Finding Mr. Wong: a Tale From Canada's Exclusion Era

In New Canadian Media, June 1, 2019

The story of Chinese immigration to Canada is best known for two things. First, the arrival of Chinese labourers in large numbers in the late 1800s to build the crucial last link of the Canadian Pacific Railway—the most difficult and dangerous section which required crossing the Rocky Mountains. And second, for the institution of a head tax meant to dissuade those very men from remaining in the country once the work was completed…

Read the full article Finding Mr. Wong: A Tale From Canada’s Exclusion Era here.

About Susan Crean

Susan Crean is a cultural critic, author, and activist. A writer for over 30 years, Crean's expertise is in Canadian history, art and culture, topics on which she has written extensively. She has been a pioneer of creative non-fiction in Canada, and is the author of seven books, the first, Who’s Afraid of Canadian Culture, appearing in 1976. Her next major work, The Laughing One – A Journey to Emily Carr, was nominated for a Governor General’s award and won a BC Book Prize in 2001. Crean published her memoir, Finding Mr Wong, in 2018, a work that recreates the life of her family's cook, Wong Dong Wong, beginning with his journey from China to Vancouver, following his work as a domestic servant in Toronto to his eventual citizenship and retirement. Crean spent a number of years researching Wong's story, visiting China in search of Mr. Wong's home village, to better understanding of where Wong came from, what his prospects were as an orphan, and what his journey to Canada was like. Finding Mr Wong recently reached the top 10 list of Best Canadian History books by Canada`s History magazine. READ MORE