Chinese Islanders
Making a Home in the New World
Hung-Min Chiang
From tenuous beginnings in the closing days of
the 19th Century to the blossoming of a vibrant
new Chinese community in the 21st,
Chinese
Islanders: Making a Home in the New World

tells the story of one of Prince Edward Island's
smallest immigrant communities.  

The first Chinese settlers came to Prince Edward
Island as early as 1850.  Over the years they
suffered racism and poverty.  They were
subjected to the infamous "head tax", as well as
the more severe Chinese Immigration Act (also
known as the Chinese Expulsion Act).  But
through it all, they and their descendants have
largely adapted to and succeeded in mainstream
Island society, and are proud today to be
recognized as true Islanders.

Dr. Hung-Min Chiang brings these immigrants
stories to life with the same compassion and
attention to detail he brings to teaching, painting,
and tending his garden.

John Cousins, Prince Edward Island’s one of
preeminent folklorists, writes this in his
introduction:  Hung-Min Chiang set out to write
this history of the Chinese Canadian community
in Prince Edward Island because, as he was told,
“no one else would do it.”  What a daunting task
it must have been.  
  • Charlottetown, 2006.  
  • Soft cover.
  • 187 pages, 6 1/2" X 9 1/4".
  • Appendices, notes,
    bibliography, index.
  • Item No. 09-02-003
  • Price $ 24.95 Canadian
No group of Islanders would be harder to document than these few Chinese settlers, who, for obvious reasons,
preferred to remain anonymous, and to live below the social horizon, leading “quiet inconspicuous lives.”  
There were few records, fewer accurate ones, no personal biographies for guidance, negligible letters, and no
survivors from the early days.

Added to that was a “discontinuing of generations,” a period of decline between the 1940s and 1960s when the
community came close to disappearing.  Nevertheless, Chiang has accomplished a series of minor miracles.  
These were the realities of the Chinese community and the author does not avoid them.  Rather, he recounts
them with a serenity that carries with it the sublime sadness of the human plight.  And this, in my opinion, is the
work’s great strength.

List of Illustrations, Chapter Dividers
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: First Arrivals

Chapter 2: Historical Background

Chapter 3: Early Chinese on Prince Edward Island, 1891 to 1947: An Overview
Early Chinese Settlement in Charlottetown
Early Chinese Settlement in King's County
Early Chinese Settlement in Summerside

Chapter 4: Early Chinese Islanders and Their Families

John Ling Family
John Ling, 1870 to unknown
William John Ling, 1904-1977
Jim Hoe, 1865-1977

Harry Thom Family
Harry Thom, 1884-1966
Norma Thom, 1921-1962
Mona Lucille Thom, 1923-2004
Benjamin Lam Thom, 1890-1962

George Ling Family
George Ling, 1895-1987

Chapter 5: Transition Period, 1947-1967

Chapter 6: New Immigrants, 1967-present

Conclusion

Appendices:
Timeline of Chinese Islanders
Gravesites of Early Chinese Islanders
Chinese Canadian Association of Prince Edward Island

Notes
Bibliography
Index
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