Sojourners in the North

Joseph Leydon teaches geography at the University of Toronto.

The primary focus of this book is early Chinese immigration to British
Columbia. Chinese immigrants began arriving in British Columbia in the
1850s and were engaged in a variety of jobs such as gold prospecting;
laboring on the railroads; and working as restaurant owners, cooks,
servants, and even ranchers. The author devotes chapters to the early
settlements of Chinese immigrants and to a number of their cultural and
political organizations. Other issues discussed include the changing
attitude toward Chinese immigration, attempts by immigrants to maintain
their culture, generational divisions, and the impact of the latest wave
of Chinese immigrants on the older community.

The book is selective in its coverage. Chow hints at issues of gender,
class, generational, and political discord, as well as social ills
(gambling, alcoholism, prostitution), but provides little detail. The
process of immigration remains vague. The standard “push-and-pull”
factors are cited but not linked to the individual immigrant experience.
Many immigrants were transported to Canada by Chinese companies that had
contracts to supply labor for the railways and mines. There is continual
mention of the mistreatment of immigrants, but it is unclear whether the
Chinese contractors or the Canadian railway and mining companies were
responsible. Nor does the author differentiate between those who arrived
as part of a labor contract and those who came by other methods.
Finally, the Chinese origins of a number of cultural and political
organizations are discussed, but there is little indication if these
origins influenced their Canadian counterparts or what impact the
organizations had on the lives of Chinese Canadians. The failure to
explore these issues results in a superficial account of early Chinese
settlement in British Columbia.