Chinese labourers in BC's coal mines

摘要

In the late 1800s, British Columbia was rich in "Chinatowns"--vibrant places where Chinese labourers who worked in industries throughout the province could find familiar food, medicine and entertainment, as well as the comfort of fraternity. In Chinatowns, they worked as barbers, tailors, launderers, grocers and restaurant owners. Neighbouring white residents who wandered into Chinatowns discovered a new culture. In February 1891, the Nanaimo Free Press reported that "a great number of our citizens" visited Chinatown to witness the Chinese New Year celebrations. Their curiosity was welcomed, and they were treated to cigars, liqueurs and firecrackers. Chinese opera houses (Victoria alone had three) hosted acting troupes who had travelled from China to perform Cantonese opera. Among the performance halls and reading rooms were other forms of distraction: gambling houses, brothels and opium shops.