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Matlock · 06-06-2011, 01:28 AM

Tidbits of stories that I have heard over the years...

My Grandfather was born in Vancouver during the 1930s and grew up in Chinatown. He was Chinese and spoke English and Toisan which it was the spoken Chinese language in Vancouver during the time.

He grew up in a very poor family and he and his siblings would sleep on old mattresses filled with bed bugs. They would wake up covered in bites. For food they would often have to buy the old moldy bread from the bakery.

People who were not Caucasian were not allowed in the pool at English Bay, but the man who worked there would let my grandfather and his friends in early before they opened. They would all urinate in the pool before leaving, because of the discrimination.

He also told me a story of how in school, he sat behind a blonde Caucasian girl and got black ink from an inkwell all over her hair and got in trouble for that.

In a factory that he worked in, as an adult he was making less than a Caucasian child who worked there doing the exact same job simply because he was Chinese and the child was Caucasian.

We also have a Chinese family member that got buried into the concrete of one of the bridges. I'm assuming he fell in some how during construction.

Our family isn't even our real family last name, when my great grandfather immigrated and paid a head tax they put the wrong name which was his middle name. (Personally, I do not mind it as it is now completely unique to our family)

06-06-2011, 01:28 AM	#442
Matlock My homepage has been set to RS Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Burnaby Posts: 2,025 Thanked 1,079 Times in 368 Posts Failed 95 Times in 35 Posts Member's Picture Albums	Tidbits of stories that I have heard over the years... My Grandfather was born in Vancouver during the 1930s and grew up in Chinatown. He was Chinese and spoke English and Toisan which it was the spoken Chinese language in Vancouver during the time. He grew up in a very poor family and he and his siblings would sleep on old mattresses filled with bed bugs. They would wake up covered in bites. For food they would often have to buy the old moldy bread from the bakery. People who were not Caucasian were not allowed in the pool at English Bay, but the man who worked there would let my grandfather and his friends in early before they opened. They would all urinate in the pool before leaving, because of the discrimination. He also told me a story of how in school, he sat behind a blonde Caucasian girl and got black ink from an inkwell all over her hair and got in trouble for that. In a factory that he worked in, as an adult he was making less than a Caucasian child who worked there doing the exact same job simply because he was Chinese and the child was Caucasian. We also have a Chinese family member that got buried into the concrete of one of the bridges. I'm assuming he fell in some how during construction. Our family isn't even our real family last name, when my great grandfather immigrated and paid a head tax they put the wrong name which was his middle name. (Personally, I do not mind it as it is now completely unique to our family) __________________ Electrician.