From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration is a community-based educational initiative led by Simon Fraser University (SFU) and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. aimed at raising awareness of these social justice issues among youth and the community at large. During a series of 20 video interviews, the film explores the impact of the Head Tax and Exclusion Act on Chinese immigrants between 1923-47 through the reflections of their Chinese Canadian descendents and recent immigrants. Filmed on location in BC and throughout China’s Guandong province, “From C to C” is a moving, and cinematic, tapestry of Chinese Canadian stories of migration. These stories outline the injustices faced by Chinese migrants during the last century, and the little known affects of migration on the families and communities of migrants. The film contrasts these histories with the views and experiences of contemporary Chinese Canadian youth, leading us to reflect on the meaning of exclusion for those who experienced it, as well as for those who did not. By calling attention to the diverse and transnational nature of contemporary Chinese Canadian identities, the film promotes an inclusive vision of Canada that values members of all communities as global—rather than solely national—citizens.

The film also celebrates how Chinese Canadian pioneers helped to build Canada. SFU’s Teaching and Learning Centre has won a Leo Award for best one-hour documentary program for this documentary.

The clip below is an interview selection with Bill Wong of Modernize Tailors (est. 1913) in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Bill reflects on a poem his father taught him to remember his ancestral village in Taishan, China.

Here’s a few other Chinese Canadian documentaries to check out: Lost Years, Unwanted Soldiers, and In the Shadow of Gold Mountain.

From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration