Nitro (Canadian history)

The story of the Chinese people who came to British Columbia in 1882 to work on the final link of the Canadian Pacific Railway is the subject of this one minute video.

The experience of these Chinese immigrants, who risked their lives performing the most dangerous jobs on the railway
(for half the wages of white labourers), is only one chapter in the history of the Chinese in Canada. Leaving the poverty and political chaos of their homeland for the promise of a better life in “Gum San,” or “Gold Mountain”,
Chinese immigrants found themselves not entirely welcomed. They had to struggle against government restrictions and racist hostility in order to survive long enough to establish themselves and gain respect within this new country.

Permission to post this video comes from Chris Cochrane, the producer/director. This and over sixty other videos done to catalogue, preserve, and present Canadian history can be found at: http://www.historica-dominion.ca

Learn more about Chris Cochrane at his site: http://chris.cochrane.net/