Allan Nichols

What connection could Canada possibly have with China? After all, Canada is a country of thirty one million where China is a country of almost one and a half BILLION.

China is a country full of unknowns. It is worlds apart from Canada, and yet, historically speaking, few countries in the world share a closer connection. There is said to be some evidence that the Buddhist monk Huei Shan, may have visited the West Coast of British Columbia in 499BC. Almost one thousand years before the first Europeans tread foot on this soil. Currently, there are more than 1 million Canadians that can trace their ancestry back to China. To a large degree, the success of the West is due to the sacrifice of those early immigrants. For many Chinese Canadians, that connection to China has been separated by the more than 150 years of history. 　For others, the connection is much closer.

That connection, of course can no longer be referred to in strictly “Chinese in Canada” terms, but to an ever expanding extent, the “Canadian in China” factor is making its way into the main stream. To be sure, this is certainly not a brand new phenomenon. We are all aware of Dr. Bethune, the perhaps somewhat politically motivated yet dedicated humanitarian that arrived in China in 1938 and died there only a year later. Yet, in that single year he became perhaps the most famous Canadian Expat ever to have visited China. Thanks in no small part to Chairman Mao Zedong publishing an essay entitled In Memory of Norman Bethune, and then making it required reading for the entire Chinese population. And then there is the story of Canadian entrepeneur Allan Zeman. Although not quite as famous as Dr. Bethune, Zeman moved to Hong Kong in 1975 and susequently opened a restaurant called the California Restaurant on the narrow street known as Lan Kwai Fong. It became so popular and successful that in 1983 Zeman purchased the entire street. For Hong Kong, Lan Kwai Fong is now the most popular place to go.

More recently, Canadians have been traveling to China in great numbers. In 2005 there were 3500 Canadians actually registered with the Canadian Embassy and with consulates around China. The Embassy suggested that perhaps the true number of residents was closer to 5000. An interview with the Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver revealed that the number of Canadian Expats in the Peoples Republic of China is much larger. Kenny Zhang with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada brings the number of Canadians living in Hong Kong alone to be over 200,000. The Canadian Diaspora representation in China is huge and it is growing at an increadable rate.

Currently one of the most famous comedians on Chinese television is Ottawa born, Mark Rowswell. Through his character “Dashan”, Mark imports Canadian humour into China and the Chinese are eating it up . Mark, in an interview with the Toronto Star described his character as having been accepted into Chinese homes like

a good friend or close neighbour; it just happens that he comes from the other side of the planet.

Although it seems that politically, China and Canada are worlds apart, it is obvious that we are much closer than most people really think. This relationship can only improve and grow. In the next few years as Canada achieves the coveted “Approved Destination Status”, it is expected that we will see a huge increase in Chinese tourists. The reverse is most likely to also be true with even more Canadians traveling to China to teach and to learn and to help bring the connection between our worlds a little closer together.

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