Lee, Jean
Over 130 interviews with Chinese Canadian women were conducted for the book Jin Guo: Voices of Chinese Canadian Women. Produced in 1992 by the Women’s Book Committee of the Chinese Canadian National Council, Jin Guo was intended to fill the gap in historical accounts of Chinese Canadian women’s history. Researchers traveled across Canada to interview Chinese Canadian women of various ages and backgrounds. The book’s authors, Amy Go, Winnie Ng, Dora Nipp, Julia Tao, Terry Woo and May Yee, organized the book around themes and patterns that emerged across multiple interviews – feelings of isolation and culture shock upon arrival in Canada, memories of parent-child relationships, the importance of education, the working lives of women, discrimination, cultural identity, marriage and dating, family life, perspectives on aging and retirement, and examples community activism. The interviews conducted for this project are stored at the Multicultural History Society of Ontario’s archives. This collections database includes a large cross-section of interviews conducted for Jin Guo – in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
In this interview, Jean Lee reflects on what conditions were like during the Great Depression; how her father started his own restaurant business; activities of the Chinese Benevolent Association and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Chinese Benevolent Association within Windsor; and how elements of both Chinese and Canadian cultural values integrated to become a part of their family life. She was born in 1919, in Windsor, Ontario.
Jean’s father had come to Canada in 1905, and after settling in Victoria for a while he want back to China to be with his wife for a couple of years. Upon returning to Canada, he moved from the West Coast to Windsor in order to take advantage of a favourable business climate in which to open his own restaurant. After saving some money he was able to bring his wife and son to Windsor, paying a Head Tax of $500 for each of them. When Jean’s mother first arrived in Canada, she was quarantined in Vancouver for a month before being allowed to go to Windsor.
Her father’s restaurant figure prominently in Jean’s life, and over time she took on a greater share of responsibility for managing the operations of the business, especially after her father lost his eyesight due to diabetes. During the Great Depression, the restaurant honoured vouchers given to out-of-work persons by City Hall for breakfast and dinner.
Jean was married in 1942 at the age of 21, with her husband (Eddie) serving in the Air Force. In 1958, they opened their own marine business, which sold boats and motors. At the time of the interview, Jean was in charge of business operations for the store.
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