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Canadian-born Chinese
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:Canadian-born-Chinese, CBC
1n. — Ethnicities
a person of Chinese descent born and generally also raised in Canada.
Type: 5. Frequency — The phrase Canadian-born Chinese most often refers to second generation Canadians of Chinese descent. It is most frequently used in Canada (see Chart 1) and frequently appears in its acronymic form, CBC (see the 1977 quotation). Formed by analogy to the American form American-born Chinese and ABC, CBC is only of limited frequency in the UK and the US, while other locations know only of ABCs (see Chart 2).
Though it may be used to describe Canadians that are ethnically Taiwanese or mainland Chinese, CBC predominantly denotes people with one or both parents from Hong Kong. Kobayashi & Preston (2014: 236) note that the term "represents a socially constructed self-identity, not a literal statement of place of birth", and thus carries certain connotations. Someone who is Canadian-born Chinese is often distinguished from immigrant Chinese populations by a lack of knowledge of the Chinese language and a sense of disconnection from their heritage culture (see the 1977 and 2006 quotations). The term, unlike banana, does not generally have negative connotations. CBC is listed in a dictionary of Hong Kong English (Cummings & Wolf 2011: 25), demonstrating its recent uptake in the heritage culture. The term is first attested in Canada in the late 1970s, and became popularized with the immigration waves in the late 1980s and 1990s.
The term is not listed in COD-2, Gage-5 or ITP Nelson.
Though it may be used to describe Canadians that are ethnically Taiwanese or mainland Chinese, CBC predominantly denotes people with one or both parents from Hong Kong. Kobayashi & Preston (2014: 236) note that the term "represents a socially constructed self-identity, not a literal statement of place of birth", and thus carries certain connotations. Someone who is Canadian-born Chinese is often distinguished from immigrant Chinese populations by a lack of knowledge of the Chinese language and a sense of disconnection from their heritage culture (see the 1977 and 2006 quotations). The term, unlike banana, does not generally have negative connotations. CBC is listed in a dictionary of Hong Kong English (Cummings & Wolf 2011: 25), demonstrating its recent uptake in the heritage culture. The term is first attested in Canada in the late 1970s, and became popularized with the immigration waves in the late 1980s and 1990s.
The term is not listed in COD-2, Gage-5 or ITP Nelson.
Quotations
1911
A good many Chinese boys and girls are growing up in the community, and in the natural order of things in a very few years the second generation of Canadian-born Chinese will be in evidence.
1937
Two Canadian Chinese today prepared to take their seats in the National Congress of their native land once Sino-Japanese hostilities end. [...] They will be instructed to appeal for: 1. Central Government appropriations to assist Chinese public schools in Canada, so Canadian-born Chinese may be taught their native tongue.
1949
Asked by the mayor if he had been "disturbed very much" by the detective's visit and questions, insurance-agent George Chow, a Canadian-born Chinese, said: "I knew he was a police officer; you could tell by looking at him. It did disturb me a bit, being in business, having a detective come around. People usually think something's wrong if a detective comes around."
1977
"Frankly," says Arlene Lee, a Toronto high school student, "I don't know how to cope with them." She is a "CBC" -- a Canadian-born Chinese -- and she says she has nothing in common with the shy, tongue-tied, hard-working immigrant Chinese students in her high school. CBCs like Arlene Lee are as Canadian as Wayne and Shuster.
1980
People look at it from the outside, and the community seems of a piece, unified and operating smoothly, but of course it isn't. "You can isolate at least four different groups: the original Chinese immigrants, before 1923; the postwar immigrants; the Canadian-born Chinese, and the new, post-1967 immigrants. They all have certain claims to the superiority of their cultures, and often they have trouble communicating with each other."
1993
This is the first professional organization in Montreal to draw together members from the Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and Chinese Canadian communities. "Usually, Canadian-born Chinese don't mix very well with recently arrived refugees, and those from Hong Kong don't necessarily mix with those from the mainland. But our organization will be a common meeting ground for all."
2006
That ballroom was a part of Canada -- the lights, the flags, the beer and even the beaver tails (which are highly overrated, by the way). The emcee was a perfect example of globalization and Canada's close ties with China: She was a Canadian-born Chinese speaking perfect French and English, who could not speak Chinese.
2015
Chiu suggested the festival offers an ideal way for the younger generation, especially the Canadian-born Chinese, to reconnect to their culture and traditions. There are nearly 600,000 Chinese Canadians living in the GTA. "The community has been looking for an authentic Chinese New Year celebration that is uniquely traditional yet can provide new excitement with activities for the entire family," Chiu said.
2adj.
of or relating to people of Chinese descent born in Canada.
Type: 5. Frequency — See meaning 1.
Quotations
1923
Dr. Victoria Chung, the first Canadian-born Chinese girl to go as a missionary to the land of her forefathers, sailed tonight on the Canadian Pacific steamship Empress of Australia to assume her duties under the Canadian Presbyterian Board at Kongmoon, South China. Dr. Chung was born in Victoria, BC, and graduated in medicine from the University of Toronto, having served as an interne during the past year at the Toronto General Hospital.
1937
We have a unique experience here in Canada. People come to us from many countries, and sometimes go back to their own again. Home Missions and Foreign Missions interlock. [...] Three Canadian-born Chinese doctors, graduates of Canadian universities, are now serving the Church in South China.
1957
It might be interesting to all the collegiate editors, who would like to get such foreign assignments someday as Kinmond's, to know the reporter as a young man had read every book on China in the Toronto Public Library. Also, through his friendship with a young Canadian-born Chinese student in architecture at the University of Toronto, William Ing, he formed a wide circle of friends among Canadians of Chinese birth or origin.
1995
I figured that I was in a sub-culture twice removed from even a smaller minority - a Canadian-born Chinese gay male - not truly accepted by Asian-born gays or straights and not totally accepted by the majority gay or straight populations. Without a support system of close friends and family, I felt like an island.
2013
Senator Lillian Dyck is a woman of firsts. She's the first First Nations woman appointed to the Canadian Senate. She's the first Canadian-born Chinese person appointed to the Senate. She received a master's of science from the University of Saskatchewan the first year it awarded them and she is one of the firsts, if not the first, First Nations woman to obtain a PhD in the sciences in Canada, and likely worldwide.
References
- Kobayashi & Preston (2014)
- Cummings & Wolf (2011)
- COD-2
- Gage-5
- ITP Nelson
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 23 Apr. 2015
