Moon Cakes in Gold Mountain: From China to the Canadian Plains

R. Douglas Francis is a history professor at the University of Calgary
and author of Images of the Canadian West.

Moon Cakes in Gold Mountain is an account of Chinese settlement in
Alberta. It is not, strictly speaking, a history of Chinese settlement,
since much of the book deals with the contemporary situation almost from
a sociological perspective based on interviews of 19 male Chinese
pioneers. (Unfortunately, the author never discusses the rationale for
choosing only “19 male Chinese pioneers” as the basis for his quite
sweeping generalizations about the Chinese experience in Alberta.) But
equally, it is not, strictly speaking, a contemporary sociological
study, since a significant portion of the book deals with the history of
Chinese immigration to Canada in general and to Alberta in particular.
Indeed, the book opens by discussing the speculative research done on
early Chinese immigration to North America dating back to the fifth or
sixth centuries, and then traces, in very general terms, Chinese
immigration up to the present.

The book has its strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, it is
well researched. Dawson appears to have searched out every available
piece of evidence to compile his account. For anyone interested in
knowing the details of Chinese immigration to Alberta and their
experience within the province, this is the place to begin. The
illustrations are interesting and well chosen, and enhance the quality
of the book. On the negative side, the book fails to be anything more
than an encyclopedic account of Dawson’s subject. The author fails to
“rise above” his material to reflect on its significance. The reader
closes the book with few lasting impressions or significant conclusions
about the subject of Chinese immigration. For example, Dawson has given
an exhaustive account of xenophobia aimed at the Chinese in Alberta,
with example after example of racist comments, to the point where it
becomes depressing reading. Yet he doesn’t stop to analyze the nature
of these racist attitudes or to put racism into a historical context for
the reader. As well, the book’s organization is frustrating. It jumps
back and forth between historical overviews and the contemporary
situation, resulting in unnecessary duplication of material.

Dawson has chosen a good subject and has a solid base of documentary
material from which to compile his study. It is regrettable that he did
not take more time to reflect on the historical significance of the
material presented.