Research guides: Resources Guide to Chinese Canadian Studies: Find Primary Sources

Databases

Canadiana Online This link opens in a new window
Documents Canada's printed heritage, including books, magazines, and government documents, from the time of the first European settlers up to the early 20th century.
Héritage This link opens in a new window
An "initiative to digitize and make accessible online some of Canada’s most popular archival collections encompassing roughly 40 million pages of primary-source documents [...] from the 1600s to the mid-1900s."

Library and Archives Canada
Search the collection of the Library and Archives Canada with key words like "Chinese Canadian", and use the filter "Available online" to limit to digitized resources.

First World War: Personal Experiences This link opens in a new window
Personal writings, printed material, military files, ephemera, and artwork describing the experiences of soldiers, civilians and governments during World War I.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories This link opens in a new window
Personal papers and oral histories describing the immigrant experience in America and Canada between 1800 and 1950.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Diaries and letters describing the experiences of North American women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window
Speeches, reports, surveys, and analyses produced by the Race Relations Department at Fisk University from 1943 to 1970.

America in World War Two : oral histories and personal accounts
Comprising extensive collections sourced from The National WWII Museum, New Orleans, this digital resource consists of personal letters, diaries, photographs, artifacts and military records offer insight into operations in the Pacific, the D-Day landings in Europe and the post-war occupation of Germany.
Food and drink in history
The materials in this collection illustrate the deep links between food and identity, politics and power, gender, race and socio-economic status, as well as charting key issues around agriculture, nutrition and food production. The unique material in this collection has been sourced from across the globe to reflect a wide range of food cultures and traditions, creating an unparalleled resource for research. The earliest documents are from the sixteenth century and the latest from the early twenty-first century.
More primary databases ...

Newspapers

Chinese Canadian Newspapers
Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library collects local Chinese Canadian community newspapers. Please contact the library for details.

Multicultural Canada Digitized Newspaper Collection
Simon Fraser University Library's digital collection of Chinese Canadian newspapers.
Digitized Newspaper Clippings of Shing Wah Daily (Toronto) from the 1940s to 1950s This collection includes the editorials, special columns, translated articles, and news articles of Shing Wah Daily from the 1940s to 1950s. Shing Wah Daily is the first Chinese newspaper published in Toronto from 1922 to 1993. As the official newspaper in Canada of the Nationalist Party of China, its articles provide social and political commentaries on the Chinese, Canadian and the global landscapes in the context of the Chinese Civil War and the Cold War.
Historical Chinese Canadian Newspaper in Microfilm Format in Multicultural History Society of Ontario
Find News on Chinese Canadians in historical Canadian Newspapers
A research guide to help you access historical Canadian newspapers in English
The Overseas Chinese Clippings Database
The estimated 200,000 clippings were taken from approximately 230 Chinese language newspapers and 40 periodicals, published in 17 countries or regions, from 1950 through 1971.

Oral History

Chinese Canadian Oral History Project - Multicultural Alberta
Browse the Chinese collection to view the oral history interview clips
Oral History Interview Inventory of Multicultural History Society of Ontario
Contact the MHSO by email at info@mhso.ca or by phone at (416) 979-2973 for information about accessing this collection.
Chinese Canadian Stories Oral History Films Series
Available on Youtube
The Ties That Bind: Building the CPR, Building a Place in Canada The website contains resources that include primary source documents, images (historical photographs, newspaper cartoons), and oral history interviews; an historical timeline; and a bibliography in Chinese Canadian history.
Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University
The Project coordinates research in North America and Asia in order to create an on-line digital archive available to all, along with books, digital visualizations, conferences and public events.

Find textual records and photographs in archives

For digitized Chinese Canadian archival collections, please see the Open Access Digital Collections & Websites section of this guide.

Chinese Canadians - research guide of Library and Archives Canada
A resource guide to the resources on the history of Chinese immigrants in the collections of Library and Archives Canada.
The Archives of Ontario
The Archives of Ontario holds many different kinds of records, including immigration records.
Memory BC
The MemoryBC.ca portal provides a searchable database of the materials available at nearly 200 archival repositories throughout the province of British Columbia.
Search "Chinese" in the search box to get results related Chinese Canadians.
City of Toronto Archives
This guide focuses on the history of the Chinese community in Toronto, and is illustrated with selections from the Archives’ collection of photographs, documents and drawings.
Digital Archive of Toronto Public Library
Explore photos, maps, manuscripts, digitized books and more from Toronto Public Library.
Multicultural History Society of Ontario Archives
Finding aid of Chinese Canadian photographs:

http://ao.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll/1568439138/DESCRIPTION_WEB_NOSRCH/REFD/F~201405-8?JUMP
Chinese Canadian Archive at Toronto Public Libraries
A community-built archive maintained by Toronto Public Library. Items record the activities and community involvement of individuals and families. Includes:

*photos, slides, drawings and paintings
*books, letters, diaries, study notes and calligraphy
*identifications, records and certificates (from governments, businesses and associations). Some items have been digitized.
Chinese Canadian Genealogy
This research guide prepared by the Vancouver Public Libraries is to provide tools and information to support the research on personal connection to Chinese Canadian history.
Senator Vivienne Poy’s Papers - available through Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library at U of T
A collection of speeches, archival records, research papers and books by Senator Vivienne Poy during her fourteen years of service, 1998-2012.

Movies/Films

CBC Digital Archives: Chinese Immigration to Canada: A Tale of Perseverance
Chinese Cafes in Rural Saskatchewan
Producer/Director Tony Chan
In Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Glenn and Pearl Tang reveal the simple business life of a Chinese family on the prairies.
The Panama: A Television Documentary
Producer/Director Tony Chan
The Panama chronicles the Chan family of Victoria, British Columbia as it evolved from its first days in Canada
CCTV documentary about Documentary about Taishan overseas Chinese history
The narration is in Mandarin Chinese.
CCTV documentary about stories of overseas Chinese from Wuyi area
Search "《国宝档案》华侨故事" for all 4 episodes.
Narration is in Mandarin Chinese.
Films/Documentaries on Chinese Canadians at UTL
Films on the topic of Chinese Canadians
Through National Film Board of Canada.

Research Guides

Resources Guide to Chinese Canadian Studies

Databases

Newspapers

Oral History

Find textual records and photographs in archives

Movies/Films

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