 |
The first Chinese immigrants came to Victoria in 1858 because of the gold rush. |
 |
Originally the immigrants pitched tents or built shacks on the edge of a ravine (what is now Johnson Street). |
|
|
Chinese Quarters, Victoria, 1886 Detail of D-04747 |
 |
As more Chinese people arrived the community expanded to include stores, tailor shops, theatres and schools. |
|
|
Cormorant Street, 1880s B-01653 |
|
The first Chinese people in Victoria were men, because they came looking for work. As they gained wealth they could afford to bring their families to Victoria. |
|
|
Group of Men from the Victoria Transfer Company in Front of Legislative Buildings, 1904 Detail of D-08817 |
 |
By 1880, Victoria's Chinatown formed the largest Chinese community in all of Canada. |
"This tiny Chinese enclave is outstanding in the history of Canadian Chinatowns because it is the first and the oldest surviving Chinatown in Canada. It was the largest Chinatown in Canada for fifty years (1858-1910), and the second largest for forty years (1911-1950). Furthermore, it is the only Canadian Chinatown that has a complete history, dating from the first Chinese arrival in Canada to the present."
The Forbidden City within Victoria, David Chuenyan Lai
