Person

Chow, Song

• Chow, Shong

[1891]-195-

CHOW Song arrived in Canada at around age 11 with his two brothers whose names are no longer known. Their uncle had sponsored them to the country as unskilled labourers.

Song landed in Victoria in 1902 hailing from the county of 開平 Hoiping / Kaiping in the 廣東 Guangdong province of China.

By 1914, he was living in Blackfalds, Alberta which boasted many employment opportunities through the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Song worked as a general labourer, and in restaurants washing dishes and floors, clearing tables, cooking, and as general kitchen help.

Like many early Chinese, Song saved to pay off the head tax, sent money home to China to support his family, adjusted to a different culture, endured the harsh winter prairie climate, and struggled with racism and not speaking English.

As a teenager, he had saved enough money to return to China to visit his family. While there, Song’s parents arranged for him to marry a young woman with the surname of Quan. While living in China, Song and Quan Shee had two sons. The first son, Harry Chow, was born in 1908.

In the 1920s, Song returned to Canada with his son, Harry. The two worked in cafes and restaurants in Roleau and Outlook in Saskatchewan. Harry often referenced the harsh winter living and working conditions they faced on the prairies.

Song never saw his wife again. He passed away in the early 1950s and is buried at Moose Jaw’s Rosedale cemetery. His wife learned of Song’s passing from their son, Harry.

In submitting this biography, Song’s grandson, Gordon Chow, notes “I have never met my grandfather, he was before my time. My recollection of my grandfather is from bits and pieces of information and stories that I heard from various family members. I only knew what he looked like from a black and white photograph of my grandfather that hung in my parents’ kitchen wall and the picture on his C.I.36 immigration document.”

As a result of Song’s journey to Canada, his son Harry was eventually able to open his own business, a restaurant and a grocery store which resulted in a better life for his own family and children. Harry settled in Moose Jaw in 1935 and opened his restaurant Modern Cafe in 1939 in partnership with five others. The restaurant operated in Moose Jaw for over 50 years, serving three generations of diners who frequented the popular restaurant.

Description supplied by collector/curator