Jin Guo: Voices of Chinese Canadian Women

Kelly L. Green is a freelance writer living in Ajax, Ontario.

The Women’s Book Committee of the Chinese Canadian National Council
has compiled a tour de force in the fields of oral history, history of
women, and Chinese Canadian heritage. It has also begun the process of
filling a gaping hole in Canadian history by providing a unique—and,
in fact, the first—primary source on the experience of Chinese women
in Canada. The title they chose comes from a Chinese saying, “Jin Guo
is as strong as xu mei,” meaning that “women are as brave and strong
as men.”

The 130 women interviewed for the book include first-generation
immigrants; third-generation Canadians; women whose fathers had to live
in Canada without their families for years because of exorbitant head
taxes; women who speak only Cantonese; women who speak no Chinese;
professional women; restaurant owners; community and political
activists; women who married outside their race and culture; and women
with many other lives and experiences.

The book is divided into two main sections. The first section is
devoted to the individual stories of 10 women, with birthdates ranging
from 1902 to 1956. The women were chosen for both the unique and the
representative qualities of their individual experiences, and their
interviews are recorded in their entirety. We read the story of an older
woman who endured great abuse within her family and within Canadian
society; the stories of young women whose personal experiences of racism
have left blazing memories; and the stories of women who remember their
parents’ struggles to ensure a better quality of life for their
children through the sheer intensity of their own hard work.

The second section of the book draws together excerpts from the
interviews of many women, categorizing the quotations under various
topics, such as “Our Mothers and Fathers,” “Education Was the Most
Important Thing,” “Work, Work, Work!” and “How Come You Don’t
Have an Accent?” The reader feels admiration for the Chinese women who
have contributed so much to Canadian society, sadness for a lost
culture, and the hope for the future that these women communicate.