Passage to Promise Land

Voices of Chinese Immigrant Women to Canada

Spanning more than six decades, Passage to Promise Land is a revealing study of Chinese immigration to Canada from the end of the Second World War to the present day. Tracing the evolution of immigration policy through the stories of Chinese immigrant women, Vivienne Poy captures the social, political, and ethnic tensions of the period. Although the narratives included here represent women of all ages and educational backgrounds, they share a common sense of determination and spirited resilience in the face of hardship. Through their stories we learn about Chinese settlement experience, how the Chinese community developed alongside changes in immigration regulations, and why the immigration of Chinese families to Canada became commonplace in the 1970s. The women address experiences of patriarchy and discrimination in both China and Canada, revive memories of the turbulent years in China at the end of the Pacific War, and speak of their uncertainties about the return of Hong Kong's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. From the very first mention of Chinese women's immigration in Canada's Parliament in 1879, to the end of the twentieth century - when a Chinese woman was appointed Governor General - the road to equality has been long and arduous. Passage to Promise Land details the important events along the way through the voices of the women themselves.