Table Of Contents

The Story..........................................................4

Cumberland Chinatown: Then and Now.................................................................22

About The Author...........................................24

I: The Story

Dear Diary,                             

My name is Low Hock Shun.

I was born in Yuet Ming, Toi Shan, Kwong-tung, China on September 23, 1862. On March 2, 1881, I hopped on a boat as I left my family and all that I ever knew. I’m off to San Francisco! A new adventure awaits.

Dear Diary,               

Today, I arrived in San Francisco and got to work in this strange new land. It felt weird to be away from my village though I got used to it. Soon, I shall find wealth in this new strange land.

Dear Diary,

I travelled to the Gum Sa (The Golden Mountain), and started digging. After days and weeks of tireless labour, I soon learned that all the gold has been removed from the mountains in California. I left to go up North.

Dear Diary,

I started to travel up north using many trains along the way. Along the way I faced massive racism, but did I care? No Way! I was flexible, not literally but metaphorically. They were not going to break me or my spirit!

Dear Diary,

I arrived in Victoria and became a chef!  My boss was cruel and threatened to beat me if he caught me not doing my chores or cooking. My boss was 6 5” and I was only 5 10”. This made me feel like a dwarf. Soon, I was called back to China to marry Tsang Yoke Ngan before coming back to Canada. I then moved to Cumberland and helped organize the Chinatown there, after all I was a businessman. I bought a 3-story building.  The 1st floor was a General Store.  The 2nd were rooms to be rented out, and finally the top floor was where my family and I lived. I also built and ran the Ha Gai, which is the Chinese Opera House.