1. Why was it initially believed that there were no Chinese immigrants on
the Island prior to 1891?
In 1891 the first hand laundry business was opened in Charlottetown by a Chinese man; his occupation and arrival time coincide with those of other known Chinese immigrants who arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Based on these trends, there was no reason to believe otherwise.
In 1891 the first hand laundry business was opened in Charlottetown by a Chinese man; his occupation and arrival time coincide with those of other known Chinese immigrants who arrived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Based on these trends, there was no reason to believe otherwise.
2. Why did historians fail to recognize that there had been an immigrant
living on the Island prior to 1891?
Historians failed to recognize the first Chinese immigrant’s existence
because she did not fit the “preconceived notion” of the 19th
century Chinese immigrant. She was not the head of an advertised business, she
was not famous/infamous due to a newspaper headline, she did not have a Chinese
name, and she came during an era when no Chinese immigrants were expected.
3. How was the first Chinese immigrant’s
existence discovered? Explain in detail.
Historians came across her name by chance among materials not normally
considered relevant for current research.
The first clue came from a diary entry of Henry Jones Cundall, a young
land surveyor, who kept a diary from 1854-1909. In a 1856 entry he makes
mention of the mistress of the House being “half breed Chinese and Portuguese”.
Historians believe Cundall’s account was credible because he travelled
often and was a frequent guest at this particular household. He was also known
as a competent and prudent man who would not make the above statement casually.
Describe Lousia Maria Hooper’s life in detail.
Birthplace: China (most like Macao a Portuguese colony in southern
coastal China)
Ethnicity: half-Chinese, half-Portuguese
Born in 1823 and later married William J.P. Hooper who was born in
England (married in Bermuda) They arrived on PEI on July 30th 1850
after he resigned from his post as Her Majesty’s Commissariat. William was
Methodist, while Louisa and the children were Roman Catholic. Louisa was 33 yrs
old when mentioned in the journal entry.
William Hooper had a farm and worked as a farmer, tanner, and innkeeper.
In later years William became active in public affairs. (chairman of the Board
of Railway appraisers and elected to the PEI House of Assembly four times)
Louisa died suddenly in 1888; William in 1898
4. Louisa May Hooper’s arrival to the
Island eight years before the historic arrival of Chinese gold miners on
Canada’s west coast (1858), three decades prior to the large scale migration of
Chinese railway workers into BC in the 1880’s, and four decades earlier than
the landing of the next Chinese immigrant on PEI in 1891.
Her birth, gender, maritial status, and route of travel to PEI all place
her in a class of her own.
5. Read the excerpt of the letter to the
editor found in The Daily Examiner “That Chinaman” in 1891.
Thesis: Chinese immigrants are detrimental to both the Island’s economy and its people.
Argument #1: Chinese immigrants take away work from other Islanders.
Argument #2: If you encourage or accept one Chinese immigrant, it will
lead to the arrival of many more immigrants.
Argument#3: They will earn money and take it back to China with them.
Counter-argument: The world is
‘wide and free’ and we could give
Chinese immigrants a chance.
Rebuttal: By giving these people a chance you are depriving some of your
own people a chance.
Does this editorial contain bias? Explain. Yes, it is obviously very biased
and contains many negative stereotypes re: Chinese immigrants/people.
What does this editorial tell us about what life must have been life for
Chinese Islanders during this time period?
Chinese Islanders obviously faced much discrimination and hardship during
this time period. They were not readily accepted into Island society.
5. List five reasons why Chinese
immigrants often did not stay on the Island.
· Immigrants were single males
· Homesickness
· They were living in an isolated area
· New language
· New culture
· Discrimination/unfriendly environment
· Numbers on PEI were so low that there
were not large enough congregations to form a “Chinatown”
6. What analogy is used to
describe the fate of the Chinese Islanders. Explain.
The fate of Chinese Islanders was not unlike that of mussels stranded near a sandy beach; they were ill-equipped to burrow in to the sand, and having no solid rock to cling to, many were either swept away by the waves or left parched in the sun.
6. Identify and explain the four eras of
Chinese settlement on Prince Edward Island:
Era of Restricted Entry: 1891- -1923
· Majority were from the Pearl River
Delta region in southern China
· Paid a hefty Head Tax
· Profession was usually laundry or
restaurant
· Earliest may have worked for the CPR
– almost no Chinese women came at this time
Era of
Exclusion: 1923-1947
· Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1923
– no admission for any Chinese (Not even dependants)
· The few that came during this time
period were from other parts of Canada (usually Montreal)
Transitional Period: 1947-1967
· Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in
1947 (many restrictions remained)
· A few dependants were allowed in, but
Chinese population was still low
Era of
Selective Entry: 1967-present
· Universal Points System for approving
prospective immigrants to Canada was adopted in 1967
· New immigrants with various skills
and backgrounds from different parts of China started arriving with their
families
