How can we stop history from repeating itself? In this unit, we were studying Canada’s past wrongs and aiming to create a public memory so past wrongs never happen again. At the same time, I have gained new skills and had unique experiences with PLP. Moreover, I have learned to view things from multiple perspectives to make a fair judgement. Today, I will be telling you about my ology of apology and sharing my learning journey with you.

Answer to the driving question 

So let’s answer the driving question of this unit first: How can we create a public memory of past wrongs so they are remembered and not repeated today? After studying this unit and reading many articles, I believe there are three essential factors to create an effective public memory. They are official apology, memorial and education.

1. Official Apology

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An official apology is significant when issuing past wrongs. The apology is essential because it has the function of healing the harm and rebuilding relationships. It symbolizes the recognition and acknowledgment of wrongdoings; at the same time, it committed not to repeat past wrongs . Many consider the official apology as the beginning of a new era. Although apologies can heal and repair relationships, they can also be harmful. If an apology is insincere, it can damage the relationship furthermore.

What makes an effective apology? 

When making an apology, there are many things to be aware of. After all, I have summarized some factors that will contribute to an effective apology. Which is taking responsibility, being proactive with non-verbal communications and delivering a specific improvement plan for the future. 

Taking Responsibility 

 One of the most important characteristics that contribute to an effective apology is taking responsibility. Taking responsibility means recognizing and acknowledging the negative impacts that were caused by the offender. This can often lead to a stronger willingness to take actions repairing the harm. On the other hand, looking for excuses is perhaps the worst thing you can do when making an apology as it is a sign of insincerity 

Being Proactive Non-verbal Communications 

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Although you may not believe so, body language is an essential factor when delivering an apology. Most experts agree that 70-90% of our communication is non-verbal. In other words, your body language, eyes contact, tones, etc… carry out much more messages than your words. Through non-verbal communication, people can easily decode what you are saying and sense your emotion and that’s why we need to be aware of it when delivering an apology.

A Specific Improvement Plan for the Future 

“An Apology Without Change is Manipulation” To fundamentally solve the problem, a specific improving plan is often required in an effective apology. Instead of dwelling on the past, it is more meaningful to think about the future. The offender should explain how the improvement plan can prevent a similar event from happening again; at the same time, the improvements plan should include measurable changes to determine its effectiveness.

2. Memorial

(Iwo Jima Memorial)

The concept of memorials is easy to understand. They are built to remind people of events that happened in past and connect it to the present. At the same time, memorials can heal affected groups and bring positive effects to our society. Although it is sad when tragic incidents happen, a memorial can allow us to respect their sacrifice and celebrate our well-lived lives.

What determines the effectiveness of a memorial?

Overall, the factors that affect the effectiveness of a memorial fall into two categories: physical and spiritual appearance. 

Physical Appearance: Physical appearance determines how much attention it can get from people. Some examples can be location, size, designing and colour. As memorials are built to spread an event’s significance, it would not be effective if they can not appeal to their targeted  audience.

Spiritual appearance: Spiritual appearance determines how significant the memorial is to society. The feelings and emotions that are passed to the audiences are examples that fall into this category. A memorial with a strong spiritual appearance should be able to heal some harm of the affected group; at the same time, it should create a central place to visit and encourage visitors to revisit.

3. Education Systems

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The education system plays a significant role in creating a public memory. As time goes by, we will repeat history when future generations forgot about it. Through studying history, we can shape and develop our society better and develop a better understanding of the world. As a student myself, I appreciate having the opportunity to know what happen in past because that allows me to learn from the mistakes made in past. However, this would never happen without a truthful education system.

How do we learn from the past?

It is important to understand some information can be misleading as it may contain the author’s biased opinions. That’s why it’s beneficial to make your ethical judgements. In brief, ethical judgements are judgements you believe are the most justifiable after considering all the perspectives and possibilities. Usually, primary sources will be stronger pieces of evidence than reports and articles as they reflect the situation better. In the process of making ethical judgements, you will develop a new way to view the world and enhance your critical thinking skills.

Overall, I realized all of the factors have been included when our government redress past wrongs.  Whether it is Chinese Head Tax, Japanese Internment or the Komagata Maru incident,  they have all got these factors to create public awareness. 

Reflection  

In the end, I would like to share with you my growth and learning in this unit. Throughout this unit, field studies  and exhibitions have helped us the most on our learning journey.

The Impacts of Field Studies 

It is amazing how we have six field studies in this unit, especially during the pandemic. Through field studies, we have learned in detail about Canada’s history of discrimination and understand what life was like under a racist government. The experience we have in field studies allows us to learn faster and easier; at the same time, the memorials we saw set up great examples for us to build our memorials. Field study is relevant because it allows students to gain a deeper understanding through the extension of the curriculum; furthermore, it encourages the growth of curiosity and critical thinking.

Exhibition 

One of the most important goals in this unit is to create public memories by applying what we have learned previously. My group got Japanese Internment as our topic to create public memory. Although we understand the story and its significance, we did not know how to put it in its best form to make it outstanding. After brainstorming, we finally came up with the house design. The idea was to show the difference in living conditions between white Canadians and Japanese Canadians. You may be wondering how are we doing to do that. The house would be specialized into two floors, the white Canadians would be living on the top floor with luxury while crowded Japanese Canadians would be starving underground. 

(Art work done by Ryan)

As we started building the house, it was only two days away from the exhibition night. It seemed to be impossible to pull everything together within such a short time; however, the power of collaboration has proved that wrong. Through communications, everyone’s responsibility became clear which increased our productivity. Because of everyone’s efforts and dedication, we were able to have everything ready before the exhibition. 

Thankfully, everything went well on the exhibition night. We were able to explain in detail to our visitors what Japanese internment is as well as our memorial ideas. But there are surely spaces for improvements. I realized we were missing our group banner, which caused some confusion for visitors; meanwhile, our storyline and pictures could be bigger for better visualization. Most importantly, I did not practice presenting our script and ideas enough, which lead to poor body language and poor storytelling. But overall, I have enjoyed the process and I believe we have done a decent job.

Looking back, it was a meaningful unit throughout my PLP learning journey. I have learned a lot in communicating, critical thinking and critical thinking. Lastly, I would like to thank Ms. Willemse & Ms. Huges for the effort they have given us to make this wonderful unit possible.

References

Apology

Forbes — The Six Components of an Effective Apology

Wikipedia — Public Apology

Harvard’s Report on Apologies 

Forbes — How to Apologize the right way

Memorial

NPR.org — What makes a Successful Memorial 

Wikipedia — Memorials

Education

Habitat for Humanity — Ten benefits of Eduction 

Lumen Learning — What is Ethical Judgements 

Cee.Ne.Edu — Ethical Judgements 

Field Studies 

Pros and Cons of Field Studies

Americans for Arts — The Importance of Field Studies

Special Thanks to

PLP

Jakub. H

Liam. E

Ryan. U

and You!

Throughout Canadian history, Chinese immigrants had played a significant role in the development of the nation. In this post, I will unveil BC’s history of Chinese discrimination and how Chinese immigrants had completely changed Canada 

Why did the Chinese Residents want to migrate to Vancouver 

In brief, they were seeking a better life for their families. The Qing dynasty in China was incapable to rule the country, causing many economic and social issues; on the other hand, many people wanted to come to BC because of the gold rush. As larger ships were invented, people in Asia could come to Vancouver and the west coast efficiently and safely. They thought BC had plenty of gold and everyone would be rich if they could migrate to Canada. However, that was not the case. Although seldom did people become rich because of the gold rush, many people only ended up with disappointment. Meanwhile, the Canadian government was planning to build a huge railway across the country to transport people and resources more efficiently. This national project will cost a large amount of steel, time, and labour. This project offered a working opportunity for many people who did not become rich because of the gold rush.

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Early Immigrants & the CPR Railways

Ever since the railway construction started, Chinese discrimination seemed to be appealing. Chinese workers were paid 1$ or less while white workers can earn 2$ or more doing the job; they took higher risks to explode dynamites, which was the most dangerous part of building railways. Moreover, the working conditions were never healthy, and employers would not pay them if they died.

The Canadian government faced a challenge as they were planning out the railway path. The Rocky Mountains were on their way, and it would be extremely dangerous to bomb through. A potential way to build the railway was to go around the mountains. This would guarantee work safety for railway workers, but it would be more expensive and take a longer time. On the other hand, one solution was to go straight through the Rocky Mountains. It would be cheaper and faster to build; however, workers’ safety was not considered in this situation.

(From Knowledge — British Columbia Untold Histoty)

To save money, the Canadian government chose to follow the second method. Although this method could save time and resources, it put many Chinese workers in danger at the same time. However, many Chinese workers did not understand how dangerous their task was. Among the 10,000 to 12,000 Chinese men who participate to build the railway, around 1,200 died on the railway and had their bodies shipped back to China to be buried.

“They say there was one dead Chinese man for every mile of that track”

Finally, the railway across eastern Canada and British Columbia was completed in 1885.    It brought significant improvements to transportation and communication across Canada; at the same time, it contributed to the growth of Canada’s economy and the development of new cities.  The Canadian government held “The Last Spike” ceremony at Craigellachie to mark and celebrate the completion of the railway; however, there were no Chinese workers at the ceremony. They were not invited to the ceremony; furthermore, after working and living expenses, many Chinese workers were in debt and broke. Since the railway was completed, Canada did not want Chinese labourers anymore. They viewed Canada as a “white” country, so the government wanted to block more Chinese people from coming. Therefore, they passed the Chinese immigration act and the head tax era began.

The Chinese Immigration Act & the Formation of Chinatown

In 1885, just a few months after the railway was completed, the Federal government passed the Chinese immigration act. It means all Chinese immigrants had to pay a 50$ head tax to migrate to Canada. (50$ in 1885 is equivalent to approximately 1,400$ today) No other groups in Canada were taxed because of their origin. The Federal government wanted to discourage Chinese immigrants from coming; however, it wasn’t as successful as they planned out. Meanwhile, in 1886, as the Chinese population was growing, the Canadian government zoned out an area for Chinese residents to live. Chinese residents could only buy or own property in that area, where we now call Chinatown. In the first year, only 90 Chinese residents were living in the neighbourhood, but the population grew rapidly as more immigrants arrived in Vancouver. The Canadian government then increased the head tax to the regulate Chinese population in BC. The head tax was 100$ in 1900 and reached 500$ in 1903 (which is worth 15,715 today). Although the head tax penalty was insanely high, it was still worth paying for many people. As a result, the Chinese population tripled during the head tax era, from 13,000 to 39,517.  In total, the Canadian government had earned around 24,000$ off head tax, roughly the same as the cost to build the CPR railway. 

(Chinese Head Tax Certificate — Picture Source)

A Harsher Solution: Exclusion Act 

As the politicians realized the head tax did not stop Chinese men from coming, they decided to fundamentally stop the Chinese from coming. On July 1st, 1923, a new Chinese immigration act was published, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Chinese exclusion act stated that Chinese immigrants, except students and merchants, could no longer immigrate to Canada. From white people’s point of view, it was an astounding success. Fewer than 50 people were allowed entry during the exclusionary era. The Chinese population decreased by 25% and essentially stopped the Chinese communities from growing. However, it was a whole other story if you look from Chineses’ point of view. All Chinese residents became “bachelors” and many of them lost their purpose of immigrating to Canada. 80% of the Chinese immigrants had their families back in China and they planned to bring them here; however, the exclusion act would separate them apart. But the Chinese discrimination in Canada did not stop with the Exclusion act.

Chinese Discriminations & Resilience 

It was never easy for Chinese men to live in Canada. They could not live outside Chinatown; their career life was limited, which they could only take low status or high-risk jobs; moreover, many of them were heavily in debt because of the head tax and living expenses. They had only partial, if any, citizenship even though they had paid their head tax. They faced personal attacks from the white community every day. Many white people believed Chinatown was a dangerous place to be in; they believed there was a tunnel for Chinese men to deal with illegal drugs. However, non of their beliefs were factual. Chinatown in Vancouver was safer than many cities in BC. Although the situation for the Chinese was never friendly, they managed to protect their community and fight for their rights. For some examples…

Ex. Sam Kee Building

In 1903, Sam Kee purchased the standard size lot of the Sam Kee Building. But in 1912, the Canadian government planned to widen Pender Street, which a huge amount of Sam Kee building would be torn down. Although Sam Kee did not agree to anything, his land was expropriated anyways. The lot he owned became four feet and eleven inches wide. Many people considered the lot to be useless, but Sam Kee was determined to rebuild his business with four feet wide lot. He renovated and redesigned the building; moreover, he developed a basement and extended his business area. It was one of the most creative buildings in Vancouver’s Chinatown. To this date, the Sam Kee Building is the narrowest building around the world based on the Guinness Book of Records.

(Sam Kee Building — Picture Source)

Ex. WWII 

On December 25, 1941, Hong Kong had been fully captured by Imperial Japan. It was significant and devastating news for both Canada and Chinese Canadians. Since Hong Kong was an essential communicating club between North America and China, the situation in China was unknown to the Allies. Up to around 600 Chinese Canadian volunteered to serve in the war. They fought for their right and respect; They fought for China and Canada; they fought for what they deserved: a better life. 

(Picture Source)

Ex. Freeway protest

Last but not least, the freeway fight. In the 1960s, Vancouver’s historic Chinatown was at risk of being redeveloped. The government planned to build a freeway across Chinatown, they planned to transform Chinatown and nearby historical communities into modern communities. They believed this plan would make Vancouver a “Livable” city; however,  many Chinese Canadians strongly disagree with the idea. Chinese Canadians viewed the Chinatown community as “home” since the Chinese were limited in Chinatown for many years. They believed these historical communities should be protected, so many Chinese residents went on protest. However, what stopped the government from building the freeway wasn’t just the protest; it was the lack of money to build the freeway. Although that’s being said, the freeway protest did play a significant role in protecting historical communities.

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Redress and Official Apology 

The exclusion act was finally abolished in 1947. The Chinese Immigration Act had banned the entry of Chinese immigrants for over 24 years. However, immigration restrictions based on race and origin were not fully scrubbed until 1967. On June 22, 2006, more than a century since the railway started, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered an official apology to Chinese Canadians. 

“Chinese Canadians are making an extraordinary impact on the building of our country. They’ve also made a significant historical contribution despite many obstacles. That’s why, as I said during the election campaign, the Chinese Canadian community deserves an apology for the head tax and appropriate acknowledgement and redress.”  Stephen Harper made this statement in a news conference, 2006. 

He offered “symbolic payments” of 20,000$ to 20 surviving head taxpayers; however, it was disappointing for many people because there was no compensation for the descendants of the head taxpayers. The Conservatives promised they would spend 34 million dollars on programs of various groups that suffered from discrimination. Many people believed this official  apology was significant because it recognized wrongdoing in the past and adjust it. However, not many head taxpayers were lucky enough to receive the official apology.

Significance 

Chinese Canadians had made a huge contribution to Canada as a nation, whether through railway constructions, head tax payments or serving in WWII. Through the efforts of many people, Chinese Canadians brought more equality and justice to Canada. I admire all early immigrants who faced racism and yet fought for their life. As we visit Chinatown in the future, we should remember what had happened in history and never repeat them.

References:

Canadian Pacific Railway:

The Canadian Encyclopedia — Canadian Pacific Railway

Coquitlam Heritages — The Legacy of Chinese Railroad Workers

The Canadian Encyclopedia — The Last Spike Ceremony

Family.Org — The Chinese Railroad Workers  (More Videos Explaining Working Condition )

Immigration and Exclusion Act

Human Rights — The Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act

The Canadian Encyclopedia — Chinese Head Tax in Canada

Wikipedia — Head Tax in Canada 

Chinatown Formation

SFU — Vancouver Chinatown 1886~2011

Vancouver Council Report

Areavibes — Crime Rate in Chinatown 

TrueNorthFarEast — Chinese Canadian in WWII

Wikipedia — Sam Kee Building 

The Guardian — Freeway Protest 

Apology and Redress 

The Globe and Mails — PM Offers Apology and Symbolic for Chinese Head Tax

Thank you for your time