CHINESE PRESENCE IN THE NEWSPAPER:
Newspaper companies such as The Daily Colonist in Victoria significantly neglect Chinese companies from the listings. The stereotypical pictures from other papers at the time illuminate the highly racist atmosphere these Chinese workers faced. In the papers listings and index’s they are largely ignored and never mentioned in prominent Ad placement. This discrimination steamed from the concern over the Chinese problem. This was only intensified with the massive increase in Chinese ran Laundry services. The white population felt as though the Chinese workers where taking there jobs and ultimately threatened the simple balance of there livelihood and culture.
Due to there appearance and concentration in the laundry business they where often associated with “dirty” or “feminine” subhuman traits. There association with cleaning dirty clothes, this job was filthy and was primarily a women’s job. In addition to this there physical appearance of long silk clothes and pony tails only feed the racist stereotypes. The first images shows how this Chinese racism was very prevalent in Victoria. It shows Amor De Cosmos who was a Victoria Member of Parliament at the time banishing a “Heathen Chinee” from society.
| Amor de Cosmos & “The Heathen Chinee In British Columbia”
Description: The front page of the Canadian Illustrated News (26 April 1879) is an illustration. This drawing depicts Amor de Cosmos a prominent Victorian and MP, expelling a Chinese laundryman from “Chee Lung washing Ironing.” This illustration represented the repulse against the growing Chinese population in Victoria. It shows an especially strong hate against the swiftly growing Chinese laundry businesses. These places would be run by, employe and be largely made to help the Chinese population. This was a reason for concern as the Chinese in Victorian society where not welcomed or assimilating well into the culture. Amor de Cosmos was a prominent member of early Victoria. He was prosperous journalist and part of the Free Masons society. He had campaigned aggressively against Chinese immigration in the 1870s. But in contrast to that was a major property owner in Chinatown. Property tax assessment rolls show that Amor De Cosmos did own land on the southwest corner of Cormorant St and Government St. In 1891 the lot was occupied by Chinese residence. “His clear opposition to Chinese immigration is described in Roy, A White Man’s Province and in James Morton, In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia (Vancouver: J.J. Douglas, 1974). “(Making the Inscrutable, Scrutable: Race and Space in Victoria’s Chinatown, 1891 Patrick A. Dunae, John S. Lutz, Donald J. Lafreniere, and Jason A. Gilliland. PG.64 ) |
Other racist images in newspapers:
Title: “ANOTHER FIELD OF AMERICAN INDUSTRY INVADED BY THE CHINESE”
Description: A racist caricature depicting a Chinese laundryman with a baseball bat and a sign looking for “Chinamen” to play baseball. The description states “no more Washee! Playee Base-balle!” Insinuating that they have taken over the laundry industry and now they are going to do the same with Baseball.
Title: “DECORATING CHINA”
Description: A white male assaulting a racist depiction of a Chinese man in front of “CHING HI WASHEE MAN.” This is cartoon mocks the abuse of Chinese immigrants as they are presented in a futile manner; this cartoon present the discrimination in a comical and acceptable manner. They depict the Chinese man with squinty eyes, a long pony tail and in traditional clothing.
Images from Online Archives of California: //oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb9g5006mr/?layout=metadata&brand=oac4
Listings and Advertisements:
Within newspapers from 1901-1911 Chinese Laundry Businesses are largely neglect, having basically no presence. There are occasional exceptions, but the main business listing and advertisements where primarily western companies or people. The limited occasions that these Chinese Laundry companies appear in the paper, tend to be for moving purposes about the property. They focus less on the businesses and generally never appear in ads promoting their services. It is true that money would be a factor in this as the Laundry companies generated a lower income compared to western companies. But the abundance and success of some of these companies are apparent. We believe it was racist neglect and discrimination keeping them out of the papers. The one exception to this would be the case of Wah Chong’s Laundry company. It consistently appears through out the papers of 1911 as the only Chinese Laundry Business among the other western companies advertised. This is most likely from her great success and prominence, one can note that her location on 1725 Government street runs through the busy heart of Chinatown.
Description: Wah Chong Laundry listed among the other Clothes Advertisements in The Daily Colonist(1911-12-17).
Description: Removal announcement from a 1911 copy of the Daily Colonist:
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Description: Business claims of Tong Sing purchase of the Laundry Business from Me Wah In the Victoria paper the Daily Colonist (1911-12-17):
