Chinese-Canadian Nanaimo
Of the waves of immigrants who came to BC in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Chinese are prominent for their numbers, but also for the patient industriousness with which they endured the pioneering lifestyle and the hard work of the railroads and mines.
They also endured intense bigotry from the more numerous white populations. The Chinese men were given the worst jobs in the mines, working in deplorable conditions and not even named by the bosses when they died (they show up in the accident registers as "Chinaman #42", etc). Their ramshackle Chinatowns burned to the ground three times in a few decades, and foul play is usually thought to be responsible.
So it's no wonder that Chinese-Canadian Nanaimo-ites aren't beaming with local pride and joining the great Can-Can dance at Nanaimo's rich pageant. However, the past fades, and the newer consciousness of Nanaimo is more inclusive. It seems appropriately Chinese that those bad memories are being laid to rest, though not quite forgotten.
Chinese-Nanaimo Personalities
Many people remember the Wong brothers as prominent, nice Chinese men who ran a high-profile restaurant, the Diner's Rendezvous, downtown.