Marking the History of the Chinese Head Tax in Newfoundland

 The Newfoundland we see in tourism advertisements is a rocky, wind-swept place populated by fishing people of Irish and English descent. While there is some truth to this image, it obscures the former dominion’s far more complex history and diverse peoples. Like other parts of North America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Newfoundland became a destination for Chinese migrants escaping economic hardship and political instability at home. These immigrants to the island, like those in Canada and the United States, experienced racism and hostility from the wider population. Following similar legislation in Canada, the Newfoundland government imposed a $300.00 head tax on all Chinese people arriving between 1906 and 1949. Despite the restrictions, over 300 Chinese men made Newfoundland their home in the early decades of the twentieth century.

History professor Miriam Wright has been involved with a project to recognize the history of the head tax and story of the Chinese people in Newfoundland. In 2007, a group of descendants of head tax payers, their families and supporters formed the Newfoundland and Labrador Headtax Redress Organization (NHLRO). NHLRO applied for, and received, a grant from Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Community Historical Recognition Program to commemorate the early Chinese immigrants and educate the public about the history of the head tax. The project includes a monument located in downtown St. John’s (co-sponsored by the City of St. John’s and the Grand Concourse Authority), a website and an educational resource kit for public schools in the province.

Dr. Wright became involved with NLHRO through her partner, Robert Hong, whose father paid the head tax when he arrived in St. John’s in the 1930s. She and Robert did some research on the early Chinese immigrants and the laundries and cafes they owned and operated. Dr. Wright then used this research for the storyboards the city is installing at the site. The storyboards feature a brief history of Chinese immigrants to Newfoundland, as well as photographs from local archives. Although Dr. Wright’s main research area is Canadian fisheries, she studied at Memorial University and has an interest in the province’s history (she wrote a book on the Newfoundland cod fishery). She hopes this project will increase public awareness of the head tax and the Chinese community. It might also let people know that Newfoundland’s history is about more than rocky coasts and fisher folk.

 History professor Miriam Wright and Robert Hong in front of the Chinese Head Tax monument in St. John’s at the 17 September 2010 unveiling. The monument features a 1940 photograph of members of the Chinese community taken in St. John’s.