Chinese Immigration to Canada: A Tale of Perseverance
They risked their lives to help build Canada's railroad in the 1880s. But as soon as the work was done, Canada just wanted them gone. It was the beginning of a difficult history for Chinese immigrants to Canada. They struggled through the head tax, personal attacks and job discrimination. But the Chinese in Canada persevered. And today, Chinese-Canadians are an integral part of Canada's multicultural society, forging their own cultural identities.

Because of the head tax, they had left their wives and children in China, until they can save enough money to bring them over. Now, thanks to the Chinese Exclusion Act many would not see them again.

By 1936, there were ten times as many Chinese men as women in B.C. There were so few babies born, Chinatown had lost half of its population. And, whites restricted business licenses to keep them in there shrinking community.

"Most Chinese businesses were localized in Chinatown where the Chinese lived. We call them unsanitary ghetto, but they were forced into it, not because you want to, but you were forced into it. So rather than fight, you accepted these things", Tom Louie

Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is the Western Hemisphere's second largest Chinatown in area size(after San Francisco), and third largest in population(San Francisco, New York). Its location is centered on Pender Street. It is surrounded by Gastown and the Downtown Financial and Central Business Districts to the west, remnants of old Japantown and the Downtown Eastside to the north and the residential neighborhood of Strathcona to the east. The approximate street borders of Chinatown's commercial area are Hastings, Georgia, Gore, and Taylor Streets, although its boundaries extend well into the residential area south of the Downtown Eastside. Main, Pender, and Keefer Streets are the principal areas of commercial activity.

Due to the large ethnic Chinese presence in Vancouver—especially represented by multi-generation Chinese Canadians and first-generation immigrants from Hong Kong, the city has been referred to as "Hongcouver" (a term considered derogatory by some)[2]. Chinatown remains a popular tourist attraction, but was more recently overshadowed by the newer Asian immigrant business district along No. 3 Road in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. Many affluent Hong Kong and Taiwanese immigrants have moved there since the late 1980s, coinciding with the increase of Chinese-ethnic retail and restaurants in that area. This new area is designated the "Golden Village" by Tourism Richmond.

Vancouver's Chinatown is one of the largest historic Chinatowns in North America. However, it went into decline as newer members of Vancouver's Cantonese Chinese community founded a new retail area centered around Victoria and 41st Ave. in the 1980s and 90s to cater to a more suburban population. Today this is the largest Chinese Canadian neighborhood in greater Vancouver.

Chinatown was once known for its neon signs but like the rest of the city lost many of the spectacular signs to changing times and a new sign bylaw passed in 1974. The last of the spectaculars was the Ho Ho sign (which showed a rice bowl and chop sticks) which was removed in 1997. Ongoing efforts at revitalization include efforts by the business community to improve safety by hiring private security; looking at new marketing promotions and introducing residential units into the neighborhood by restoring and renovating some of the heritage buildings. Current focus is on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the distinctive Association buildings.

As with many other Chinatowns, it is still heavily populated by older immigrants; but younger residents, including Taiwanese, white, and Hong Kong yuppies lured by its convenient location and amenities at the heart of the city, have returned downtown and settled in Chinatown over the past decade. As promised by the new Millennium Gate, Chinatown remains the center of Chinese culture and commerce in the region.

Temporary article borrowed from Chinatown Vancouver @ Wikipedia