Hello fellow classmates and bloggers. Welcome to my blog for Canadian Literature.
I am a third year student majoring in English and minoring in Spanish at UBC Okanagan. Though being a Canadian, I had lived all my life in Hong Kong till I came to Canada to pursue my university education. Therefore, knowing almost nothing about Canadian and First Nation history, I am very interested in exploring and building my own Canadian identity through studying Canadian Literature.
I have had the eagerness to know about Chinese History since I was small. I have read books of different Chinese dynasties till I watched a documentary on Chinese workers facilitating the construction of Canadian Pacific Railway in the North America. Then I discovered that I have no knowledge about the history of Chinese immigrants in other countries, especially in Canada, where I am born.
While digging into the history of Chinese immigrants in Canada, I also started to look into Canadian and Indigenous History. However, I only first came into Canadian History through Bear, a Canadian novel written by Marian Engel. The novel has first exposed me to the European influence over first nation in Canada. Realizing the importance of European intersection with First Nation in shaping the present Canadian identity, I decide to enroll this course, hoping to find out some answers through Canadian stories and literature, and understanding how the advancement in technology is engaged with different styles of storytelling.
I hope you will enjoy and give me feedbacks on my blog entries. I am looking forward to a summer with lots of inspirations!
Construction of a Chinese Camp on the Canadian Pacific Railway. 1885. Library and Archives Canada, Kamloops, British Columbia. Comp. Edouard Deville. Web.
Engel, Marian. Bear. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1976. Print.
wei ming. “RTHK-華人移民史-金山客-第二集-2012-8-04/ Roots Old and New, Stories of Chinese Emigrants：North America: Chinese, Railroad, and Head Tax.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 04 Aug 2012. Web. 15 May 2016.
Welcom Christy. As a lifetime BC resident, and a 5th year history major, I can say that there is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Canadian history. I find that it is often overlooked, especially in literature, as it is a very new culture/history with a significant lack of big ‘world’ impacting events. That being said, there is a rich history, albeit a dark one, of the stories and struggles of Chinese immigrants to the Vancouver area around the turn of the 19th century. To tie into the literature theme, I have a suggestion for a book that may interest you. It is called “The Concubines Children” by Denise Chong. It is her attempt to uncover the origins of her Vancouver roots, while making sense of the times, and their future implications on her, that her ancestors arrived in Vancouver during. Here is a link with a bit of information on Ms. Chong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Chong. Happy reading!
Hi Sean!
Thank you for commenting on my first blog entry and your book recommendation! I would definitely read through the book some time during this summer, since my grandfather’s ancestry shared some similarities with Ms Chong’s, the author. 😀
I totally agree on your view that there are far more stories to tell about foreign immigrants in Canada. I also visited the Okanagan Heritage Museum recently, and knew more about First Nation and Chinese immigrants in Okanagan region during the 1800s. The museum has exhibited the old Chinatown in Okanagan region and offered some history on interactions between Chinese immigrants and First Nation in the region during that time, which is nowadays rarely being talked about. Within a society that emphasizes diversity and a course that focuses on aboriginal and colonial intersections, I would hope to find out how the stories of these three stakeholders (and possibly more) intersected and contributed to the creation of the Canadian values and identity.
Cheers!
Hi Christy,
I actually find Chinese history incredibly fascinating and have become quite interested in it recently — the Chinese have such a long and rich history and culture. After learning about the Canadian Pacific Railway, I became interested in learning about Chinese and immigration history in general in Canada. I also worked in Chinese garden for a bit last summer where I learned even more about it — I did not realize how rich it was even in Canada!
I am curious to know your opinions or what you think of European influences on Canada currently as well as the influence of other immigrants like the Chinese. I am also curious to see what kind of forms of storytelling you like — do you enjoy the newer forms with our advanced technology, or the classic ways? And have you read any/many old Chinese books about their history and culture? I think it would be neat to look into that 🙂
Really looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Hi Sylvia!
Thanks for commenting on my first blog entry! I’m glad that you’re interested in foreign migration history of Canada!
When it comes to the European influence in Canada, I would say Canada is very much alike influenced by European settlers in many ways, from its architecture to its judicial system. The dual official language in Canada: English and French would be a significant evidence of British and French influence over Canada. When it comes to Chinese immigrants, I would probably focus on the belief of traditional Chinese and Canadian-born Chinese (CBC). Most CBCs tend to embrace individualism rather than collectivism. Traditional Chinese emphasis on collectivism can be seen through a recently enforced law in China, which stated that not visiting and caring for elder parents would violate the law (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-23124345).
I personally enjoyed the classic form of storytelling as I much enjoy the process of imagination. I also found many old Chinese books very inspiring. One book that I really worth reading would be A New Account of the Tales of the World. This book has contained some part of Chinese history, but more on the Chinese culture part. Feel free to read it when you have free time!
Cheers!