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Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer Chinese Women in Canada

Directed by Dora Nipp
Canada, 1997 (documentary, 52 minutes, colour / black and white, English)
Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer Chinese Women in Canada
Image: © National Film Board of Canada
Video (National Film Board of Canada)

Film Description:
"A rich and little-known part of Canadian history unfolds through the stories of the first Chinese women to come to Canada and of subsequent generations of Chinese Canadian women. It is an amazing tale of courageous women who left behind their families, knowing they would never see them again and of girls who were shipped off to the New World to marry men they had never met. These are the women who fought against the many forms of racism they faced in Canada while, at the same time, challenging sexism within their own communities. By passing on language, culture, and values to their children, these women defined what it means to be Chinese Canadian. Beautiful old photographs from family albums, the recollections of seven women who grew up in Canada in the first half of the 20th century, and the memories of narrator and director, Dora Nipp, whose grandfather came to Canada in 1881 to build the railway, create a remarkable story of stunning impact."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Produced by: Margaret Wong, Ginny Stikeman
Participants: Agnes Lor, Mabel Yee, Emma Quon, Jean Lumb, Gladys Mah, Norma Li, Hazel Chong
Cinematography: Savas Kalogeras
Animation: Meilan Lam
Film Editing: Margaret Wong, MeiYen Chan
Music: Janet Lumb
Production Company: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada
(sources)

Web Sites about Under the Willow Tree: Pioneer Chinese Women in Canada


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