History Timeline
Events That Heavily Impacted Chinese Canadian Lives and Fashion
1895 - Canada imposed the first Chinese Immigration Act to restrict Chinese immigration into Canada, which required every Chinese man, woman, or child to pay a $50 head tax. This tax was increased to $100 in 1900 and then $500 in 1903. At the time, $500 had the purchasing power of buying two houses in Montreal. This act impoverished many Chinese Canadian families, and forced more families to be separated for decades.
1911 - A revolution in China, known as Xinhai Revolution, led to the fall of China’s Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. Consequently, this revolution caused over a decade of revolts and uprisings. Shortly after the revolution, China had become a place for intense power struggles between the Chinese National Party (KMT), the Chinese Communist Party and influential Western countries. Political hardship made Chinese people desired to immigrate to Canada for employment opportunities, economic benefits and stability.
1919 - An anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement in China initiated by a new generation of students. Supporters of this movement were frustrated by the Chinese government’s response to the Treaty of Versailles, desiring strong leadership, Chinese nationalism, and modernization in social and cultural spheres. This movement can be viewed as parallel to the “New Woman” movement in Western countries, as they both demanded liberation and modernity.
1923 - The Parliament of Canada introduced the Chinese Exclusion Act to prohibit most Chinese immigration. The only four exceptions for people with Chinese heritage from this act were students, diplomates, merchants, and Chinese-born Canadians returning to Canada. However, some Canadian-born Chinese who did not return in time were banned from re-entry. In addition, Canadian-born Chinese at this time had to register an identity card to prove their citizenship. Otherwise, they would be imprisoned or fined up to $500.
1931 - Chinese people’s national identity was threatened by the chaotic political situation in their country, so does the identity and cultural pride of the diasporic Chinese populations living in Canada. Japan occupied Manchuria and established a puppet state named Manchukuo. This event marked the beginning for China to become a semi-colony.
1937 - The Japanese invasion in China blew into a full-scale war, which marked the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war made many Chinese people seek refuge, and many Chinese Canadians lost connections to their families in mainland China.
1945 - World War II in China ended with help from the United States and international allies. However, the Republican Party remained weak after the war and citizens suffered from economic loss and high inflation. At the same time, the KMT and the Communist Party began their power struggles.
1947 - Canada introduced the Canadian Citizenship Act under the government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King. This act allows residents to apply for Canadian citizenship regardless of their country of origin. Thus, some Chinese Canadian families reunified due to this act. However, it was still almost impossible for the Chinese to immigrate to Canada without family and marital connections.
1949 - The Communist Party’s leader, Mao Zedong, established the People’s Republic of China. This new country embraces drastically different political and economic systems, which greatly challenged Western values. Some affluent Chinese were able to escape the country during this time, while most of the population stayed and experienced changes that impacted the rest of their lives. Many Chinese Canadian immigrants who came to Canada in the second half of the twentieth century had profound cultural influences from Communist China.
1966 - The Chinese Cultural Revolution began, resulting in a complete block on China's relations with the Western world and causing drastic changes to Chinese women's fashion. Fashion was perceived as a bourgeois outcome in the People's Republic of China, and women were required to wear military uniforms to show obedience and reject Western modernity. The Cultural Revolution greatly affected Chinese Canadian women who came of age during this period. Though many of them immigrated to Canada in later adulthood, the revolution's impacts remained and were reflected through their minimalist fashion and makeup practices.
1967 - The Canadian federal government revised the Immigration Act by implementing the Point System, which allowed applicants from all countries to apply for Canadian citizenship based on their educational, financial and working experiences. Canada started to have increasing numbers of immigrants, including the first wave of Chinese immigrants from prosperous Chinese cities in Guang Dong, Hong Kong and Taiwanese citizens.
1976 - The Chinese Cultural Revolution ended. Political, financial and educational chaos started to settle down. Young people were allowed to return to school and participate in the university entrance exam. Chinese women gradually gained back some self-fashioning freedom though their choices and fashion resources were still heavily restrained for a long time. The concept of fashion started to revive in China in the early 1980s.
1978 - The Chinese Communist Party leader, Deng Xiao Ping, announced the Open Door Policy to welcome foreign businesses to invest in China. This policy initiates the changing relationships between China and Western countries by establishing economic collaboration and partnerships. The policy had profound influences in the following decades, allowing many Chinese women to develop fashion consciousness and millions of Chinese families to gain financial prosperity. These affluent Chinese families became the first immigrants to Canada from mainland China and brought Chinese knowledge and lifestyle.
1988 - Canada established the Canadian Multiculturalism Act to provide every individual equal rights and freedom to express their own cultures. The policies outlined that “all citizens can keep their identities”, and social institutions offered more opportunities to help Chinese Canadian women find employment and gain financial independence. However, though the multiculturalism policies provided symbolic support for racial minorities in Canada, the post-WWII generation of Chinese Canadians still experienced racism and a sense of exclusion. Many tried to use clothing and fashion to minimize racial differences, become “invisible”, and thus adapt to Canadian society.
1997 - Hong Kong was handed over back to mainland China after a hundred and fifty years of British rule. The anxiety of entering a communist regime intensified Hong Kong people’s desire of immigrating to Canada. The return of Hong Kong changed the construction of Chinese Canadian populations. Many Hong Kong people immigrated to Canada through the Skilled Workers Program and other investment venues. At the same time, the number of immigrants from mainland China also grew significantly.
