Chinese

One of the first ethnic groups to arrive in Lethbridge was the Chinese community. A few Chinese men had arrived in Canada in the 1850's to work in the gold rush in British Columbia. Many more came in 1881 when the CPR brought in over 17, 000 Chinese labourers to work on the railway. When the railway was finished in 1885 many Chinese workers were left to look for new jobs, and some of them came to Lethbridge. By 1890 there were three Chinese laundry businesses in the city, and by the turn of the century, a ‘Chinatown’ neighbourhood had established itself between First and Third Avenue. Like in other Canadian cities, Chinese immigrants in Lethbridge usually owned their own businesses, operating laundries, grocery stores, and restaurants. Many of the Chinese in Lethbridge also owned gardens south of the city where they would grow and sell vegetables. In 1902, as many as 300 Chinese people used these market gardens to make a living.

Despite the important role that these Chinese immigrants played in the early development of the city some people in the city did not like them. Some of this hostility was because of their different appearance and lifestyle. Since many of the Chinese in Canada were single men with no family, they would often work on Sundays which angered the Presbyterian pastor, Rev. Charles McKillop. He demanded that the Chinese be stopped from working on the Sabbath. The Chinese also enjoyed gambling and this annoyed some people in the community. Many people also believed that the Chinese bought and sold illegal drugs. In addition to these reasons, many workers were also angry that the Chinese workers on the CPR worked so cheaply caused everyone elses wages to be lowered as a result. All of these reasons created a lot of bad feelings towards the Chinese in Lethbridge. This prejudice can be seen in the pages of the two Lethbridge newspapers. In 1892, a piece in the Lethbridge News about a smallpox scare in Calgary, called the Chinese immigrants, “plague-breeding celestials.” The Lethbridge Herald, thirteen years later, told its readers to avoid using Chinese laundries and encouraged them to frequent “white institutions” instead.

P19841049001-GP Chinese owned Lethbridge business, the King Edward Restaurant.

This anti-Chinese feeling was demonstrated in a more violent way in the first decade of the twentieth century. On Christmas Day, 1907, a fight broke out at the Columbia Restaurant between the Chinese owner and a customer. It ended with the Chinese restaurant owner trying to remove the unwanted customer - and threatening him with a hammer. The customer was not hurt, but the story quickly spread through the city that he had been killed. The next evening, a crowd of more than 500 men came to the Columbia Restaurant. The angry mob, including many who were drunk, beat up the Chinese staff and smashed everything in sight. They also visited other Chinese businesses and broke all the windows that were visible. Order was restored only when the Mounted Police arrived.

A less violent demonstration of anti-Chinese feeling was By-law No. 83, passed in November of 1910. It created a restricted area of several blocks in which Chinese laundries could operate. The law was supposed to keep Chinese laundries from operating in most of the city, and it had this effect for the six years that it was applied. In 1923, the government of Canada responded to peoples feelings by banning Chinese immigration completely. The anti-Chinese feelings were lessened only during World War II when Canada and China were at war with Japan. Chinese-Canadians tried hard to show that they were not like the Japanese and demonstrate their support for the war effort. By 1947 their efforts paid off when Chinese- Canadians were finally given the right to vote in federal elections.

A chinese caligraphy schoolbook. Courtesy of the Ing family.

Because of the anti-Chinese feelings it is not suprising that the Chinese community became very close and isolated. For many ethnic groups, churches provide a place to socialize with members of their community. But in the case of the Chinese there was no church to play such a role. Most Chinese immigrants followed Confucianism which did not use a church so, social and political groups were at the heart of Chinese communities in Canada. The Chinese community in Lethbridge was no different in this way. There have been two major groups of Chinese in Lethbridge- the Chinese National League and the Chinese Freemasons. The Chinese National League or Kuomintang started a club in Lethbridge in 1915. They supported the fight to free China from the control of other countries, and worked hard to raise money for the war against Japan during World War II. The Chinese Freemasons were also part of a political organization in China, but they supported neither the Communist government of China nor the government in Taiwan. Both groups were important for their social, rather than their political role. They provided a place for Chinese immigrants to meet and talk about matters that affected the community. By 1950 each group set up their own Chinese language school to ensure that Chinese language and culture would not disappear in their new country. The Chinese National League set up the Chinese Public School which had as many as twenty students, while the Chinese Freemasons set up the Chinese Community School which had twelve students. Both schools were forced to shut down in the 1960's because they could not get enough students to join.

A chinese children's schoolbook that was used in the Chinese Community School. Courtesy of the Ing family.

The closing of these Chinese schools in the sixties was a part of a decline in the Chinese community after World War II. Chinese laundries, market-gardens, and even grocery stores have now almost disappeared. Chinese restaurants have continued to do well, but the owners of these businesses are usually newly-arrived immigrants who have little contact with one another or older Chinese immigrants. Chinatown has all but disappeared since most of Lethbridge’s Chinese community has left for larger cities. The Chinese National League and the Chinese Freemasons still have their buildings, but they not used very often anymore. The Chinese that have stayed in Lethbridge have become a part of the wider community. But Chinatown still remains on 2nd Avenue and is a reminder of the important role that the Chinese community played for many decades in Lethbridge.