In Calgary this year, different Canada Day events were held in Calgary to mark 100 years since the Chinese Immigration Act or Chinese Exclusion Act was passed.
“Hearing stories about how the 16 year-old girls had to be married off in this kind of bachelor society, and how vulnerable they were – that resonated with me because I can’t imagine myself in that position,” said Calgary visual artist Michelle Ku is involved in Stories of Exclusion.
For artists like Ku and Yan Zhu who have been recording the stories, the legacy of the Exclusion Act continues to this day.“I carry these narratives, whether I have have relation to the railway workers or not. It affects how I am seen whether I like it or not.
“In order to survive the parents would say we are different so just keep your head down and don’t stand out. Don’t bring attention to yourself. I feel as artist we do stand out, and we do draw attention to ourselves. This is a privilege and I feel even more responsibility that I’m lucky enough to do that, and not feel the same kind of danger that they felt,” Ku said.
Brandon Mah with the Jing Wo Cultural Association said performing the Lion Dance was a great way to celebrate how multi-cultural Canada is. “It’s a good way to help scare away all the evil spirits as we are cleansing and bringing a new beginning here but I think it’s very important to save the culture because lion dance is a dying art and we have to keep it and pass it on to generations to come,” Mah said.“I didn’t know much about the Exclusion Act because it’s not well taught in the schools but it’s important that we know these things to pass on to know about the history so we can move forward together,” Mah said.
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