-West America. Their whereabouts became unclear after their imprisonment by the Spanish during the Nootka Sound Crisis. Nevertheless, their footprints marked the beginning of an immigration story older than the Canadian Confederation.
In China after the mid-1700s, the once prosperous Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912) began to decline. People's livelihood was greatly disrupted by natural disasters – droughts, famine and floods, as well as political instability caused by both internal and external threats. The southern sea ports experienced an influx of farmers and peasants seeking work. They had left their families behind in villages near and far. Many of these men signed up with companies who had promised them work overseas and the prospect of wages to send home. In the one and a half centuries that followed, mining, railroad building, work in hand laundries, plantations, restaurants and other labour-intensive occupations brought many Chinese fathers and sons to Canada, the United States, Australia, South Africa and countries in South East Asia.
In the early history of Chinese immigration to Canada, all the voyages from China were destined for Victoria, British Columbia. Throughout the 1880s, Chinese was probably the second largest ethnic group there after the First Nations. However, the white minority which constituted less than 20% of the population managed to establish legislation which set the stage for systemic racial discrimination. In 1871, voting rights were taken away from the Chinese and the First Nations. As anti-Chinese sentiment escalated, some Chinese started to migrate east. Most of the first Chinese residents in Ontario were those who had left British Columbia. There were a few in cities such as Toronto and Ottawa who had come from the United States where they were also discriminated against.
About the columnist
In 2012, May Ip began her study on Chinese heritage in Grey Bruce. Since then, she has delivered presentations on the history of Chinese in Owen Sound at Grey Bruce Chinese New Year Celebrations as well as the Grey Bruce One World Festival. When the Community Fund for Canada's 150th came available through the Community Foundation Grey Bruce in the fall of 2016, Grey Roots Museum & Archives assisted the Grey Bruce Chinese Heritage & Culture Association in submitting an application to commission May to work on a Chinese heritage project.
Home in a Distant Land was among 10 projects to receive the matching grant. The unprecedented project focuses on the first wave of Chinese arriving in Grey Bruce at the turn of the nineteenth century. Its goal is to foster a stronger sense of belonging in residents of Chinese heritage, and a greater appreciation of cultural diversity in communities throughout Grey Bruce. In concert with the exhibit which travels to 12 communities throughout Grey and Bruce Counties, workshops will be offered in 15 elementary schools to provide specific age- appropriate access to the rich cultural heritage presented in the display. May Ip is also writing a bi-weekly column for the Owen Sound Hub that will supplement the display content of the exhibit.
