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History China

The Chinese in Toronto from 1878

From Outside to Inside the Circle

by (author) Arlene Chan

Publisher
Dundurn Press
Initial publish date
Nov 2011
Category
China, General, General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459700949
    Publish Date
    Nov 2011
    List Price
    $9.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459700956
    Publish Date
    Nov 2011
    List Price
    $35.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554889792
    Publish Date
    Nov 2011
    List Price
    $35.00

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Description

The Chinese have become a vibrant part of Toronto’s multiculturalism, with no less than seven Chinatowns created since 1984.

Short-listed for the 2013 Speaker’s Book Award and for the 2012 Heritage Toronto Award
The modest beginnings of the Chinese in Toronto and the development of Chinatown is largely due to the completion of the CPR in 1885. No longer requiring the services of the Chinese labourers, a hostile British Columbia sent them eastward in search of employment and a more welcoming place.
In 1894 Toronto’s Chinese population numbered fifty. Today, no less than seven Chinatowns serve what has become the second-largest visible minority in the city, with a population of half a million. In these pages, you will find their stories told through historical accounts, archival and present-day photographs, newspaper clippings, and narratives from old-timers and newcomers. With achievements spanning all walks of life, the Chinese in Toronto are no longer looking in from outside society’s circle. Their lives are a vibrant part of the diverse mosaic that makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

 

About the author

ARLENE CHAN, a third-generation Chinese Canadian, is a retired librarian and author of non-fiction works for children, young adults, and adults on Chinese festivals and the Chinese in Canada. An avid dragon boat racer and gold-medalist on the Canadian National Women's Dragon Boat Team, she lives, writes, and paddles in Toronto.

Arlene Chan's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, Speaker's Book Award
  • Short-listed, Heritage Toronto Award

Editorial Reviews

The reader is rewarded with a steep and rich cultural tapestry of a history largely left untouched by historians.

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