Tong, Poy
Poy Tong was born in Guangdong Province, China. His mother, Hew Ting, raised her three sons in China while her husband, Tung Shew Nan (also known as Dong Shou), worked overseas in Canada. After The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 was repealed, Hew Ting and her sons applied to come to Canada. Only she and Poy were approved to receive visas because her other sons’ answers were deemed unacceptable by immigration officials at the Canadian Consulate in Hong Kong. Hew Ting waited six months in the hopes that the family could travel together, but was forced to leave behind her two sons in China when Canadian immigration threatened to cancel the visas. After making appeals to Canadian Immigration, the Tungs were reunited with their remaining sons, who joined the family months later in the town of Delhi, Ontario. The Tungs lived above the family’s restaurant and each family member was expected to contribute to the successful operation of the business. After moving to Toronto as an adult, Poy Tong worked for Canada Post and raised a family with his wife, Yuen Har. At the time of the interview, Poy Tong was a volunteer in school literacy programs.
This photo was taken as a passport identification photo in preparation for Hew Ting and her sons to travel to Canada to be reunited with Tung Shew Nan. Poy Tong (second from right) was eleven years old in this photo. During the Exclusion Period (1923-1947), it was not uncommon for a wife in China to be separated from her husband for long periods of time, since trips back to China were costly and limited to a maximum of two years. The repeal of The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 in 1947 allowed some families to be reunited, and increased Chinese immigration to Canada in the 1950s.
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