Presented on October 5, 2013. Presentation examines how one approaches Chinese Canadian genealogy research.

1. Chinese Footprints
Across Canada
May P. Chan
Prairie History Room, Regina Public Library
Presented on October 5, 2013
SGS Conference, Moose Jaw, SK
© 2013

2. Overview
Introduction
Perceived Challenges
Starting your family history research
Understanding Chinese Names
Researching Chinese Canadian history
Brief Timeline of Chinese Immigration to Canada
Tracking down specific records
Recommended Resources – Online and Print
Conclusion

3. Introduction
The majority of genealogical resources and services are
geared towards those researching British, American and
even Western European roots
Researching other “ethnic” roots can be extremely
challenging
As our communities globalize, there is now more
attention directed towards “ethnic” genealogical and
historical resources
 “Mini-splurts” of historical information that are
available online – eg. Immigrants from China database
and the Chinese-Canadian Genealogy website

4. Perceived Challenges
 Language Barrier
Chinese – 7 major dialects (includes Mandarin and
Cantonese) and 4 writing systems (includes pinyin)
 You do not necessarily need to know Chinese to begin
your research but knowing the language will be
extremely helpful
 Lack of Direction or Guidance
 Where does one begin? China? Canada? Vancouver?
 Lack of Available Records
 For example, CPR railway employee records
 Lack of Cultural Understanding

5. Starting Your Family
History Research
1. Gather what you know about the family
2. Talk to relatives
3. Write it down!!!
4. Focus your search
5. Discover your local resources – libraries, archives,
museums, genealogical societies, etc.
6. Search the internet
7. Organize your research
8. Rethink your search strategy
9. Plan your next step

6. Understanding
Chinese Names
Western Naming Convention:
May Chan
Chinese Naming Convention:
Chan May (Mie Ping)
Important Tip!!! Like many ethnic immigrants, some
Chinese immigrants “Westernized” their names or had
their names “Westernized for them by government officials.
It is very important to record all name variations.
Example: Yut Aung Mak (my paternal grandmother)
Mak Yut Hung
Mai Yuen Ying

7. Understanding
Chinese Surnames
Tip #2: Determine the Chinese
character for your family name.
For example, according to In Search of
Your Asian Roots, “Chen” is represented
by 5 different characters, each
representing different areas of China
and time periods.
Chen = Chan, Chin, Tan, Zen, Jin
(Korean), and Tr n (Vietnamese)ầ 5th
most common
surname in the
China!

8. Understanding
Chinese Surnames
Original Map Source: http://
www.vpl.ca/ccg/Geography.html
 Like many Chinese
immigrants to Canada, my
family originated from
Guangdong province
(Southern China). My family
speaks Taishan (Toisan), a
regional dialect of Cantonese.
Taishan was the predominant
Chinese dialect of many North
American Chinatowns up until
the late 20th
century.

9. Brief Timeline of Chinese
Immigration to Canada – Part 1
1st
Arrival of
Chinese
Immigrants to
Canada
Chinese
Settlements
Chinese and the
Canadian Pacific
Railway.
1st
Chinese Head
Tax
Chinese in
Saskatchewan
Increased
Chinese Head
Tax
1788 1858 1880 to 1885 1885 1889 1903
50 Chinese
carpenters and
craftsmen first
arrived in Canada
as part of John
Meare’s crew.
The first Chinese
gold-miners
arrived in British
Columbia from San
Francisco. Almost
all of the early
Chinese
“pioneers” settled
in British
Columbia.
The construction
of the western
section of the
Canadian Pacific
Railway employs
thousands of
Chinese workers.
Many of these
workers came
from Guandong
province in
Southern China.
After the
completion of the
CPR and the lack
of need for
Chinese workers,
the Canadian
Government
introduced the
first head tax to
stem the
immigration tide.
The tax forced
Chinese
immigrants to pay
a tax of $50 per
person.
First Chinese-
owned and
operated business
in Moose Jaw was
Mr. [Tim or Him]
Lee’s Lee Kee’s
Chinese Laundry.
By 1910, Moose
Jaw was home to
the largest
Chinese
settlement in
Saskatchewan.
To stem the ever-
increasing Chinese
immigration to
Canada, the
federal
government raised
the head tax to
$500 per person.

10. Chinese Head Tax
(1885 – 1923)
 Tax fixed on all Chinese entering
Canada. The Chinese were the only
ethnic group to be taxed by the federal
government in this manner.
 Exemptions to the tax were given to
Chinese students, teachers, merchants
and diplomats.
 Between 1885-1923, there were
10,000 Chinese listed as having paid the
head tax (source:
http://tinyurl.com/kvr6bn2). The federal
government collected approx. $23
million in head taxes (source:
http://tinyurl.com/kwe2sg8).
 Note: Canada was not the only country
to impose a head tax on Chinese
immigrants. Can you guess which
other country imposed a head tax on
the Chinese?Image Credit: http://tinyurl.com/mkwwdr6
Original Document: Trail City Archives/1253

11. Brief Timeline of Chinese
Immigration to Canada – Part 2
Chinese
Immigration
Act (the
Exclusion Act)
Repeal of the
Chinese
Immigration
Act.
Right to Vote.
Introduction of
the “Chinese
Adjustment
Statement
Program”
Increased
Immigration
from Hong
Kong
Increased
Immigration
from China
Federal
Government
Officially
Apologizes for
the Head Tax
1923 1947 1960 1996 2000 2006
The act effectively
prohibited Chinese
immigrants from
entering Canada.
Many wives and
children in China
were unable to join
their
husbands/fathers in
Canada. This act
essentially created a
forced “bachelor
society” for many
Chinese men.
The Chinese
Immigration was
officially repealed
by the federal
government on
May 14, 1947.
Chinese Canadians
were also given
the right to vote in
federal elections.
By 1959, there was
a growing concern
about the number
of illegal Chinese
immigrants in
Canada. The
federal
government
introduced a
program that
eventually granted
amnesty to over
12, 000 paper
“sons” and
“daughters”.
With the hand over
of Hong Kong to
China in 1997, many
Hong Kong
residents opted
chose to emigrate to
Canada. Between
1991-1996, it is
estimated that 20,
000 Hong Kong
residents immigrated
to Canada annually.
According to the
2002 Statistics
Canada,
immigration from
Mainland China
accounted for 15%
of all immigrants
to Canada.
After decades of
Chinese groups
lobbying the
federal
government, on
June 22, 2006,
Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
offered a public
apology and $20,
000 compensation
for those who paid
the head tax.

12. Concept of
Paper “Children”
Even after the Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947,
restrictions on Chinese immigration continued and led to
a growing black market for illegal birth documents.
Immigrants (paper “sons” or “daughters”) would purchase
these bogus documents stating they were children of
Chinese already living in Canada.
Between 1960 and 1973, over 12, 000 paper “sons” and
“daughters” were granted amnesty by the federal
government and naturalized as citizens
 Note: there maybe reluctance by family members to
admit that this practice may have occurred

13. Where NOT to Look for Chinese-
Canadian Ancestors…
…at least when it comes to Saskatchewan
Local History Books
Unfortunately, very few Chinese families are mentioned in the
over 2,000 community and church books published for
Saskatchewan
Homestead Files
Chinese were not allowed to own land. Even though many early
Chinese immigrants were farmers, they were forced to worked as
labourers. Instead of land, they often owned businesses such as
laundries and restaurants.
CPR Employee Files
 CPR Archives only holds records pertaining to the development
of the company. It does not hold HR records!

14. Where to Look for Chinese-
Canadian Ancestors…
 Vital Records
Check with the appropriate provincial agency (e.g. Vital
Statistics, eHealth, etc.)
 Census, includes Federal (1851 onwards) and Prairie (1906 &
1916)
 Directories – phone, city, businesses, etc.
Tip #3: Be on the look out for Chinese directories &
telephone books!
 Immigration Records – includes Head Tax files, passenger lists,
and naturalization records
 Newspapers - Birth, marriage and death announcements
 Cemeteries
Note: Chinese tradition of burying bodies twice can make it
difficult to locate burials of earlier Chinese immigrants

15. 1985 Saskatchewan Chinese
Directory
Be careful! Not
everyone listed in
the directory were
actually Chinese!

16. Recommended Online
Resources
The best starting place for
your Chinese-Canadian
genealogical research is…
Vancouver Public Library’s
Chinese-Canadian Genealogy
Website (http://
www.vpl.ca/ccg/index.html) -
FREE
Also features the
Chinese-Canadians:
Profiles from a
Community Project
Wiki (http://
ccgwiki.vpl.ca)

17. Recommended Online
Resources
 Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives
Canada (census returns & passenger lists; http://
www.genealogy.gc.ca/) – FREE
 Immigrants from China Database – 1885 to
1949 (http://tinyurl.com/lac-chineseimmigrants)
– FREE
 Contains the names of over 98 000
Chinese immigrants to Canada, including
the Port of New Westminster Register of
Chinese Immigration (1887-1908) and
Newfoundland Register of Arrivals and
Outward Registrations (1906-1950)
 Tip # 4: Read over LAC’s helpful
resource guide that explains the how
the records were created and
organized (http://tinyurl.com/lac-
chineseguide) - FREE

18. Immigrants from China
Database
Miss Rohda Clow – [Victoria] – [January 2, 1913] –
Registration #13347 – Certificate 75478 – File 560326 -
$500 – Female - Age 1

19. Recommended Online
Resources
 Multicultural Canada
(Chinese newspapers,
newsletters and
association records;
http://multiculturalcanada.
ca) - FREE
 Can search by keywords
Files are either in
English or in Chinese

20. Recommended Online
Resources
 Historical Chinese Language Materials in British Columbia: An
Electronic Inventory (portal; http://burton.library.ubc.ca/hclmbc/) -
FREE
Tip # 5: Besides the
documents/records,
do not overlook the
list of associations
that could also
provide additional
information for your
research!!!

21. Recommended Online
Resources
FamilySearch.org (www.familysearch.org) - FREE
 Cemetery Records 1820-1983
(https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2128186) -
Images ONLY!
 Collection of Genealogies 1239-2011
(https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1787988) -
Images ONLY!
Chinese Genealogy – Trace Your Family Tree in China
(http://genealogy.about.com/od/china/China.htm) - FREE
Chinese/Siyi Genealogy (http://legacy1.net/) – FREE

22. Recommended Print
Resources
 Boey, Danny. Basic Guide to Chinese Genealogy. Singapore:
Chinese Roots, c2002.
 Chao, Sheau-Yueh J. In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical
Research on Chinese Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield, 2000.
 Tompkins, Janet. “Chinese-Canadians in Search of Immigrant
Ancestors - Current and Potential Resources.” In International
Genealogy and Local History: papers presented by the Genealogy and
Local History Section at IFLA General Conferences 2001-2005,
edited by Ruth Hedegaard and Elizabeth Anne Melrose, 203-229.
München: Saur, 2008.

23. Recommended Print
Resources
 Luk, Lordson W. The Assimilation of Chinese in Saskatoon. Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan: L. W. Luk, 1971.
 Project Integrate: An Ethnic Study of the Chinese Community of Moose Jaw.
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan: [s.n.], 1973.
 Smith, Heather (curator) and Soo Wen Lee (essay). Crossings: A Portrait of
the Chinese Community of Moose Jaw. Moose Jaw, SK: Moose Jaw Museum &
Art Gallery, 2005.
 Marshall, Alison R. Way of the Bachelor: Early Chinese Settlement in Manitoba.
Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press, 2012.
Check your public library for additional information on Chinese
immigration and settlement in Canada.

24. Conclusion
Researching Chinese genealogy is no more
challenging than researching other ethnic roots
You need to employ more than one research tool
and a variety of research strategies
You do not need to read and write Chinese to begin
your genealogy but it will be helpful down the road
READ!!! Researching past immigration policies,
socio-economic conditions and local customs are all
useful in helping to locate and understanding how
records were created and what records maybe
available for your family history research.

25. Thank-you!
Contact:
Email: maychan@reginalibrary.ca
http://www.slideshare.net/maychan