Riversdale and Chinatown 河都區與華埠：描述、連繫與經歷

​Description, relationship and experience
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Settling on the east side, and the price of Chinatown houses

 

Mr. Eng

我嚟到，我一嚟，我一嚟到嘅時候就係住喺東邊。

When I came, as soon as I came, I lived on the east side.

 

Mr. Eng

我就買屋，東邊嗰陣時屋係喺，誒，五萬七千五。

I bought a house; houses on the east side then were, um, 57,500.

 

Mr. Eng

喺東邊，東，哦，誒，我近，我係第十，第十街。

On the east side, east, oh, um, near, I was on Tenth, Tenth Street.

​

Mr. Eng

第十街。嗰陣時啲屋平好多。咁十年前嘅市價呢，就，就算唐人街，呢個唐人街嘅呢啲屋都係幾萬一間，就係因為呢，呢個，呢個區域冇乜嘢係生活嘅，就係佢嘅經濟係，嘅購買力係好低。呢個區域嘅西區呢，誒，就係，就，就，就房屋方面呢，都係比較，就經濟方面比較難啲。你比，如果我哋去 Superstore，兩間呢，一間西區，一間東區，東區嘅貨呢，一下就好快容易銷售，銷，即係賣晒。西區呢，就係，貨好多，因為佢購買力，我講佢購買力嘅時候。

Tenth Street. Houses were much cheaper back then. Ten years ago the market price, even in Chinatown, the houses in this Chinatown were tens of thousands each, because, this, this area had little going for it to live on, its economy, its purchasing power was very low. The west side of this area, um, as for housing, was comparatively, economically, harder. Compare, if we went to Superstore, two stores, one on the west side and one on the east side: goods on the east side sold out quickly, sold, I mean, cleared out. On the west side, there was lots of stock, because of purchasing power; I'm talking about their purchasing power.

 

1.02 Twentieth Street, then and now

 

Mr. Eng

[…] 但依家市容好好多，特別係二十街，以前最落後嘅，最，就係唔乾淨嘅呢 […]

[…] But the city looks much better now, especially Twentieth Street. It used to be the most rundown, the most, not clean […]

 

Interviewer 訪問者

講開，誒，即係廿街（20th Street）啦，可唔可以帶我行一次以前嘅廿街係點樣㗎？

Speaking of which, um, 20th Street, could you walk me through what Twentieth Street used to be like?

 

Mr. Eng

以前嘅廿街冇燈光，冇咁光。第一，就好多嗰啲，誒，醉貓或者嗰啲事故發生，依家二十街嗰啲燈光特別光猛呢，咁就好，應該係少咗麻煩出事。因為你……

Twentieth Street used to have no lights; it wasn't so bright. First, lots of those, um, drunks, or incidents happening. Now Twentieth Street's lights are especially bright, so it's good; there should be less trouble. Because you...

 

Mr. Eng

反正都係啲壞事，人哋想…… 燈光明亮嘅時候，就應該有嘅 [笑]……

Anyway, it's all bad things; people want to... when the lights are bright, they ought to be...[laughs]...

 

Mr. Eng

睇得出嘅。

...seen.

​

Vision for cultural preservation

文化傳承的願景

Language, roots, community and values to pass on

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2.01 The old-timers are passing; everyone must come together

 

Mr. Eng

所以大家嘅水平又唔同，唔係，唔係好團結。我就感到好遺憾，甚，甚至唐人大多，(甚至)菲律賓人仲團結啲。

So everyone's level is different, and it's not, not very united. I feel it's a great pity; even the Chinese are many, (even) the Filipinos are more united.

 

Mr. Eng

咁大家，呢啲老唐人，老華僑，依家好多老華僑走咗，我，我識嘅，我嘅百幾人走咗，喺呢度之後。

So all of us, the old Chinese, the old overseas Chinese, now many of the old overseas Chinese have passed away. I, of the people I knew, a hundred-some have passed away here.

 

Mr. Eng

咁呢啲老坑就，但係呢啲老坑嚟咗，多數人英文識少少，依家情況唔同喇，依家後生嚟到，個個嘅英文都幾好，咁就容易啲。但係你，大家要結合，大家團結埋一齊先得。

So these old-timers, when these old-timers came, most knew only a little English. Now it's different; young people who come now all have fairly good English, so it's easier. But you, everyone has to come together, everyone has to unite.

 

2.02 Loving Canada, not forgetting one's roots

 

Mr. Eng

所以，但係中國人呢，我只係知道，我只係中國人。

So, but Chinese people, all I know is that I'm just Chinese.

 

Mr. Eng

加拿大，我亦愛護加拿大呢個國家，係咪？但始終我唔會忘記我嘅根，啊，呢種。

Canada, I also love this country, Canada, right? But in the end I won't forget my roots, ah, that kind of thing.

 

Mr. Eng

[…] 但有啲人話：「我唔係中國人，我，我呢度出世嘅，就加拿大人。」你甩唔到㗎，啊 [笑]。

[…] But some people say: "I'm not Chinese, I, I was born here, I'm Canadian." You can't shake it off, ah [laughs].

 

2.03 Supporting community groups, giving more than you take

 

Mr. Eng

對社會嘅貢獻呢啲，我支持，係，咁樣。我觀點係咁。

Contributing to society, that I support, yes. That's my view.

 

Mr. Eng

唔得，啊，因為即係呢種情況，你一個人呢，企嘅地方你喺地上企咗一邊嘅，你社會好嘅嘢呢，我贊成，自己唔會傷害社會。有乜嘢團體，地方團體，(我會)參加，你參加，就係我哋養生會 (Wellness Society, Juniper House)，我話：「你就係要，我哋係出嚟參加養生會呢，可能係要蝕本㗎？」

No good, ah, because in this kind of situation, as a person, where you stand, you stand on one side. Things that are good for society, I support, and I won't harm society myself. Whatever groups, local groups, (I'll) join, you join, like our wellness society (Wellness Society, Juniper House). I said: "You have to, when we come out to join the wellness society, it may well run at a loss, you know?"

 

Mr. Eng

你自己對公益嘅事呢，就千祈唔好啊，你最好如果，如果老人會做到好有能力，你話佢，佢成本係二十蚊一個位，咁你去參加食老人餐呢，你要俾，俾超過二十蚊先，先自己嘅心先安定啲啦。

For your own part in charitable things, never, ah. Ideally, if the seniors' association is very capable, and say their cost is twenty dollars a seat, then when you go to eat the seniors' meal, you should pay, pay more than twenty dollars; only then will your conscience be at ease.

 

Mr. Eng

有，有經濟，經濟條件就應該係要貢獻。

If you, if you have the means, the financial means, you should contribute.

 

Mr. Eng

其實對大家互相嘅一種，係，知心比己，愛人如己。

Actually, toward one another it's a kind of, yes, understanding others as yourself, loving others as yourself.

 

Mr. Eng

互相。

Mutually.

 

2.04 Su Dongpo, and a life that passes in a blink

 

Mr. Eng

我就，就我想都俾個意見。

I, I'd like to give some advice too.

 

Mr. Eng

好啊，你就要，你就要你知道，你，你年輕，嗰個邊個啊，蘇東坡最後，最後一次，嗰首詩啊，三過平山堂下，半生彈指聲中。

Well, you should, you should know, you, you're young, that, who was it, Su Dongpo, last, the last time, that poem: "Three times I have passed beneath Pingshan Hall, half a life gone in a snap of the fingers."

 

Mr. Eng

佢嘅師傅，嗰個歐陽修，佢師傅，佢有三，歐陽修嘅平山堂嗰度。

His teacher, that Ouyang Xiu, his teacher, he went three times, to Ouyang Xiu's Pingshan Hall there.

 

Mr. Eng

佢經過三次，一堂師傅。佢半生呢，一半生呢，咁就過咗。

He passed by three times, a hall of his teacher's. Half his life, half a life, just like that, gone.

 

Mr. Eng

咁佢就，就師傅嘅，嘅堂上呢，啲詩畫呢，字畫呢，仲喺度飛舞。

So in his teacher's, in the hall, the poems and paintings, the calligraphy, were still dancing there.

 

Mr. Eng

好新鮮熱鬧。

Very fresh and lively.

 

Mr. Eng

即係仲郁緊㗎，就係如果邊個能夠憑弔，佢呢就要一樣係楊柳春風。但係你，你人生呢，佢冇，你唔好話人生一場空，萬事一場空，咁你轉頭都係夢。[笑] 不過你，你後生人唔應該咁諗，但係現實係，一眨眼。

I mean still moving. If anyone comes to pay respects, they still sing "willows in the spring breeze". But you, in your life, don't say life is all empty, everything comes to nothing, and when you turn your head it's all a dream. [laughs] You young people shouldn't think that way, but the reality is, it's the blink of an eye.

 

Mr. Eng

幾十年就好快過。

A few decades go by very fast.

 

Mr. Eng

做一件事情，覺得對自己嘅，對得住自己。

Do something that feels right by yourself, that you can live with.

​

History of the Chinese community

薩斯卡通華人社區的經歷與歷史

Lived experience of Saskatoon and prairie Chinese life

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3.01 Arriving in 1969, following family who came in 1948

 

Interviewer 訪問者

你係點樣，你係點樣嚟到薩斯卡通？

How did you, how did you come to Saskatoon?

 

Mr. Eng

我係移民嚟嘅。

I came as an immigrant.

 

Mr. Eng

我一九六九年嚟嘅，因為我嘅親戚，我家姐佢哋呢，就係四八年嚟嘅。

I came in 1969, because my relatives, my older sister and her family, came in '48.

 

Mr. Eng

咁就我六九年先嚟到呢度。初初嚟到呢，就係入去 Montreal，就住咗十日，就入去 Sydney, Nova Scotia。

So I only came here in '69. When I first arrived, I went into Montreal, stayed ten days, then went on to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

 

Mr. Eng

咁我家姐住喺度好耐喇，咁就以後就搬出嚟 Montreal，又住咗八年，就搬嚟呢度住，一九七零年搬嚟呢度嘅，四十幾年。

My sister had lived there a long time, and later moved out to Montreal and lived there another eight years, then moved here, moved here in 1970. Forty-some years.
 

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3.02 Why Saskatoon: leaving Montreal

 

Interviewer 訪問者

你當初係點解會嚟到薩斯卡通嘅，喺，滿地可（Montreal）？

Why did you originally come to Saskatoon, from Montreal?

 

Mr. Eng

因為喺嗰陣時，嗰陣時住喺度呢，有幾個細路仔，喺教育方面呢，滿地可係推行法國嘅一種，誒，一種政治，一種要講法文，用政府嘅公文呢用法文，唔係用英文。誒，雖然間，誒，政府明明規定係雙語。

Because at that time, when we lived there, we had a few young children, and for education, Montreal was pushing a French kind of, um, politics: you had to speak French, government documents were in French, not English. Um, even though, um, the government clearly said it was bilingual.

 

Mr. Eng

我見到咁嘅事，同埋嗰陣時正好喺滿地可嘅時候，市，市容方面呢個生意唔好，就跌咗。

I saw that kind of thing, and right then in Montreal, the city's business was poor, it dropped.

 

Mr. Eng

就求職呢，工作方面呢，都少咗。

Jobs, work, became scarcer too.

 

Mr. Eng

咁，就對於我哋移民嚟謀生就係有特別嘅困難呢。

So for us immigrants trying to make a living, it was especially hard.

 

Mr. Eng

咁我就跟住我嘅，誒，親戚搬過嚟呢個埠，呢個落後埠呢，就係培養細路仔都冇咁辛苦。

So I followed my, um, relatives and moved to this town. This backward town was not so hard a place to raise children.

 

3.03 Discrimination in the early days, and how it eased

 

Mr. Eng

我嘅經驗呢，就嚟到加拿大呢，我好滿意加拿大。就因為，即係初，初期呢，我遇到有啲，對外國人呢，就啲老番呢就有一種歧視唐人。但係自從中國(inaudible)啊、李小龍嗰啲發生嘅時候呢，就，就啲老番呢，就對中國人呢，就冇咁歧視。

My experience is that coming to Canada, I've been very satisfied with Canada. Because, well, at first, in the early days, I ran into some, toward foreigners, the white folks had a kind of discrimination against Chinese people. But ever since China's (inaudible) and the Bruce Lee things happened, the white folks didn't discriminate against Chinese people as much.

 

Mr. Eng

咁就我生活咗，喺加拿大生活咗五十七年，咁都好滿意加拿大，佢嘅生活，呢個社會。咁當然啦，就，就唐人喺加拿大嘅社，社會嘅一種乜嘢地位呢，就永遠比唔上啲白人啊，呢啲，呢啲係，係好現實嘅，冇可能要求到百分之百咁平等啊。呢啲政治啊，就唔好去太留意喇。但係見到啲後生過嚟呢，就中國嘅學生呢，過嚟呢度讀書嘅時候啊，中國嘅啲學，後生水平高嘅時候呢，就我好滿意，即係中國人。你有冇其他嘅問題呀？呢個埠呢，我哋初期嚟嗰陣，大概有十，唔超過十九萬人。

So I've lived, lived in Canada for fifty-seven years, and I'm very satisfied with Canada, its way of life, this society. Of course, Chinese people's standing in Canadian society will always be below the white people's. That, that's very much reality; you can't expect a hundred percent equality. As for politics, don't pay too much attention to it. But seeing young people come over, Chinese students coming here to study, the young people from China being so capable, I'm very pleased, as a Chinese person. Do you have any other questions? This town, when we first came, had about ten, not more than 190,000 people.

 

3.04 A quieter town: closed Wednesday afternoons and Sundays

 

Mr. Eng

我哋初期嚟，啱嚟，七一年搬嚟呢，呢個埠呢，星期三下晝呢就休息。

When we first came, just arrived, moved here in '71, this town closed on Wednesday afternoons.

 

Mr. Eng

閂門，政府機構，各個商店閂門。

Closed: government offices, every shop closed.

 

Mr. Eng

星期三下晝。而且，星期日同埋假期呢，就舖頭唔准開門嘅，開門係犯法嘅。

Wednesday afternoon. And on Sundays and holidays, shops weren't allowed to open; opening was against the law.

 

Mr. Eng

試過嗰陣時 Superstore，同埋嗰個 Safeway 嗰啲公司呢，假日同埋，誒，即係假期，假期，同埋，同埋乜嘢呢？星期日開門呢，有啲警察呢，就會登記，去到登記，到時就提出法庭，就要罰錢嘅。

There was a time Superstore, and Safeway, those companies, on holidays and, um, holidays, and, and what else? If they opened on Sunday, some police would register it, go and take it down, then take them to court, and they'd be fined.

 

Mr. Eng

你哋唔知，因為呢啲已經過去嘅事喇。咁就曾經市府上，呢啲，嗰陣時過十字路口呢，佢哋就畫咗直接斜角，就……

You don't know about it because it's all in the past. The city once, at intersections, painted diagonal lines straight across, so...

 

Mr. Eng

行喺中間，因為我去過，依家又冇咁嘅事發生喇。[…]

Walk through the middle; I've done it. That doesn't happen any more. […]

 

3.05 Grocery counters, chop suey, and seven fifty a plate

 

Mr. Eng

[…] 咁由於以前，以前我哋搬過嚟嘅時候呢，呢個埠嘅，嘅餐館呢，係全加拿大人口最，即係最少，餐館最多嘅。

[…] And back then, when we first moved here, this town's restaurants were, for its population, the most, I mean, fewest people and most restaurants in all of Canada.

 

Mr. Eng

同一個譬如，譬如，誒，誒，第二個埠有三百人，誒，一，一間餐館呢，佢呢度唔夠三百人一間餐館嘅。

For example, um, um, another town had three hundred people per, um, per restaurant; here it was fewer than three hundred people per restaurant.

 

Mr. Eng

因為呢度嘅，呢個埠呢，好多唐人呢，就開間舖頭仔就賣雜貨。

Because here, in this town, many Chinese people opened little shops selling groceries.

 

Mr. Eng

同埋擺咗兩，兩三張枱，就你一個叫到，佢炒個雜碎（chop suey），就俾你喇。但依家呢，就好少，啊。呢度嘅，呢度嘅埠呢，係啲生活程度係低呢，咁你，以前我哋做餐館嘅時候，七個半一碟嘅牛肉芥蘭呢，嗰啲唐人，嗰啲，嗰啲開舖頭嘅就話：「你嗰啲，嗰啲芥蘭，你，誒，幾毫子一磅，你，你都收七個半……

And put out two or three tables, and when you ordered, they'd fry up a chop suey and give it to you. But nowadays there are very few. In this town, the standard of living was low. Back when we ran the restaurant, a plate of beef with gai lan was seven-fifty, and those Chinese, the ones who ran shops, would say: "Your, your gai lan is, um, a few dimes a pound, and you, you charge seven-fifty...

 

Mr. Eng

……咁貴。」因為佢哋生活程度 (Cost of Living) 係低。

...that's so expensive." Because their cost of living (Cost of Living) was low.

 

3.06 A dollar an hour

 

Mr. Eng

依家一出嚟，大學畢業出嚟有，有好幾萬蚊一年。嗰陣時我哋，我哋初期嚟嘅時候，加拿大求職最低嘅呢，係一蚊一個鐘，一蚊一個鐘，咁做夜班就貴一兩蚊一個鐘，咁，嗰啲人工好低，依家十幾蚊一個鐘，所以就佢嘅程度，生活程度唔同，佢嘅消費啊，市，市場啊唔同啊，冇以前，冇以前咁辛苦咁養，養細路仔喇。以前我哋細路仔，細路出世就有六蚊牛奶金，牛奶金就依家幾百蚊，一個月。所以，誒，培養細個嘅小朋友呢，就，就比以前困難好多。

Now, as soon as they graduate from university, they get tens of thousands a year. Back when we first came, the lowest wage in Canada was a dollar an hour, a dollar an hour; night shifts paid a dollar or two more an hour. Wages were very low; now it's over ten dollars an hour. So the cost of living is different, spending and the market are different, and raising children isn't as hard as before. Before, when a child was born we got six dollars of family allowance; now the family allowance is a few hundred a month. So, um, raising small children, compared with before, was much harder.

 

3.07 Running a Chinese restaurant in a prairie city

 

Interviewer 訪問者

嗯。咁你，你以前係話，誒，開餐館㗎啦。

Mm. So you, you said before you ran a restaurant.

 

Mr. Eng

京華，我開喺京華 (Mandarin) 嘅。

King Wah. I ran King Wah (Mandarin).

 

Mr. Eng

文華 (Mandarin’s former name)。

Man Wah (Mandarin’s former name).

 

Mr. Eng

就係冇人嚟買，我就冇，冇做。

Nobody came to buy it, so I stopped, stopped running it.

 

Mr. Eng

仲有做吓米川 (Or something sound the same)，咁做股東，但係呢個埠嘅生意，因為佢嘅，嘅生活水平低嘅，就，就收費都冇咁好，嗰陣時……

I also did Mai Chuen (Or something sound the same), as a shareholder, but business in this town, because the standard of living was low, prices couldn't be very good. Back then...

 

Mr. Eng

所以呢，呢，呢度又東又唔近，又西又唔近，所以就呢啲海鮮呢，就做餐館好困難。你攞多幾條魚返嚟，你一條魚都冇得賣。

So, so, here it's far from the east and far from the west, so with seafood, running a restaurant is very hard. You bring back a few extra fish and you can't sell a single one.

 

Mr. Eng

你做過餐館就知道，嗰啲伙計人工，你唔俾返咁多人工，佢好快走人，留唔住。

If you've run a restaurant you'd know: the staff wages, if you don't pay that much, they leave quickly; you can't keep them.

 

Mr. Eng

你俾多咗人工嘅話呢，呢個收入唔夠做餐館就執笠喇。

If you pay more in wages, the income isn't enough and the restaurant goes under.

 

Mr. Eng

我，我冇啊，冇其他，就係做餐館唔得閒，乜都冇去參加。

I, I don't have any, nothing else. Running the restaurant I had no free time, so I didn't take part in anything.

 

Mr. Eng

因為你呢種餐館，就做十幾個鐘一日，咁你邊度得閒去。

Because with this kind of restaurant, you work ten-some hours a day, so where would you find the time?

 

3.08 Old-timers who spoke Cantonese, and a community of many groups

 

Interviewer 訪問者

嗯，明白。咁以前喺，誒，即係以前嘅時候，啲華人通常會喺邊啲地方聚腳啊？喺，喺……

Mm, I see. So in the past, um, I mean back then, where did Chinese people usually gather? At, at...

 

Mr. Eng

講華人啊，有個環境好複雜。

When it comes to Chinese people, the situation is very complicated.

 

Elder 長者

台灣嚟嘅華人。

Chinese from Taiwan.

 

Mr. Eng

香港嚟嘅華人。

Chinese from Hong Kong.

 

Mr. Eng

東南亞嚟嘅華人，同埋大陸嚟嘅華人呢，四五個 group。

Chinese from Southeast Asia, and Chinese from the mainland: four or five groups.

 

Mr. Eng

大家，即係大家唔得（團結）。以前呢，老坑（老一輩）呢，就係唐話，廣東話。

Everyone, I mean everyone can't (unite). In the past, the old-timers (the older generation) spoke Tong-wah, Cantonese.

 

Mr. Eng

依家就多數講國語，但有啲，即係，讀英文嗰啲呢，係有，但唔係大多數。

Now most speak Mandarin, but some, I mean those who studied in English, there are some, but not the majority.

 

3.09 Twenty weeks of English

 

Mr. Eng

去餐，做餐館啊，唉，真係，自己英文初期嚟到唔識講。咁政府俾咗二十個星期英文，二十二個星期法文(班)。

Going to, running a restaurant, sigh, really, when I first came I couldn't speak English. The government gave twenty weeks of English, twenty-two weeks of French (classes).

 

Mr. Eng

咁，嗰幾個月法文都係應酬嘅，唔係，政府唔係俾你上大學嘅，先二十，二十幾個星期啫。咁就，佢已經，如果本身自己嘅學歷唔夠，嗰啲英文程度唔夠呢，就冇辦法喺政府嗰度俾你搵工，俾你工作。但係做嘅都係低，低下嘅工作，所以呢，呢啲感受係，係困難，比人哋困難嘅。

So those few months of French were just for getting by. It's not, the government isn't sending you to university; it's only twenty, twenty-some weeks. So if your own education wasn't enough, if your English level wasn't enough, there was no way the government would find you a job, give you work. What you did was low, low-level work. So my feeling is that it was hard, harder than for others.

 

Mr. Eng

講到平生嘅華人嘅生活呢，就華人呢，就中國人呢，係勤勞嘅。

Talking about the life of Chinese people, the Chinese, Chinese people are hardworking.

 

Mr. Eng

去到邊度都搵到錢嘅。呢個就，呢個就係因為華人嘅優點。

Wherever they go they can make money. That's, that's the strength of Chinese people.