Arlene Chan 4-Book Bundle: The Chinese Community in Toronto / The Chinese in Toronto from 1878 / Paddles Up! / Spirit of the Dragon

By Arlene Chan and Susan Humphries

Third-generation Chinese-Canadian Arlene Chan shares the rich histories of Toronto’s Chinese-Canadian communities in this special four-book bundle.

Includes:

The Chinese Community in Toronto
The history of the Chinese community in Toronto is rich with stories drawn from over 150 years of life in Canada. Stories, photographs, newspaper reports, maps, and charts will bring to life the little-known and dark history of the Chinese community, showing how the Chinese make a significant contribution to the vibrant and diverse mosaic that makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

The Chinese in Toronto from 1878
In 1894 Toronto’s Chinese population numbered 50. Today, no less than seven Chinatowns serve the second-largest visible minority in the city, with a population of half a million. With their many achievements, the Chinese have become a vibrant part of the diverse mosaic that makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

Paddles Up! Dragon Boat Racing in Canada
Paddles Up! provides an in-depth look at dragon boating from its beginnings in ancient China to the modern-day prominence of Canadian teams on the international scene, as told in the words of top coaches of men’s and women’s teams, experts and enthusiasts, and sports health professionals across Canada.

Spirit of the Dragon: The Story of Jean Lumb
The Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour, is awarded to those who have made a distinct contribution to Canadian life. The late Jean Lumb received the Order of Canada, among other awards, for her role in changing Canada’s immigration laws that separated Chinese families, and for her contribution in saving Chinatowns across Canada.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Mar 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781459736672

Arlene Chan

Arlene Chan is a third-generation Chinese Canadian who was born in Toronto and spent her early years in "Old Chinatown" at Elizabeth and Dundas Streets where she helped at her parents' restaurant. Her other books include The Chinese in Toronto from 1878 and Paddles Up! Dragon Boat Racing in Canada. She lives in Toronto.

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Contents

Introduction

Ferry Boat Tragedy

Growing Up in British Columbia

The Move to Toronto

A New Life

Meeting the Prime Minister

Meeting the Queen of England

Community Work

The Order of Canada

Continuing Recognition

Introduction

The story of Jean Lumb is one among many that could be told about Chinese-Canadian women who were raised during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Despite the hardships of living in a Canada that did not welcome Chinese people, Jean grew and developed from being an outsider to being a leader not only within the Chinese-Canadian community but also in the whole of Canada. Like the mighty dragon in Chinese mythology, her spirit and determination have made her a symbol to be admired by all people. Through her leadership, Jean Lumb is a woman who has made a difference to life in Canada.

At right, Jean Lumb’s name written in Chinese characters.

Ferry Boat Tragedy

Help me! Help me! cried out the woman, her eyes filled with terror.

Just a moment earlier, she had been sitting quietly in the front seat on the lower deck of the ferry boat. Suddenly, there was a crash as the ferry was rammed by a larger ship, the Princess Alice. Now, she was pinned under the sharp bow of the Princess Alice.

Help me! Help me! Those were her last dying words.

I’ll never forget the screams of that woman, Jean Lumb says as she remembers the ferry boat tragedy of 1935. Fourteen-year-old Jean always sat in the same seat when she took the 7:30 A.M. ferry to work from Vancouver across the harbour to North Vancouver. She never failed to be the first in line at the dock for the ten-minute ride so that she could sit in the same seat the lady had taken that day. Although Jean was paid only two dollars a week for baby-sitting, her family relied on her earnings, and she had to go to her job every day.

However, by chance, she was not first in line that day. A woman, on her way to her grandson’s birthday party, had missed the earlier ferry and so she was at the head of the line for the next one. She took the seat that Jean had always occupied and Jean had to sit farther back on the ferry.

Jean recalls years later, It was so foggy that morning. But when I saw that big ship, I knew we were going to be hit. Jean was thrown across the cabin with the impact of the crash. Sensing great danger, she grabbed a fellow passenger who was in a state of shock, climbed over the empty seats, and ran up the stairs to the main deck of the ferry. All the passengers were pulled to safety aboard the Princess Alice just in time. Seconds later, the ferry sank.

News of the accident spread quickly on the radio. When it was announced that a woman had been pinned by the collision and had drowned, Jean’s mother thought the worst. She knew that Jean always sat in the lower deck at the front. To her relief, it was announced that the person who died was an older woman. Her mother then knew that it could not be Jean.

Jean’s mother knew that her daughter was going to be someone special.

There is an old Chinese saying that if someone survives a disaster, that person will have good fortune.

Report of the accident,

appearing in the newspaper:

Vancouver

On Monday, February 4, 1935, at 8:47 A.M., the worst fears became stark reality: West Vancouver 5 was rammed and sunk by the CPR’S Princess Alice.

It is alleged." said the West Vancouver News on February 7, "the ferry was on her right course and going slowly. She was struck on the side of the large cabin aft the sharp bow of the Alice striking at an acute angle and bringing up at the bulkhead on the side of the stairway. This allowed those in the cabin to escape up the stairway, but an elderly lady, believed to be Mrs. William E. Burritt, mother of Mrs. A. P. Croker, of 2869 Bellevue Avenue, was trapped between the bow of the Alice and the side of the cabin. Captain [Darius] Smith risked his life, as did Mate [George] Hayes and Lookout Arnold Garthone, who came to his assistance, in a gallant attempt to save her, the captain receiving a bad cut in the head, but the ferry sank More she could be extricated. The surviving passengers ... were taken on the Alice to the city ...

Growing Up in British Columbia

Jean Wong was born on July 30,1919, in Nanaimo, a small town on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Her father had come to Canada from China in 1899 to work as a farm labourer for a landowner named Mr. Billy. With Mr. Billy’s help, Jean explains, my father was soon able to bring my mother and my eldest brother, who was six, from China to Canada. Later, her father left the farm and became a coal miner, again with the help of Mr. Billy. Eight more children, including Jean, were born to the family in Nanaimo. The family was very poor and struggled for a living, but no one complained. Her father knew that no matter how bad things were, life would have been worse if they still lived in China.

When the Exclusion Act was enacted in 1923, all Chinese living in Canada had to be registered. This certificate is Jean’s registration – her name as a child was Wong Toy Jin.

When the coal mine closed, the Wong family moved from Nanaimo to Vancouver, where Jean’s father opened a fruit store and leased a hotel. It was now the early 1930s and there were no jobs for people. This period was called the Great Depression. With no money, people stopped travelling and staying in hotels. Instead, her father rented rooms to people who lived there and a few who stayed overnight on their journey back to China.

Jean recalls, With almost a full house, few had enough money to pay and my father lost his hotel business. He could not pay the rent because he was not able to collect any money. The family moved out of the 100-room hotel into a small apartment and worked in the fruit store. Three more children were born, bringing the number of children to 12 – five sons and seven daughters.

Sister Wynnie (middle) says farewell to Jean (right) and Dorothy (left) at the train station in Vancouver as they leave for Toronto.

At this time, there was discrimination against Chinese people as they were considered different. Their language was not English. Employers paid them lower wages than other people. They did not have the right to vote. They could not become professionals, such as lawyers, teachers or pharmacists. Their children had to attend segregated schools. That meant that white children did not go to the same school as the other children, including Native peoples, Chinese, and Japanese. To get to her school, Jean recalls, she had to walk past the school the white children attended. As she walked by, insults would be yelled at her.

At the age of 12, although she loved school, Jean had to quit to work in her father’s fruit store to help support the family. In those days, there was no law about staying in school. Looking back, Jean says, Father took me out of school to work so Robert, my older brother, could go on in school. She feels very proud of this sacrifice because her brother later graduated from university as an aeronautical engineer.

The night she had to leave school she cried. Her father came into her room and told her not to worry about leaving school. He would be her teacher. And so, with her older brother’s school books, she studied during the evenings after working in the store all day.

Her father also taught her how to read and write Chinese. "I learned more Chinese from my father than I would have at school,’ Jean remembers. Her father took her to work with him when he still ran the hotel. Every day, she had to copy names in the registration book to practice her Chinese. During this time, she became very close to her father, and his teaching was to influence her for the rest of her life.

A model of the airplane Jean’s brother, Robert, built and flew.

The precious time with her father passed. One of her older sisters had married and moved to Toronto to open a fruit store. She wrote and asked her parents for help from the family. So at age 16 Jean found herself on the train from Vancouver to Toronto with her sister Dorothy, age 8, to work for her older married sister.

During the Second World War, Robert trained pilots. Following the war, he and his brother, Tommy, started Central Airways, a successful flying school on Toronto Island.

The Move to Toronto

For the train ride, Jean was given only some ham, a loaf of bread and one dollar to buy something to drink. Dorothy, her eight-year old sister, was with her. One less mouth to feed, was her mother’s reason for sending her along.

Jean at her fruit store, 1938.

Jean had mixed feelings. She was scared about having to look after her little sister. But, she was very excited about travelling for the first time and the adventure of starting a new life. The girls had to sit up all the way on hard, wooden seats. They could not afford a sleeping berth or even the section with cushioned seats. The excitement quickly wore off after travelling for four days and three nights.

There were so few Chinese in Toronto at that time, she remembers, upon arriving in the city, mostly lonely men, whose wives and children were far away in China.

Jean at her fruit store, 1938

Her sister’s fruit store was not doing well so they all left Toronto to look for a new place to start a business. Finally, after much searching, they opened a restaurant in Sudbury, a mining town in Northern Ontario. After a year, Jean moved back to Toronto with Dorothy to work for a cousin who owned a fruit store in that city.

In those days, Chinese found it difficult to find work. So they opened restaurants, laundries or grocery stores. A short time later, with the help of relatives and a loan of $200, Jean opened her own fruit store at the age of 17. With very little money and education, but a great deal of experience working in fruit stores, she was able to start her own business.

Within a few years, Jean’s business was doing well enough for her to bring her parents, brothers and sisters to Toronto. Little did Jean know that by moving her family there she would be preparing for the next big event of her life.

A New Life

Jean was now 19 years old, and the family thought that it was time for her to marry. At that time in the Chinese community, it was the custom for the family to select someone, called a matchmaker, to arrange a marriage between two young people. The matchmaker would match people with similar backgrounds and interests so that the marriage would have a good chance of lasting. With the help of a matchmaker, Jean was introduced to Doyle Lumb. He was such a good looking boy she remembers, and very quiet. Jean’s mother thought it would be all right because Jean talks a lot. One reason Doyle was selected by the matchmaker was that he owned a fruit store, just like Jean. The matchmaker thought Jean and Doyle would have many things in common.

Jean and her husband, Doyle, with Jean’s parents and sister, Frances, at their wedding. Jean lost her Canadian citizenship when she married someone who was not born in Canada. She later applied to regain her citizenship in 1957.

My mother asked me if I liked him. If I didn’t like him, I didn’t have to see him anymore. Jean did like Doyle, and she knew her mother liked him too. She married Doyle in 1939 at the age of 20. Jean and Doyle were married for 50 years until he died in 1989.

Jean was a Wonderful hostess at the restaurant. She was so bubbly, alive and gracious – she was all those things. In those days, the Kwong Chow was the best Cantonese restaurant in Toronto.

Pierre Berton, author

Jean insisted on being married in a church, not a community hall like the Chinese brides before her. She and Doyle were the first Chinese in Toronto to be married in a church.

Jean and her husband worked together in their grocery store. During their 20 years there, they raised six children – three boys and three girls. Jean became a Christian, partly for her children. I wanted them to have all the things I had missed, like Sunday School, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.

Jean and Doyle decided to open a restaurant, rather than continue the grocery store. In 1959, they opened the restaurant in downtown Chinatown and called it Kwong Chow, named after a city in China – famous for its Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant was successful for many years and attracted well-known people over the years from prime ministers and politicians to movie stars and theatre people.

Even though Jean worked long hours, she knew how important it was to spend time with her husband and her children. She knew how important this was because her father had taught her the value of family life and relationships. My father loved his family, recalls Jean. Family was the most precious thing in the world. It was this sense of value for the family that led to a powerful change in Canadian law.

Celebrating VE Day to mark the end of the Second World War. Jean is third from the left, front row.

Meeting the Prime Minister

What did he say? asked the Prime Minister of Canada as he leaned towards Jean.

In 1957, over 20 Chinese Canadians chosen from across the country were in Ottawa to ask Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to change the immigration law that separated Chinese families.

Exclusion Act, 1923

After the railroad was built across Canada, the Chinese workers were no longer needed. The government introduced a head tax of $10 in 1886 to discourage Chinese from coming to Canada. Over the next few years, it was raised to $50, $100 and then $500. Still, the Chinese kept coming to Canada. Finally, in 1923, the Exclusion Act was passed and that stopped the immigration from China to Canada and it lasted 24 years, until 1947. Jean’s husband, Doyle, paid the $500 head tax when he came to Canada at the age of 12. He was one of the last Chinese to enter the country before the Exclusion Act of 1923.

Earlier there had been a tax, called a Head Tax, on Chinese coming to Canada. Then in 1923, the government introduced the Exclusion Act to stop more Chinese from coming to Canada. For 24 years, no Chinese could come to Canada. The law kept families apart – husbands in Canada, wives and children in China. Even when the government ended the Exclusion Act in 1947, families continued to be separated. Only Chinese who were Canadian citizens could bring their families over to Canada. If someone wanted his mother to come, she had to be older than 65. Only children 18 years old or younger could come.

This was unfair and kept families apart, and Jean, who valued family life, knew how unjust it was. Jean was invited to join the group that was to meet with the Prime Minister. The group travelled to Ottawa from across Canada to try to persuade the Canadian government to change the law so that families could be together.

Jean at the meeting with Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1957. Mr. Wong is seated on the other side of the prime minister.

What did he say? Prime Minister Diefenbaker asked again. He had asked Jean, the only woman delegate, to sit next to him during the presentation. The leader, Mr. Wong, was giving a speech to explain the reasons why the group thought the law should be changed. Jean knew his speech by heart because she had helped Mr. Wong, the official spokesperson, to practice it over and over again on the train ride to Ottawa. Each time the Prime Minister asked, she repeated what Mr. Wong had said.

You saved the day, Jean! exclaimed Mr. Wong after the meeting.

The change to the immigration laws was my greatest accomplishment, says Jean. She had carried out her father’s dream to see Chinese families re-united.

It was years later that Jean discovered that Prime Minister Diefenbaker had trouble hearing in one ear. Jean was sitting on the side of the Prime Minister’s good ear, and Mr. Wong on the side of his bad ear. From that day, Jean became known as the unofficial spokesperson for the Chinese community.

Jean’s passionate involvement with politics was a result of her father’s influence. Earlier, in 1947, with the end of the Exclusion Act, Chinese Canadians were finally accepted as citizens with the right to vote. Proudly, Jean’s father voted twice before his death. He knew the importance of voting and its effect on the community. He would have been very proud of Jean on that day as she sat beside the Prime Minister – and helped to change the law! Her strong feelings about the value of the family had helped change the law allowing Chinese and other people to bring their families together in Canada.

Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and his wife, Olive, at Jean’s restaurant.

Exactly ten years later, Jean went back to Ottawa to meet another important person.

Meeting the Queen of England

Happy birthday! It was Canada’s Centennial, its 100th anniversary as a country. A grand celebration was organized for June 30 and July 1, 1967, in Ottawa for Canadians and for Her Majesty, the Queen.

Jean waiting to be presented to Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, 1967.

The Chinese Community Dancers of Ontario, a dance group that Jean had formed, was chosen to perform for the celebration in Ottawa. I can’t go, was Jean’s first reaction. My son, Doug, is getting married that day. John Fisher, known as Mr. Canada because he wrote and told stories about the history of Canada, insisted, Jean, you have to go. It’s a command performance for the Queen!

Governor General Roland Michener at Jean’s restaurant.

A private airplane was arranged for Jean and her three daughters. In one day we were in Ottawa dancing for the show. I was presented to the Queen at 3 PM, she remembers. Then we had to rush off to catch the plane to Toronto for Doug’s wedding that evening at 7 PM. The next morning, we were back in Ottawa for the July 1st performance. Jean’s mother, so proud of her daughter, told her, The sky opened and let you into heaven.

Community Work

Jean’s work with the Chinese Community Dancers of Ontario was only one of the many ways that she volunteered her time in the Chinese community. She helped out at the public schools, Chinese school, and community centre that her children attended. She donated her time to the Lumb Family Association and to a Chinese drama group.

Bill Cosby sent Jean a signed photograph after meeting her and enjoying a meal at the restaurant.

In the late 1960s, Jean helped in a campaign to save Toronto’s Chinatown. She was in charge of representatives from over 40 Chinese organizations who went to City Hall to save their Chinatown. Wealthy businessmen with their own ideas about improving the downtown area wanted to tear it down and build expensive high-rise apartments and offices. Jean and her group convinced the city politicians that Chinatown had to be saved. It was important to the Chinese community and to the people of the city. Led by the mayor of Toronto, David Crombie, the city limited the height of new buildings to four storeys. Chinatown was saved. Toronto’s Chinatown was not alone in its fight against being demolished. Jean went to Vancouver and Calgary as the only woman representative to help save their Chinatowns too.

Family Associations

Family Associations were very important to the Chinese. People with the same surname believed that they were descended from the same ancestor. These family associations helped their members, especially during hard times. Jean was a member of the Wong Association. After her marriage, she and Doyle were active in the Lem Si Ho Tong Family Association. (Her married name was Lumb – and Lumb and Lem are different spellings in English for the same surname).

"I remember Jean as an energetic, hard-Working, and kind person. She loved her family and made an enormous contribution to her community. She is one of Toronto’s great heroes and I have always been proud to call her my friend."

David Crombie, former Mayor of Toronto

Another important event for Jean in the 1960s was meeting Pauline McGibbon, who later became the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Queen’s official representative in the province. She encouraged Jean to extend her volunteer work outside the Chinese community and into the Canadian way of life. Taking Pauline McGibbon’s advice, Jean worked as a volunteer in a number of organizations, including the Women’s College Hospital, Summer Centres for Seniors, University Settlement House, and Mount Sinai Hospital.

Jean and David Crombie, Mayor of Toronto, at the Kwong Chow restaurant, 1968.

Pauline McGibbon, former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, influenced Jean to participate in the Arts and community work.

To do volunteer activity outside the Chinese community was a huge step to take for a Chinese Canadian, particularly a woman. It had been the custom for Chinese, like many other immigrant groups, to stay within their own community. For someone to work outside it was a remarkable achievement. But then, Jean was a remarkable woman.

Jean became the interpreter of Chinese thoughts, feelings, and needs for non-Chinese people and for all levels of government. She was constantly interviewed by newspapers, magazines, radio, and television for her opinions. She provided an important link between Chinese Canadians and the community outside Chinatown.

Jean’s work in the Chinese community was so important that she returned to Ottawa to become the first Chinese-Canadian woman to receive Canada’s highest honour given to its citizens.

Jean was like a Mayor of Chinatown. It was easy to understand. She was so outgoing and interested in the community and Chinatown. She played an outstanding role in Toronto’s history.

Ed Mirvish, owner of restaurants and theatres

The Order of Canada

Jean’s knees were shaking. Everyone was looking at her. She was in Ottawa to receive the Order of Canada. What are they going to say about me? Jean wondered. Along with Jean, many famous Canadians were honoured, including James Reaney, the poet and playwright; William Kurelek, the painter; and Jack Bush, the painter.

Jean receiving the Order of Canada from Governor General Jules Léger in Ottawa, 1976. Her first thought when told of her award: What am I going to wear?

At the presentation of the Order of Canada, Jean remembers hearing how she was a defender of Chinatown. She also heard that she was the only woman representing the Chinese community in the appeal to change the immigration laws. The change allowed for the re-unification of families that had been separated by Canada’s Exclusion Act of 1923.

Jean was naturally full of emotion when she received the Order of Canada. I cried and so did Doyle. We were thinking of all the others who had worked so hard for the causes of our people too, remembers Jean. She also cried for her mother and father who did not live long enough to see their daughter so honoured.

Jean and Doyle at the Order of Canada ceremony.

Continuing Recognition

Jean has received many awards and honours since she was awarded the Order of Canada. One year later, she returned to Ottawa again to be honoured for her community work. She received the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Award, presented by the Queen, on the occasion of Her Majesty’s 25 years of rule. The Right Honourable Jules Léger presented her with the Governor General’s Award on the same day.

Hal Jackman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, honouring Jean at the Jean Lumb Awards of Excellence, 1996.

In 1982, Jean was the first woman to receive the Fran Deck Award, given to the person who makes an important contribution to Toronto’s restaurant industry. This was a really special award, remembers Jean. All the years of hard work at the Kwong Chow restaurant were recognized. It was the first time a Chinese restaurant had won the award too!

In 1983, Jean was honoured at the 125th anniversary celebration of the Chinese community in Canada for being an outstanding Chinese Canadian.

"I love Jean. She’s a kind, generous and beautiful lady, a very special person with unbelievable strength of character. Goodness shines from her face."

Ann Mirvish, actress and artist

In 1984, Jean won the Award of Merit, Toronto’s top honour. What a year to win, recalls Jean, It was the same year as Toronto’s 150th birthday.

Jean now serves as a Citizenship Judge representing Canada when immigrants are sworn in as Canadian citizens. She continues her community work with the Mount Sinai Hospital, Yee Hong Nursing Home for Greater Toronto and the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto.

In honour of her great accomplishments, the Jean Lumb Awards of Excellence are awarded every year to outstanding students of Chinese-Canadian descent from schools in the city of Toronto.

Throughout her life, Jean has lived by the values her parents taught – values held dear by generations of Chinese – and many other people around the world. These include the importance of family life, obedience, respect for elders, and education.

Jean as Citizenship Judge with Metro Toronto Police Chief David Boothby.

As she said so well herself at the Dragon Ball in 1990, honouring her accomplishments – speaking to an audience of over 1,200 people – Through the hard work and sacrifices of our forefathers, they have passed on a legacy of loyalty, honour, obedience, and respect. Through education, through the strength of family unity, and through respect for one another, we, the Chinese Canadians, have inherited a broad and firm foundation as good responsible citizens. I am proud, I am very happy, to be a Canadian.

Sitting in her home, the walls covered with family pictures, Jean recalls, The most important thing that my father left with me was his love for people, especially family. He used to say to me, ‘Jean, no matter what happens, always go to your family first. Your family is the most important thing. You may have friends, you may have people with other interests, but you’ll find that it is your family that counts.’

Even though the importance of family is a strong Chinese tradition, Jean believes that it does not matter about one’s background. To her, a family is a family. During all her years of community work, she remembers, If I didn’t have the family behind me, I really couldn’t have done it. Because if your family isn’t with you, beside you always, you really can’t do anything. And if your family is strong, this will make our country strong too!

Jean lives in Toronto where her children and nine grandchildren are my life and my joy. Her mother was right: Jean feels blessed with her good fortune.

Jean’s Accomplishments

President, Women’s Association of Ontario

Founder, Chinese Restaurant Association of Ontario

Founder, Chinese Business Association of Ontario

Director, Women’s Association of the Chinese Dramatic Society

Trustee, Toronto Chinese Public School

President, Lem Si Ho Tong Family Association Women’s Group

Member, Ontario Advisory Council on Multiculturalism

First Chinese-Canadian woman appointed to:

Board of Governors, Women’s College

Board member, Rotary Laughlen Centre

Board of Directors, University Settlement House

Director, Mount Sinai Hospital

Director, Summer Centres for Seniors

Honourary Member, Ontario Women’s Directorate

Citizenship Court Judge

Founding Director, Yee Hong Nursing Home for Greater Toronto

Honourary Advisor, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto

Jean’s Awards

Order of Canada, 1976

Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal, 1977

Governor General’s Award, 1977

Fran Deck Award to recognize Toronto’s leading contributor to the restaurant industry, 1982

Special Award to Honour Special Chinese Canadians, 1983

City of Toronto Award of Merit, 1984

Ontario Chinese Restaurant Association Award, 1984

YWCA Women of Change Honour Roll, 1984

Award, Ontario Women’s Directorate, 1993

Toronto and Area Council of Women, 100th Anniversary Award, 1993

Jean Lumb Awards of Excellence, 1996

For More Information About Jean Lumb

Chinese Canadian National Council. The Women’s Book Committee. Jin Guo: Voices of Chinese Canadian Women. Toronto: Toronto Women’s Press, 1992.

Huang, Evelyn with Lawrence Jeffrey. Voices from a Community. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1992.

Quo Vadis, Mrs.Lumb. National Film Board, [196-].

Yee, Paul, Struggle and Hope: The Story of Chinese Canadians. Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1996.

For More Information About the Chinese in Canada

Canada. Multiculturalism Directorate. The Canadian Family Tree. Supply & Services Canada, 1979.

Harris, Heather and Mary Sun. The Chinese Canadians. Toronto: Nelson Canada, 1982.

Hoe, Ban Seng. Beyond the Golden Mountain: Chinese Cultural Traditions in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1989.

Lee, Wai-man. Portraits of Challenge: An

Illustrated History of the Chinese Canadians. Toronto: Council of Chinese Canadians in Ontario, 1984.

Yee, Paul. Struggle and Hope: The Story of Chinese Canadians. Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1996.

Yee, Paul. Tales from Gold Mountain: Stories of the Chinese in the New World. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1989.

Wright, Richard Thomas. In a Strange Land: A Pictorial Record of the Chinese in Canada. 1788–1923. Saskatoon: Western Producer Prairie Books, 1988.

Contents

Foreword by Mike Haslam

Introduction by Arlene Chan and Susan Humphries

1. The Beginnings

Arlene Chan

2. Basic Dragon Boat Paddling Technique

Albert McDonald and Suzanne McKenzie

3. Getting There: Dry Land Training

Jamie Hollins

4. Drumming and Steering

Matt Robert

5. Dragon Boat Coaching

Kamini Jain

6. Teams and Teamwork

Andrew Fox

7. Voice of the Beast

Albert McDonald

8. The Making of an A-Team

Jim Farintosh

9. Common Injuries, Prevention, and Treatment

Dr. David Levy

10. Nutrition

Pam Lumb Collett

11. The International Standard Dragon Boat:Canadian Content

Mike Kerkmann

12. Dragon Boat Paddles

Gerry Kavanagh

13. Dragon Boat Racing: A Guide to Safety on the Water

14. Riding the Dragon

Eleanor Nielsen

15. The Little Team That Grew

Kathy Levy

16. Canada and the International Scene

Matt Smith

Glossary

Boat Commands

Additional Readings

Internet Resources

Editors and Contributors

Foreword

DRAGON BOATING:

COMMUNITY SPORT FOR ALL, BUT

SERIOUS SPORT TOO

The archaeological record shows that dragon boats were raced in China more than 5,000 years ago. They were used only for ceremonial purposes until the famous poet and statesman Qu Yuan, who lived during China’s Warring States Period, was banned from the state of Chu for speaking up against a corrupt regime.

Qu Yuan died some 2,300 years ago by drowning himself in the Miluo River after he learned that the rival state of Qin had defeated his beloved Chu. Qu Yuan’s death was commemorated by holding annual dragon boat races. The Dragon Boat Festival evolved from these annual events and eventually spread across China, mainly in the south, and subsequently to other areas in Southeast Asia.

Chinese dragon boat racing is much older than the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece. In its modern incarnation, it has one major difference from the Greek Olympics. Unlike those games, which celebrated the power and fighting abilities of the warrior class, traditional dragon boat festivals celebrate the sacrifice of Qu Yuan. Ever since his death, racing dragon boats has been a community activity with mass participation to remember his ultimate sacrifice.

The roots of the modern sport of dragon boat racing are also found in southern China and the fishing communities of Hong Kong. Racing the Dragon is part of their social life and the skills and traditions of dragon boat racing have been passed on, over hundreds of years, from one generation to the next.

Around the world, there are many other types of traditional long boats, like the dragon boat, which are central to the way of life of local fishing communities. Herein lies the secret and strength of dragon boating. It is truly a sport from the people and for all the people, and one that can bring whole communities together in friendly competition.

Taking part in dragon boating leads to a knowledge of the traditions of the sport. From this knowledge comes an understanding and respect for different cultures and values, and new friendships with people from around the world.

Dragon boat racing in the modern era is also based on participation. It is now a team sport in which people work together to achieve a common goal through common effort. There are no individual stars in dragon boat racing. Only the combined efforts of the crew as a whole can bring success and the feeling of complete achievement; individual prowess, unless it can be harnessed for the good of the crew, counts for nought.

Having participated in other sports, I have not found one with the social aspects and camaraderie of dragon boating. Even in Malaysia when the races were starting, we would chat with other teams and when we finished racing we would all be congratulating each other for a good race, win or lose.

— Stefan Nowak, Pickering, Ontario

But how did this ancient traditional activity develop into today’s modern sport? Dragon boating is almost part of daily life in Hong Kong and one of the oldest Chinese traditions. It is not surprising that, in 1975, the Hong Kong Tourist Association (now the Hong Kong Tourist Board) decided that dragon boat racing, with its combination of traditional sporting activity and associated festival of Chinese culture, could be a unique way to promote Hong Kong as a tourist venue.

The first international dragon boat race was then held in Hong Kong in 1976, with a crew from the Japanese city of Nagasaki invited to race. This race launched the modern era of dragon boat racing.

Since then the Hong Kong International Festival Races (HKIR) have taken place annually on the first weekend after the traditional Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie) races that are held on the fifth day of the fifth moon, usually in June.

Triggered by the successful marketing campaign that followed, which promoted Hong Kong through the HKIR, dragon boat racing rapidly spread across the world into the Pacific Region, Europe, and North America, but particularly to the United Kingdom and Canada. A tradition of paddling open canoes meant that Canadians took to the dragon boat like the proverbial duck to water!

This explosion of dragon boat activity, emerging out of the Hong Kong International Races, led to the founding of dragon boat associations around the world in the late 1980s. British, Hong Kong, Chinese, and Canadian associations were among the first.

These national organizations, led by the British Dragon Boat Racing Association (BDA), established in 1987, came together and founded the European Dragon Boat Federation (EDBF) in 1990, followed in 1991 by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), and finally the Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF) in 1992.

Under the guidance of the IDBF the sport has spread to nearly 70 countries on all continents with standard racing rules and regulations formulated by the IDBF. As well, standardized IDBF racing dragon boats and equipment were introduced for world and continental championships in the sport and for adoption by organizations new to the sport.

In a nutshell, dragon boating is way too much fun to be left out on the dock watching.

— Lizz Hanan, Victoria, British Columbia

The modern sport came of age in 2007 when dragon boat racing was recognized as a separate sport from all other paddle sports and the IDBF was admitted into membership of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) as the international federation and world authority specifically for dragon boating.

Current estimates put the number of participants in dragon boating, worldwide, at over 50 million, of which, it must be said, most are in Southeast Asia. In Hong Kong, for example, around 250,000 paddlers take to the water during the Dragon Boat Festival week. Combined estimates for Europe and North America give a figure of 300,000 people racing the dragon each year, of which 70,000 or more are based in Canada.

In Canada, through the efforts of people like Mike Kerkmann from Toronto and his company, Great White North Communications, festival dragon boat racing has developed at an astonishing rate over the past 12 or more years, with community dragon boat races now being held in towns and cities across the country. Recently, it has spread to the United States.

At the international level the IDBF now organizes three levels of world championships: for corporate and community festival racers, for serious dragon boat clubs, and for national dragon boat crews representing their countries at the highest level in the sport.

Heading the list of top nations in dragon boating is Canada, which has won more gold, silver, and bronze medals across the spectrum of championship divisions (premier, junior, and senior) than any other nation, including China, the traditional home of the sport, since the first world championships were held at Yueyang in 1995. Canada also lays claim to having won the Nations Cup for the best Premier Division crew, three times in a row — a feat as yet unmatched by any other nation.

Some 30 years after the first HKIR in 1976, dragon boating has truly become a modern sport for all. The sport has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has set inclusion in the Olympic Games as its ultimate aim.

A step in the right direction was the inclusion of dragon boat racing in the 2008 Asian Beach Games, and another will be its inaugural participation in the 2010 Asian Games. Meanwhile, by way of a little knock on the IOC’s door, 2008 saw the Olympic Flame being carried by dragon boat during both the Hong Kong and Macau legs of the Beijing Olympic Torch relay.

In ending this introduction to the whys and wherefores of dragon boating, may I summarize the whole activity by saying that dragon boat racing is a sport for every level. You can compete with your crew at the highest level of competition, the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships. You can also compete with your club crew, your colleagues and friends from work, or your local community, and, at each level, enjoy a challenging day of racing.

Dragon boating is technically simple to do and inexpensive to take part in as a healthy activity that can be practised by all ages and ability groups. It is a character-building team sport and, above all, it is GREAT FUN.

See you on the water!

Mike Haslam

Executive President

International Dragon Boat Federation

Introduction

Arlene Chan

and

Susan Humphries

We have been fortunate to have paddled and worked with exceptionally dedicated and talented people, not only paddlers and coaches, but also medical and nutritional supporters who all share the same desire to see paddlers realize their full potential and achieve outstanding performances locally, nationally, and on the world stage. They have challenged us.

Whether you are a coach, club member, elite crew hopeful, or simply enjoy a recreational paddle, we hope to challenge you too. Our objectives in assembling this book are to move you closer to the level of paddling to which you aspire and to increase your enjoyment of the sport. You will find many important topics that will expand your knowledge of dragon boating and propel you and your team more efficiently to the finish line.

We have gathered top experts from across the country to explain the world of dragon boating and provide paddling concepts and principles. Mike Haslam was the first to give his enthusiastic support for this book and we give him our deepest thanks. Albert McDonald, national level coach, and elite sprint canoer and paddler, signed on with Suzanne McKenzie, a member of Dragon Beasts and the Canadian Premier Women’s Crew, to present the technical elements of the dragon boat stroke. Albert is also the Voice of the Beast in chapter 7 that features three postings from Beast Blog. Jim Farintosh’s stellar reputation as coach of the Canadian National Crew and Mayfair Predators made him a top choice for penning the chapter on The Making of an A-Team. Bringing her extensive experience as an Olympian kayaker and dragon boat coach for national teams and the False Creek Racing Canoe Club, Kamini Jain graciously accepted the chapter on coaching. Dr. David Levy, founder of the sports medicine program at McMaster University in Hamilton, contributed the piece on preventing injuries most commonly seen in the sport. As the Strength and Conditioning Director, Athletic Training Professionals, Jamie Hollins — kinesiologist, flatwater paddler, dragon boater, and coach — was a natural choice to cover the topic of dry land training. Eleanor Nielsen brings to life the pioneering work of Dr. Don McKenzie who introduced dragon boating to breast cancer survivors as a therapy that has been embraced by hundreds of teams around the world. Kathy Levy shows how one survivor team has developed into a competitive crew of dedicated paddlers. Pam Collett, with years of experience as a professional coach and national judging official, tackles the topic of nutrition with relish. Mike Kerkmann, who was instrumental in the development of Dragon Boat Canada, is a pioneering service provider, his company, GWN, being the largest in North America. Matt Robert, a former national crew paddler and coach of numerous winning crews, shares his expertise in steering and drumming. Andrew Fox, who is a coach and paddler who has won medals internationally with national crews and the Mayfair Predators, tackles the topic of teams and teamwork. Gerry Kavanagh, as founder of Apex Paddles, represents the new generation of dragon boaters whose entrepreneurial and innovative endeavours have contributed to the sport. And who better than Matt Smith, president of Dragon Boat Canada, could have provided the closing chapter, which tells the story of Canada and its development and prominence on the international scene.

Many thanks are extended to the photographers who graciously granted permission to include their works. Their stunning photographs capture the excitement of our sport and bring words to life with their close-ups of the paddling action from across the country. Thank you to William Ng, Gabe Toth, Laurie Wierzbicki, Fay Wu, Edward Lumb, Albert McDonald, Barry Wojciechowski, VFK, Heather Maclaren, John Valentini, Terry Hewitson, Brent Lessard, Chris Edwards, Normand Beaulieu, Ben Lee, Derek Griffiths, Steven Ercolani, and, particularly, Jan Oakley and Jens Ronneberger. Our gratitude to Kim Ercolani and Suzanne McKenzie for being the fitness and paddling models.

The testimonials that we received were over–whelmingly heartfelt and merit a book of their own.

We could only include a few and thank everyone who took the time to send us their thoughts on what the sport means to them.

The pinyin Romanization system, the standard to spell the sounds of Mandarin Chinese, is used throughout this book.

Finally, as paddlers, we remember our first time in a dragon boat, our first coach, our first team, our first race. We all started as beginners. The dragon boat community has given so much to us. We thank all the paddlers, coaches, sponsors, friends, and family to whom we owe so much for the love of dragon boating.

This book is dedicated to our friends and family who have supported our maniacal passion for dragon boating. Richard and Leo, our spouses, deserve our special thanks for their encouragement and understanding … being awakened before sunrise as we fumbled for our paddling gear in the dark to take to the 6:00 a.m. morning practices; putting up with stinky paddling clothes and shoes; spending weeks and weekends alone while we crossed town, province, country, continent, and oceans for race regattas and training camps. We have tested the limits of their tolerance and patience without fail.

Paddles Up!

1

The Beginnings

Arlene Chan

Daredevil manoeuvres. Capsized boats. Fierce rivalry. Fighting spectators. So frequent were these incidents that dragon boat races were outlawed in China at the beginning of the twentieth century.¹ The ban was lifted and dragon boating is flourishing as one of the fastest-growing team sports around the world. On the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar falls the Dragon Boat Festival, one of the most popular Chinese festivals. Celebrated on and off as an unofficial holiday in the People’s Republic of China, it became an official state holiday in 2008.

The origins of the dragon boats and the Dragon Boat Festival are buried deep in Chinese history, and many versions abound, all of which share common traditions and rituals, and themes of superstitions, suicides, ghosts, and, most significantly, the dragon.

The Chinese dragon is an ancient mythical creature that has been venerated and honoured as the sacred ruler of the rivers, seas, clouds, and rain. Unlike the fire-breathing and sinister dragon in Western mythology, the Chinese dragon, also known as the River Dragon or Dragon King, was rarely considered malevolent. Although fearsome and powerful, the dragon was worshipped as a benefactor capable of providing enough rainfall for bountiful rice harvests. The dragon’s importance throughout Chinese history is evident everywhere — in paintings, literature, sculpture, dance, clothing, architecture, and music. The earliest dragon figure was unearthed in Inner Mongolia on a jar dating back 6,500 years.² Later regarded as the official symbol of the emperor during the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368 A.D.), the dragon has come to represent China and its people. But nowhere is the presence of this mythical creature more strongly felt than during the annual Dragon Boat Festival when its heartbeat pulses wildly through millions of dragon boat paddlers around the world.

The story of Qu Yuan is the most popular and recognized account of the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. Qu Yuan was a respected and well-loved patriot, poet, and statesman who lived during the Warring States Period, a turbulent time in China’s history when seven feudal states battled for supremacy. The state of Qin, determined to take over its last major adversary, the state of Chu, offered a truce under the guise of a peace treaty. Qu Yuan advised the king of Chu not to sign any such agreement. Not only did the king sign it but he also banished Qu Yuan for what was perceived as advice from a traitor. Wandering aimlessly and proclaiming his love for the state of Chu, Qu Yuan spent his final years writing what was to become some of China’s greatest poetry. When he learned about the fall of Chu to the enemy state of Qin,³ he clutched a rock to his chest and threw himself into the Miluo River. It was the fifth day of the fifth month in 278 B.C.

When news of his drowning reached the villages, the local fishermen raced out in their boats to try to save their beloved statesman. But it was all to no avail. Beating drums and splashing their paddles on the water, they made every attempt to scare away the fish from eating his body. Dragon boat races are said to re-enact the villagers paddling to Qu Yuan’s rescue.

To this day in China, many shrines can be found in his memory. The largest one, Qu Yuan Memorial Hall, was built during the Tang dynasty, and was recently relocated during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River. International dragon boat races have been held annually since 1991 in Qu Yuan’s hometown of Yueyang, located in what is known today as Hunan Province.

Less known are other legends associated with the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, stories that share the theme of individuals whose deaths resulted in cult status like Qu Yuan’s. Death by drowning or suicide has been linked to the ancient custom of human sacrifice. Some say that the Dragon Boat Festival is held in honour of a young girl, Cao E. After the drowning of her father, Cao E searched for his body along the riverbank. After many days without any success, she threw herself into the river out of grief and despair. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the bodies of the father and daughter arose together to the water’s surface. People were so moved by her filial piety that they commemorate her life and death every year on that day.

Another story, set in the Spring and Autumn period, relates how Wu Zixu, a great military hero and courtier, advised the king of Wu to destroy the defeated state of Yue to prevent a future uprising. Blinded by the veiled obedience of the fallen state, the king did not heed this advice and, instead, ordered Wu Zixu to commit suicide for his dishonourable proposal. On the fifth day of the fifth month, 484 B.C., his body was thrown into the river by order of the king. Ten years later, the state of Yue defeated the state of Wu.

The origin of dragon boats and the Dragon Boat Festival is tied to the rituals and customs associated with an ancient agricultural society, deeply entrenched in ceremonies with dragon-shaped boats well before Qu Yuan’s death. The passage of time was marked by the cycles of ploughing the fields, sowing seeds, nurturing the crops, and harvesting. The Dragon Boat Festival, falling on the fifth day of the fifth month, is more accurately represented by its Chinese name, Duan Wu Jie, meaning Double Fifth Festival. On this day, the spring season ends and the summer begins. Celebrations honouring this benefactor of rain were held at this time. A contented River Dragon would bring enough rain for prosperous crops. A displeased River Dragon would unleash its wrath by withholding rain and causing droughts, or by dispensing too much rain and prompting storms and floods. Capsized boats and drowning during races were considered misfortunes governed by the will of the River Dragon. Casualties were not rescued and those who drowned were considered as sacrifices to venerate the River Dragon. Archaeological excavations show that sacrificial ceremonies were once practised as an important element of many ancient festivals in China. Proof that dragon boating may be the world’s oldest, continuing, competitive activity, pre-dating the Olympic Games of ancient Greece by 1,000 years,⁴ lies in Hubei Province. There, a drawing of dragon boat races that were depicted on a spinning wheel, 4,000 to 5,000 years old, was excavated from ruins in Qujialing.⁵

Flag pullers at the Taiwanese Cultural Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, grab the flags at the finish line. Missing the flag results in disqualification or time penalty.

Historical records show the existence of dragon boats outside of China in Cambodia and Vietnam in the third century A.D., and also in Japan, Borneo, Thailand, and Burma. Taiwan started holding dragon boat races in 1736 and developed them into major sporting events. A popular and unique feature of the Taiwan dragon boat race crews is the flag puller or flag catcher who is positioned at the front of the dragon boat. Nearing the end of the race, this person assumes the critical task of leaning over the dragonhead and pulling the flag positioned at the finish line of the race lane. The first flag puller to grab the flag wins the race for the team.

The yin yang symbol represents an ancient Chinese understanding of how the yin and yang energies are mutually arising, interdependent, and continuously transforming one into the other. It is also a depiction of the celestial phenomenon of the cycle of the sun, four seasons, and the Chinese calendar.

TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

The fifth day of the fifth month was considered the most evil and poisonous day of the year, the beginning of the summer when disease, illness, and death were rampant. Many traditions developed to harmonize the two opposing