Item 5 - Interview of Nui Kan Wong

101 MB (1 file) : mp3 ; 0 hr., 44 min., 22 sec.

Audio recording of interview with Nui Kan Wong and her husband (Heng Fung Wong), conducted by Vivienne Poy in Victoria, B.C. Interview mainly in Sun Wui (Xinhui) dialect and Cantonese.

From Transcripts [Extended notes] compiled by Vivienne Poy:

Wong Nui Kan , immigrated in 1978, (family reunification), interviewed in Victoria

• Born in Sun Wui county in 1928.
• She was the eldest of 6 children in the family, so had to help with looking after the younger siblings, as well as helping her mother with the work in the fields. She only had a few years of schooling. They owned some land in the village.
• During the War, Mr. Wong’s family in China were on the verge of starvation because they didn’t have any land to farm. They were very poor. Mr. Wong’s father had a restaurant in Saskatoon. And when the 2nd world War was over, he sold it to return to China with some money, and to see to his son’s marriage. Because of the suffering his family went through during the War, he bought land to give them security. Little did he realize that the political situation in China was such that ownership of land would bring disaster to his family.
• Mr. and Mrs. Wong families were almost neighbours in the village, and the children’s marriage was arranged between the two families in 1946.
• With the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the land bought by Mr. Wong’s father was confiscated, and the family suffered because they were considered belonging to the land lord class.
• Mr. Wong went to Hong Kong in 1955 and stayed there for 10 years before immigrating to Canada. Mrs. Wong remained in the village in China with their 4 children.
• Mr. Wong’s mother went to Hong Kong to see her younger son (under the age of 21 and not married) before he left for Canada, and she stayed in Hong Kong. Mr. Wong’s second son went to Hong Kong with her. Mr. Wong was able to send this son to Canada in 1968.
• Mr. and Mrs. Wong described what life was like in the village under communist rule. Now that the government owned everything, everyone worked for the government for points, the maximum being 10 points per person. At the end of the year, the total earned by the village is then divided into points. There was never enough to eat for the family. The children were put in government nursery while the parents worked.
• Because the Wongs were considered land lords, life was like that of prisoners except they were not locked up. Landless peasants were spared this ordeal. There was no such thing as freedom for them. They had to report to work every morning to the village cadre on their knees, when they would be assigned work for that day. Such as cutting a hundred catty of firewood, or repair a dam. At the end of the day, again, they had to report back, on their knees, everything they had done, including what they ate that day. That was before the communes were established, and everyone ate at public dining hall. If one were sick, the person still had to report in the morning. If the cadre believed that person, then work was spared that day, otherwise, the person still had to work. For a woman who’s pregnant, she still had to work untill labour started. If she had a small baby, she had to carry the baby on her back, and what women did was to attach a fan to shield the baby from the sun.
• After the repeal of the Exclusion Act, children of Chinese Canadian over the age of 21 could not come to Canada as dependents.
• Mr. Wong immigrated to Canada in 1965, and by that time, he was already 31. He came under very unusual circumstances.
• In the federal election of 1963, a large donation was given to the Conservative party by a Chinese Canadian who wanted to bring his son (who was the same age as Mr. Wong) to Canada. The immigration rules were bent, not only to allow older children, but also those who were already married could also come in as dependents. It was because of that incidence that Mr. Wong was able to come to Canada in 1965.
• Mr. Wong held 2 jobs in Canada - in a variety store as well as as a cook in the Chinatown Care Centre when it’s established. The Centre accepted people from every ethnic [background], but a majority of them were Chinese. There are many care centres like this one in Victoria, but this is the only one that served Chinese food. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wong retired at age 66. Mrs. Wong being one year younger than he.
• In 1970, Prime Minister Trudeau visited China, and agreements were made between the two countries for family reunification in Canada. Mr. Wong applied to the Canadian Immigration, filled in the form with the information of his family in China, but the local Chinese officials wouldn’t let them out. Mr. Wong found out from his MP that the procedures were correctly done by Canadian immigration, but it was not complied with by the Chinese side. The Wongs believe it’s because of jealousy on the part of the officials because they themselves couldn’t leave the country.
• On one of the visits of the Chinese Ambassador to Victoria, Mr. Wong asked him to inquire about the case of his family. Whether he did or not, Mr. Wong could not be sure, but soon after, Mrs. Wong was allowed out of China, and that was in 1978. She was 50 years old. Mrs. Wong believes that it was because of Deng Xioping’s policy that made the country freer. Mr. Wong applied for the rest of the family to come out, one at a time. The problem was not with the Canadian government, nor the Chinese central government, Mr. Wong believed it was the village government which made it so difficult for them. He believed that, as long as there are family members in the village, the family overseas will have to send money back for their living expenses, which would help the local economy.
• Both Mr. and Mrs. Wong believe in the market policy of Deng Xiaoping, and that if it were not for him, many like them would not have been allowed out of China. They condemned Mao Zhedong for their suffering, and for the death of a lot of Chinese people. They do regret that the public security is bad now that there is freer market economy.
• Mrs. Wong worked in the hot house, growing vegetables for a few years, then she worked in a restaurant. And when the Chinatown Care Centre was built, Mr. Wong also applied for a job for her there. He was the cook and she helped with the laundry. Mrs. Wong described her working experience as pleasant, and that everyone was kind to her. One Caucasian boss kept trying to teach her English, but she said she couldn’t catch on.
• Mrs. Wong compared her life in Canada to that in China. She said in China, no matter how hard you work, you still had nothing, and they lived in fear all the time. But in Canada, they can enjoy the fruits of their labour, and they have freedom.
• Today, two of the Wong’s children are in Canada, one is married in Hong Kong, and the eldest son remained in China.
• Mr. Wong said that in the early 1980s, it only took 6 months for a [fiancée] to immigrate to Canada, but now (2001) it sometimes take up to 2 years. His explanation was that he believes that there are many more Chinese immigrants, and this has caused a backlash in acceptance.
• The Wongs would not want to return to Hong Kong or China to live, because there is always the fear of lack of public security. They are used to the life in Canada and all their friends are here. They do return to visit frequently, not only because of their children and grandchildren, but Mrs. Wong’s mother is still alive at the age of over 90.
• Today, for an independent to apply to come to Canada, such as Mrs. Wong’s niece, who was hired to look after an elderly couple, the qualifications are often too high. She needed to have at least a high school education, and to be a care giver, she also needed to have a certificate of training.