Person

Dung, Way How

• 董維灝

• Dong, Way How

[1898]-1979

DUNG Way How was believed to born in 1898. He arrived in Vancouver in 1922 from Bark Choon Jong in the District of [番禺 Punyu / Panyu]. His father was already in Canada with his three older brothers. As a merchant's son, he was exempt from paying the head tax.

He is recorded as 20 years of age upon entry to Canada, but his daughter, Vivian (Dong) Chow, recalls, “in reality he was older… he had to use a birth certificate that was bought in China for him to come over to be younger.”

Way How settled in Nanaimo and worked several types of jobs, including coal mining and farming. He had shared with his daughter that during the depression, he picked tomatoes and earned 25 cents for the whole day of work. Later, he went to Vancouver. He and his family finally settled in South Burnaby in the Flats. They ran a vegetable farm which was hard work.

His daughter shared, “My father was a good handyman. He never had any training to be a carpenter, but he built a big garage and a greenhouse on our farm. He also finished restoring our home on our farm.”

He visited China in 1928 and 1934. He had a wife in China, with whom he had two sons. However, his wife and younger son died from famine during the Japanese invasion. In 1949, he brought his second wife over to Canada. They had a daughter, Vivian (Dong) Chow in 1951. She remembers, it was “[a] disappointment because I was a girl. I think they tried for a boy but my Mom was quite old to conceive. When I was quite young, he told me stories but I never paid much attention. So sad looking back.”

Way How passed away in 1979. His older son died in 1981 in China. His daughter recalls, “I went back to my Father’s village in 1982. I think my Mother tried to bring him over but in vain.”

Description supplied by collector/curator