Some Chinese immigrants probably were sojourners. But so were a great many other immigrants. Most of the Chinese would probably have preferred to stay in Newfoundland. But there were many reasons why this was hard for them. We have already seen that the Chinese were sometimes badly treated. But there is an even more important reason why some Chinese did not stay. Chinese women were not allowed into Newfoundland until 1949. It is hard to assimilate and stay if you cannot have your family with you. This made life very hard and lonely for the Chinese.

Chinese Life in Newfoundland Today

From the very beginning, life in Newfoundland was a struggle for the Chinese. But they kept looking to the future. They were not afraid of hard work. William Ping, a Chinese man who ran the last Chinese laundry in St. John's, remembers the hard and long hours many Chinese worked in the early years of the century. He says they often worked in the laundry from 8 A.M. until 1 A.M. the next morning without a break. Then they would have their supper. But the day was still not over. The clothes then had to be ironed. Sometimes the laundry workers got only a half hour of sleep in a 24 hour day. Not many people would put up with these working conditions. But the Chinese did this kind of work regularly. ¹⁹

Today, things are better for the Chinese. Attitudes about race are changing. The Chinese are looked upon as respected members of society. They hold important professional positions. Many own successful businesses. They have also kept their culture alive. Every year colourful celebrations mark the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese take part in multicultural festivals. The Chinese and their culture add greatly to Newfoundland society.

The Chinese have come a long way since 1906 when Wang Lee boarded the S.S. Bruce. Every year the Chinese community gathers at Mount Carmel Cemetery in St. John's to pay their respects to the early Chinese immigrants. They know that Wang Lee and others like him helped pave the way for the Chinese of today.