Chinese Head Tax

The first large influx of Chinese immigrants to stay in Canada came north from San Francisco following the gold rush to the Fraser River Valley in 1858. In the 1860s many moved on to prospect for gold in the Cariboo Mountains of British Columbia.

When workers were needed for the Canadian Pacific Railway, many were brought directly from China. From 1880 to 1885 about 17,000 Chinese labourers helped build the difficult and dangerous British Columbia section of the railway. In spite of their contributions, there was a great deal of prejudice against the Chinese, and they were paid only half the wage of white workers.

When the railway was finished and cheap labour in large numbers was no longer needed, there was a backlash from union workers and some politicians against the Chinese. After a Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration, the Canadian federal government passed the Chinese Immigration Act in 1885, putting a head tax of $50 on Chinese immigrants in the hopes of discouraging them from entering Canada. In 1900 the head tax was increased to $100. In 1903 the head tax went up to $500, which was about two years pay. The Canadian federal government collected about $23 million from the Chinese head tax.

In the early 1900s, prejudice against Chinese and Japanese was further exacerbated when they were used as strike breakers at coal mines in British Columbia. An economic slump in Vancouver set the stage for a full-scale riot in 1907. Leaders of the Asiatic Exclusion League stirred a parade into a frenzy of 8000 men looting and burning their way through Chinatown.

With the outbreak of World War I, Chinese labour was needed in Canada again. In the last two years of the war, the number of Chinese immigrants increased to 4000 a year. When the war ended and soldiers returned to Canada looking for work, there was another backlash against the Chinese. It wasn't just the increase in numbers that caused alarm, but also the fact that the Chinese had moved into owning land and farms. The economic recession in the early 1920s added to the resentment.

In 1923, Canada passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which in effect stopped Chinese immigration to Canada for nearly a quarter of a century. July 1, 1923, the day the Canadian Chinese Exclusion Act came into effect, is known as "humiliation day."

The Chinese population in Canada went from 46,500 in 1931 to about 32,500 in 1951.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was in effect until 1947. In that same year Chinese Canadians regained the right to vote in Canadian federal elections. It wasn't until 1967 that the final elements of the Chinese Exclusion Act were completely eliminated.

On June 22, 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a speech in the House of Commons giving a formal apology for the use of a head tax and the exclusion of Chinese immigrants to Canada.

View the original article here

Chinese Head Tax

The first large influx of Chinese immigrants to stay in Canada came north from San Francisco following the gold rush to the Fraser River Valley in 1858. In the 1860s many moved on to prospect for gold in the Cariboo Mountains of British Columbia.

When workers were needed for the Canadian Pacific Railway, many were brought directly from China. From 1880 to 1885 about 17,000 Chinese labourers helped build the difficult and dangerous British Columbia section of the railway. In spite of their contributions, there was a great deal of prejudice against the Chinese, and they were paid only half the wage of white workers.

When the railway was finished and cheap labour in large numbers was no longer needed, there was a backlash from union workers and some politicians against the Chinese. After a Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration, the Canadian federal government passed the Chinese Immigration Act in 1885, putting a head tax of $50 on Chinese immigrants in the hopes of discouraging them from entering Canada. In 1900 the head tax was increased to $100. In 1903 the head tax went up to $500, which was about two years pay. The Canadian federal government collected about $23 million from the Chinese head tax.

In the early 1900s, prejudice against Chinese and Japanese was further exacerbated when they were used as strike breakers at coal mines in British Columbia. An economic slump in Vancouver set the stage for a full-scale riot in 1907. Leaders of the Asiatic Exclusion League stirred a parade into a frenzy of 8000 men looting and burning their way through Chinatown.

With the outbreak of World War I, Chinese labour was needed in Canada again. In the last two years of the war, the number of Chinese immigrants increased to 4000 a year. When the war ended and soldiers returned to Canada looking for work, there was another backlash against the Chinese. It wasn't just the increase in numbers that caused alarm, but also the fact that the Chinese had moved into owning land and farms. The economic recession in the early 1920s added to the resentment.

In 1923, Canada passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which in effect stopped Chinese immigration to Canada for nearly a quarter of a century. July 1, 1923, the day the Canadian Chinese Exclusion Act came into effect, is known as "humiliation day."

The Chinese population in Canada went from 46,500 in 1931 to about 32,500 in 1951.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was in effect until 1947. In that same year Chinese Canadians regained the right to vote in Canadian federal elections. It wasn't until 1967 that the final elements of the Chinese Exclusion Act were completely eliminated.

On June 22, 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a speech in the House of Commons giving a formal apology for the use of a head tax and the exclusion of Chinese immigrants to Canada.

View the original article here

35 dead in Chinese bullet train crash

Chinese rescue workers carry an injured girl as they tend to victims of a train accident on Saturday.NEW: About 210 are injuredRescue operations continueThe accident was in eastern ChinaSome passengers had to break windows to get out

Beijing (CNN) -- A high-speed bullet train collision in eastern China's Zhejiang province left 35 people dead and 210 injured, state-run news agency Xinhua reported Sunday.

Witnesses told China National Radio that a bullet train stopped on the tracks Saturday because of a power outage from a lightning strike.

Another bullet train traveling in the same direction rammed into the first train from behind and caused four of its cars to fall from an elevated bridge, the radio report said.

A rescue operation was under way. Some passengers told the radio network they had to smash windows and crawl out of the cars. Officials said some cars were severely twisted and it was hard to know how many people were still trapped inside.

The struck train was carrying 1,300 to 1,400 passengers, officials said.

Quoting : CNN.com