Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
'My son was not doing too well in school in Taiwan. He came [here] to
study in a college.' Likewise,
'My son was studying in form 7 at the time, taking the college entrance exam-
ination. He wanted to major in Pharmaceutical Science, and the best college
was Chinese University of Hong Kong, but he was not accepted by CUHK…
If he could not get into the programme he wanted then maybe he could further
his study in Canada… He came here a year before the family moved here'
Political motives were prominent for Hong Kong and Taiwanese respond-
ents and comprised primarily uneasiness about the future policies of
Mainland China. The businessman above, who landed in Vancouver in 1997
and described himself as 'catching the last train', also had uncomfortable
political memories which reinforced the family's desire to move:
Yes, I came for my children. The other reason was our parents belonged to the
Republican Party in China. They were capitalists. My mother had suffered a
lot from the Communist Party in China. She as parent would like us to leave
the control of Communist China. I did not want my son to study in the States,
so eventually decided to move to Canada.
Of course many respondents identified more than a single motive for migra-
tion. Paul,
18
a businessman who had run a firm in Taiwan importing auto
parts, reviewed in 2002 his family's move to Vancouver:
There were many reasons. First, immigrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan
often suggested that Canada has a very good environment. Such stories were
often in the newspapers. I've also confirmed that from relatives that have
immigrated to Canada. The second reason was the political instability in
Taiwan, particularly the problem [with China] over the Straits.
One of Lam's respondents in 1990, who had landed in Toronto in 1988, put
the issue concisely, revealing the uneasy blend of motives, contradictions,
and resolutions that pervaded family calculations:
We decided to leave Hong Kong for Toronto because we like to have the
option and assurance that, if needed, we have a place to go. For sure, we don't
want to become refugees like the Vietnamese boat people. We came to Toronto
in February 1988 and my husband went back to Hong Kong in June 1988 to
continue running his business. Our children are now in university and in one
more year we are going to apply for Canadian citizenship. Once we obtain
this, the children will remain here, and I will probably be going back to Hong
Kong. If the takeover of Hong Kong by China becomes intolerable, as
Canadian citizens we will have the protection of Canada (Lam 1994: 167).
