Transpacific Imaginaries: Chinese Canadian Engagement with China, 1858–1947

This article focuses on how Chinese Canadians actively engaged with their imagined connections to China as both a source of hope and a practical resource to secure their place in Canada. These connections were embodied in the belief that the circumstances of Chinese in Canada were intrinsically linked to the fate of China. On the one hand, they continuously sought support from China to combat institutional racism in Canada; on the other, Canada’s anti-Chinese laws were interpreted as stemming from China’s weakness. Therefore, the strengthening of China was perceived as being integral to Chinese Canadians’ struggle for equal rights in Canada. Importantly, the strategic invocation of ties with China arose from the fact that Canadian institutions remained largely inaccessible to Chinese Canadians in their efforts to challenge anti-Chinese legislation; thus, they looked across the Pacific for support. This orientation differed from nationalism, but it reveals the agency and aspirations of Chinese Canadians to secure their place in Canada through the means available to them. Notably, the significance of imagined ties with China gradually receded after 1947, when Chinese Canadians were finally granted citizenship rights in Canada.