Wong, Anita
Anita Davida Wong (née Joh) was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Anita was one of a number of Canadian-born Chinese youth who socialized at roller skating parties and group outings in Vancouver in the 1930s and 1940s. She met her husband, George Wong, at one such outing. In the mid 1940s, Anita became one of the first Chinese Canadian women to attend nursing school at the University of British Columbia, earning her Bachelors degree in 1948. She also became the third Chinese Canadian public nurse hired by the City of Vancouver, despite some reservations expressed by the hiring committee about hiring an ‘Oriental’. She and her husband, a World War Two veteran, were turned down for a city-owned apartment on the basis of race, even though Anita was employed by the city. The couple lived in Veteran’s housing and raised three children. Today, Anita credits hard work, education and religious faith as the things that have guided her through hardship. At the time of the interview, Anita continued to reside in Vancouver and was an active member of the Chinese Presbyterian Church.
‘But the parents insisted that we live with them, because it's Chinese custom. The bride must live with the family. They said they would lose face if I don't live with them.’
In this audio clip, Anita Wong describes living with her in-laws. She recalls how she could never please her mother-in-law, who blamed Anita for bringing bad luck into the home. Anita speculates that her mother-in-law’s difficult life as a child bride negatively affected her relationships as an adult.
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