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Post by Doug 周 on Apr 1, 2014 21:54:41 GMT -5
...First, Doug, you noted that the link posted earlier was 'eerily similar to coaching papers USA bound Chinese purchased..." Do you, or anyone else know, whether or not Chinese emigrants arriving in Victoria, or other places in Canada, in the early 1900s had to pass similar 'exam' type questions? i.e. were they subjected to the same type of vigorous immigration checks that have been posted for those arriving at Angel Island? If so, has anyone ever seen a set of these questions or were they the same as for the US? Do we know this for sure or is it speculation?... Rufus My reading is that non Chinese were not subjected to the interrogation that the Chinese suffered in San Francisco (Angel Island). May Ngai’s The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America describes the anti Chinese virulence that seemed to be more concentrated in the San Francisco port of entry than other USA regions. I have read very little about the Chinese (let alone non Chinese emigrants) experience arriving in Victoria.
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Post by FayChee on Apr 2, 2014 7:39:58 GMT -5
Hi Rufus, Good to hear of your research. I've been away for a week, so am trying to catch up on things and preparing for Ching Ming this weekend. I have the same problem with Google Translate and the strange translations, but I guess it is better than nothing. I am currently listening to the audiobook "The lucky ones" (on and off in the car), which is centered around the time when my father immigrated as the "son of a merchant" through the San Francisco Port. His 'paperson' father in Chico CA, must have lived through what May Ngai described so well.
Thank you for the updates of life in Kaiping.
Fay Chee
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Post by Doug 周 on Apr 3, 2014 12:30:18 GMT -5
A Chinese historian in Vancouver offered this response and these links: Victoria did have an immigration office near the CPR steamship pier. They processed Chinese migrants by recording their data much like Angel Island. In addition, the Canadian government charged a Head Tax. It started in 1885 with $50 per head, then amended upwards to $100 by 1900, By 1903, it was raised to $500 per head. It would take several years of wages to save $500 at that time. By 1923, the flow of Chinese into Canada was too much and the government passed a Chinese Exclusion Act, very similar to the Americans. The Act would not allow any Chinese migrants, except for students, missionaries and diplomats into the country. Chinese communities across Canada literally starved to death and it wasn't until after the Second World War in 1947 that the Act was repealed. Victoria was the main stop on the steamship route from Asia but later immigration moved to Vancouver.www.library.ubc.ca/chineseinbc/exclusion.htmlknowledge.ca/program/from-c-to-c-chinese-canadian-stories-of-migrationen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_tax_(Canada)Regarding your explicit question for non Chinese: Doug, the Chinese Head Tax and the 1923 Immigration Act, aka Chinese Exclusion Act were specifically aimed at the Chinese; the only act targeting an ethnic group. As for non Chinese group, yes, certainly not treated the same
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Post by rufus on Apr 3, 2014 19:29:55 GMT -5
Hi Thanks for the updates/comments laohuaqiao, thanks for clarifying which town was meant by 'rooster town'. It looks to be just a little south of Xiangang. Doug, thanks for the info. There's a bit of a misunderstanding. I wasn't looking for info on 'non Chinese'. What I was wondering was whether or not the types of questions and the rigours of the types of interrogations we read about that occurred at Angel Island also occurred when the Chinese entered Canada during the late 1800s and early 1900s. For example, many of the Chinese entering the US through Angel Island had to memorize questions about their villages. I've read that they would be there for at least 2 weeks and possibly much longer answering immigrations questions on their villages, home life etc. In many cases the immigrants (the paper sons and daughters anyways) were given up to 200 page books to study and memorize in preparation for their interrogations. These would be very horrendous and stressful experiences. My question was, does anyone know whether Chinese emigrants entering Canada during these times (late 1800s to early 1900s) had to go through the same type of experience? Did they have to endure similar types of questioning? Did they have to *s about their villages in the same manner as those entering the US? I've seen questions that were asked at Angel Island but I've never seen any for those entering Canada through Victoria or Vancouver. If anyone has seen those questions I would be interested in knowing. As well, I've read of people spending many months at Angel Island but haven't read the same about those entering Canada. One of the links you sent is a link to a video. There's mention of people remembering going to what they referred to as the 'pig house' because they were locked up but when they paid their head tax they were permitted in. There's no mention of the rigorous questions or questioning techniques. I'm not saying it wasn't as stressful for those entering through Victoria, I'm just trying to get an accurate picture of the circumstances. Thanks as well for the notation about the immigrations building in Victoria. I know that it was outside of town up until the early 1900s and then a new building was built at the outer wharves (near Ogden Point if you're familiar with Victoria) in the early 1900s. Through this new building, I believe, all new immigrants to Canada went. I wasn't aware there was also one near the CPR Steamship station. I'd be very curious for some more information on this, if your friend has some (i.e. location, duration of existence etc.) Thanks again for the links. I hadn't seen that particular video before.
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Post by Doug 周 on Apr 6, 2014 9:53:11 GMT -5
Doug,...There's a bit of a misunderstanding. I wasn't looking for info on 'non Chinese'…. Rufus, Sorry, but I must have had a brain freeze. By working night shifts my thought process can be a bit jumbled this quarter. Chinese Canadian heritage is not my specialty. I referred your post to Larry Wong of Vancouver, the founding president of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia: Let me know if this does not answer your question. I can refer you to Larry otherwise.
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Post by rufus on Apr 6, 2014 13:32:18 GMT -5
Hi Doug, Thanks for passing on the query to Larry and for posting his reply. It does answer the question and points me to the provincial archives to see if I can find more specifics. Cheers
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