The Ties That Bind virtual exhibition rewrites Canada’s official history
TORONTO, August 25, 2010
Chinese Canadians are making history with a more inclusive interpretation of Canada’s official story in a new online exhibit that draws attention to their contributions in achieving the national dream – the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Nearly 125 years since the driving of the “Last Spike” that completed the main line of the CPR, a dozen descendants of Chinese railroad workers are now sharing their family stories about the building of the railroad, and settling in Canada, in The Ties That Bind: Building the CPR, Building a Place in Canada (available August 28, 2010, at http://www.mhso.ca/tiesthatbind).
“The Ties That Bind project corrects the historical inaccuracy and omission of Chinese Canadians’ role in building this country,” says project curator Brad Lee.
The project is sponsored by the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada (FCCRWC), in partnership with the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (MHSO), with funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP).
“Revisiting and rethinking our common past delivers insight into what it means to be Canadian, and creates a stronger sense of belonging for those who have previously been left out of the telling of Canada’s official history,” says James Pon, chairman of the FCCRWC.
The Ties That Bind recounts the history of the Chinese Canadians from before Confederation, through the building of the railway and subsequent decades of legislated discrimination, through the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act, and two world wars to the present.
“This is a look at Canada’s history through the lens of the Chinese Canadian community,” says Andy Mark, interim executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter. “It explores further and challenges the conventional version of our people’s history in this country.
“Finally, those early Chinese pioneers and their descendants can take ownership of their place in Canadian history,” Mark added.
Architect David Wong comments,
“Many of us Canadian borns often talk of the hardships our forebears had to overcome to become full fledge Canadians. And usually in the same breathe, a hint of sadness on how new Canadians of Chinese ancestry do not appreciate these historic efforts. But it is not our new citizens’ fault – for there has not been much material for them to learn from.
The Ties that Bind website is, and will be a great resource for all Canadians. I hope the website will be accessible in the Chinese language too.”
Extensive archival research, by curators Brad Lee and Angela Wood, and oral testimony of 13 Chinese Canadians from across Canada – all of whose family stories in Canada begin during the era of the building of the CPR – are combined in a multi-layered historical account of the Chinese Canadian experience. Interviewees for The Ties That Bind were identified in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, though many of their family stories occur in other parts of Canada.
Visitors to The Ties That Bind website will rediscover Canada’s history from the perspective of Chinese Canadians, and will be able to examine visual and audio artifacts in an extensive Image Gallery and Audio Gallery.
A Learning Resources section, with Teacher’s Guide, Lesson Plans and Resource Material link, has also been developed for educators and students, targeting grade levels 7 to 12 in classrooms across the country.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Brad Lee, Curator, at 416-399-9850
James Pon, Chairman of the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada, at 416-233-7201
Winston Loui, Project Manager, member of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario, at 416-962-8690
I first did an essay in grade 9 on the history of Chinese folks in BC.
Did another one at UBC’s teacher college in the 70s. Created a teaching unit — beginning 20,000 years ago, then from the 1860s onward, with the point that Chinese people were the first people to come to Canada and they’re still building it — taught that unit early in my Vancouver Elementary ESL teaching career, and taught it every year for 27 years.
One of my field trips was taking my class to that castle-house in Shaughnessy to show them where the KKK had murdered a Chinese-Canadian staff worker; and gave them a historical tour of Keefer, Pender, and Powell Streets.
Chinese Canadians, and new Canadians specifically from all over east Asia, deserve everyone’s gratitude and respect.
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thanks Ruth!
In the high school that we went to (you know which one
), a number of our teachers prepared wonderful teaching material that presented a more inclusive history of the birth of our nation.
It takes individual leadership to supplement the teaching curriculum oversights.
Our world can use more teachers like yourself. I know you’ve inspired a brand new generation of educators and thinkers… and Canada is better for it.
Thank you.
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Hey, mentioning our high school reminds me of a good Grade 12 memory. I was hanging out with a great group of creatively hilarious buds. One of us was lucky enough to scrape together a hundred or so dollars to buy some kind of beater car. Of course, we all had to celebrate by piling into this East Van Special and toodle on over to that castle-like mansion in Shaughnessy where the KKK had murdered a Chinese-Canadian servant. Clang-clang-chugga-chugga-chugga, our East Van Special announced itself along the curvy manicured block, pausing in front of the castle. We hoped that a resident — or servant — would happen to see, under fancy streetlight spotlight, the sweet-smoking jalopy suddenly sprouting our shiny white bare butts mooning them, with roaring belly laughter, its exhaust exploding a giant fart as we sped away.
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