Wong, Myrtle
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, Myrtle Wong describes growing up in both Australia and Hong Kong, her marriage to a Chinese Canadian soldier, and her life in Canada. Myrtle was born in Australia in 1921, and immigrated to Canada in 1946 with her husband, Hank.
Myrtle describes her family structure, focusing on the role of her grandmother, and the favouritism of boys over girls. For example, Myrtle’s mother married at age 14, and had two daughters in quick succession. After the second daughter – Myrtle – was born, her father was so upset that she was a daughter rather than a son that he locked Myrtle’s mother in the family home for several months as punishment.
Myrtle started working at age 18, keeping her job a secret from her parents because she feared their disapproval. To her surprise, they accepted her decision to work, and she had positive experiences working as a stenographer in Australia. At age 24, Myrtle married a Chinese Canadian soldier who was stationed in Australia. The couple immigrated to Canada.
Myrtle recalls adjusting to life in Canada, including adapting to the weather, new holidays, and losing her place a member of a well-known and respected family. Although Myrtle had not planned on getting a job in Canada, her husband fell ill, and Myrtle went to work. After she had children, she continued to work because she enjoyed it, even though the family no longer depended on her income.
To conclude, Myrtle reflects on her life in Canada, her identity, and that of her children.
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