China Town Victoria Capital City British Columbia BC Canada
It was the discovery of gold in British Columbia, that brought the first Chinese people to Victoria in 1858. When Chinese immigrants first arrived in towns like Victoria, they tended to settle in an area confined to just a few streets, which they called "Tangren Jie" meaning "Chinese Street". They set up tents and shacks along a ravine where Johnson Street currently runs. At first, the Chinese community was made up of miners preparing to leave for the Fraser River gold rush, as well as Chinese tradesmen, such as tailors and cobblers, who provided services to the miners. Soon Chinese people started working in factories, and in laundries, became cooks, and found work in the logging industry, and fish canneries, operated market gardens, or were hired as domestic servants. Others found work constructing the trails and wagon roads that lead into the interior of the province. Gradually, the community expanded northward within Victoria to what are now Cormorant and Fisgard streets. This community was operated as a separate town. The Chinese originally referred to it as "Huabu" meaning "Chinese Port", unlike non-Chinese people who called the same area "Chinatown". Eventually the name "Chinatown" was adopted by both the Chinese and non-Chinese communites in Victoria. The significant Chinese social institutions in those early days were: a "secret society" called the Chee Kung Hong; "fangkou" which were informal groups of men who shared lodgings, and usually came from the same place in China; the Tam Kung temple; and the Chinese Mission School. The school attracted both children and adults, since it offered an opportunity to learn English in addition to providing Christian religious services. The Chinese New Year's Celebration was the most important and visible social activity. Firecrackers were set off, shops were closed and decorated, and people dressed up and visited each other enjoying the hospitality offered.
Size: 3733px × 5620px
Location: Fisguard Street Chinatown Victoria Vancouver Island BC Canada
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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