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The Picture Gallery contains pictures from different periods of Chinese immigration
and struggle in Canada. Hover the mouse over the picture for caption.
Click on the thumbnails to see them in actual size.

THE FIRST SETTLERS

In 1788, Captain John Meare took fifty Chinese to help him build vessels for fur trade along the Northwest Canadian Coast.
Most of the earlier settlers originated from Guangdong and Fujian, two coastal provinces of China
Despite the hard times the Chinese miners faced, they never gave up and some managed to strike gold. It was the Chinese miners who invented the gold separating machine shown here.
Besides mining the earlier settlers also worked on many public projects such as the erection of telegraph poles and the construction of the 607 Km Caribou Wagon Road
The term "A china man’s chance" was originated from the white workers who often harassed the Chinese Miners. It describes the slim chance a Chinese miner has of finding gold, because most of the Chinese miners lacked mining experience and they could only mine on areas left behind by the white miners.
Most of the Chinese immigrants came to Canada in crowded ship with bad ventilation and scarce food supplies.
The first Chinese gold miners arrived in Fraser Valley, British Columbia from San Francisco. Their arrival marked the establishment of a continuous and vibrant Chinese presence in Canadian culture.

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