Introductory Notes
On "HERE WE STAY— Our Choice 'Oral History of Canadian Chinese Immigrants'— The Great Toronto Chapter"
Chinese immigrants are an important ethnic group in Canada. According to the Statistics Canada 2021 census data, the total population of Canada was 36,991, 981,among which 1,715,770 were Chinese Canadians, accounting for 4.7% of the total Canadian population and ranking the 3rd largest among all ethnic groups.
"Here We Stay — Our Choice" is the first book series that uses the method of oral history to record the individual Chinese immigration experiences and living status.
This book, "The Great Toronto Chapter", is the second of the series of books generated from the "Oral History of Canadian Chinese Immigrants" project, an excerpt from our 35 interviewees. They are ranged in age from 21 to 78, vary in background from refugees/labors to entrepreneurs. Regardless of the social class, religion, jobs or profession and the achievements, our interviewees came from various backgrounds. We adhere to the principles of Oral history, trying to be an objective recorder refusing any predominate standpoint and any judgement imposed. The interview questions mainly focus on: status before immigration, the motivation to immigrate, application procedures, experience after landing, and reflections on the whole process. The complete oral record totals more than 500,000 words, with video contents of more than 70 hours. Any individuals and organizations — including but not limited to readers, sociologists, historians, literary and film workers, academic institutions, and relevant government agencies are welcomed to contact us for reference.
We are willing to establish a communication bridge to help the international community better understands the Chinese Canadian group and to assist the Chinese public to know the living conditions of the overseas Chinese from multiple perspectives. For the future generations, this book will become an important source to recognize their forefathers individually and as a whole.
This book is organized and published by the H&R IMMIGRANTS ORAL HISTORY INSTITUTE, a federal nonprofit organization registered in Toronto, Canada, founded by several Chinese Canadian oral history practitioners, filmmakers, photographers, publishers, IT workers, and translators who have immigrated to Canada.
The "Oral History of Canadian Chinese Immigrants" project will be rolled out progressively in five areas across Canada: the Maritime Area, Greater Toronto Area, Quebec Area, Greater Vancouver area, and the Prairie Area. All publications of our project will be on in the same order. Related videos will also be presented on various video platforms.
As of December 31, 2022, we have completed interviews with 119 people in the Greater Toronto Area/ the Maritime Area/the Quebec area and the Prairie area. The original plan was to complete the oral history recording of 155 Chinese immigrants on the 155th anniversary of Canada in 2022. However, the pandemic interrupted and slowed it down.
The "Oral History of Canadian Chinese Immigrants" project has been awarded the title of "Ten Oral History Projects of the Year 2019 in China"
——“你是一只鸿雁，我要录下你飞行的声音。”
—You are a swan goose and I'll be the one to record the
sounds of your flying.
华人移民口述历史中心
H&R IMMIGRANTS ORAL HISTORY INSTITUTE
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