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RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Came to Canada in September 1950; Chinatown was dilapidated and run-down; some of the houses were tiny. Worked for a fish wholesaler for eight years and also as a farm labourer and shrimp peeler; husb;and was out of work in the shingle mill; didn't speak English but surprised people by being able to go out alone; people thought her very brave; bought a sewing machine on credit and learned to alter ;and sew clothes to earn money; when she first came to Canada she thought people in Chinatown were old-fashioned; they wanted women hidden away; if a woman were to look out a window in her home, she wa;s considered shameless and men would stare at them when they were out; there were not many native Indians in the Chinatown area twenty years ago; there are also more prostitutes in the area now; twent;y years ago she was very naïve and didn't know what these women did for a living; now a Canadian citizen and votes in every election; husband came to Canada at the age of fifteen; during the Sino-Japa;nese war, he was able to send money via San Francisco to support her; talks about the positive aspects of government social assistance to senior citizens; gives the wages she was earning in the fish c;annery; talks about the purchase of a rooming house by herself and her husband.;

RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Came to Canada from Hong Kong in 1967 sponsored by her daughter; discusses her initial loneliness, language problems and cold climate when she first arrived; discusses improvement in Vancouver's Chinatown restaurants for the past ten years; belongs to senior citizen clubs in Chinatown and is active in these organisations; differences in social attitudes towards females in Canada and Hong Kong; talks of experiences of the Sino-Japanese war in China; talks of the inequalities in China towards females, i.e. treatment of females at village wedding banquets in China; living conditions and the hardships as a refugee in Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion; discusses the Communist takeover in China and how it affected her family and the confiscation of land and property; description of Vancouver's east side and of the residents; not able to speak English makes it difficult to mix with Caucasians; speaks of freedom of meeting people and enjoying herself now that she lives on her own in Chinatown, and not in the suburbs with her daughter.

The collection consists of oral history interviews with Chinese women about their experiences working in British Columbia from the 1920s to the 1950s. The interviews, with nine first-, second- or third-generation Chinese-Canadian women, were recorded in Vancouver, Victoria and New Westminster during the first half of 1984. The project focused on "women's work" (whether paid or unpaid), including work in the home and in family businesses. The interviews discuss the kind of work these women did; what they experienced; how they perceived their roles in the family and the Chinese community; and the legislative policies which affected their work and their lives. The interviewees are to remain anonymous, and should be referred to only by the assigned pseudonyms. In addition, two of the interviews are closed to public access.

PERIOD COVERED: ;1900;-;1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Born in Victoria in 1913; father reported her birth to immigration and vital statistics as a boy; her marriage was an arranged match; speaks of her husband as a good person, but he gambles; was converted to Christianity and became happy; talks of her superstitious mother who predicted a short life for her, based on a fortune teller's prediction; returned to Canada from China in 1924 and lived in Vancouver Chinatown's Shanghai Alley; speaks of her children and their part-time work when they were young; speaks of the positive aspects of the Canadian government; refers again to her wishes of education for her children; talks of her involvement with community recreation activities since her retirement.

CALL NUMBER: T3706:0001 PERIOD COVERED: 1910-1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Born n Vancouver; father came during the gold rush; lived in Kamloops until the fire; family moved to Vancouver/New Westminster area; went to school in Vancouver's East End; talks about family members; after her father died, Lillian and sister Ruth were boarded in a home in Victoria; describes experience in Victoria; returned to Vancouver and babysat to earn money; apprenticed to a hat maker; worked in a Chinese restaurant to help support family. Married at the age of 20, didn't last; adoption of two nephews, talks of the deaths of her natural and adopted daughters; description of her house.

CALL NUMBER: T3706:0002 PERIOD COVERED: 1895-1979 RECORDED: Vancouver (B.C.), 1979 [summer] SUMMARY: Helped other Chinese ladies as an interpreter; active in many social organizations and activities since retirement; spends most days in Chinatown, and evenings at home; speaks of poor eyesight; born in 1895.