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The Chinese-Canadian diaspora, a vast and diverse population now 1.2 million strong, trickled into Canada across several generations and has never been known for its strong attachment to China. It was a nation marked by poverty, chaos, civil war, occupation and communism — hardly the conditions to spark affinity.
But now, as China moves closer to regaining status as a global power, its overseas community has begun fostering a new emotional bond with its homeland. The Olympic Games, in particular, have given Chinese Canadians a focal point, one that has many simultaneously spilling over with pride at China's success and frustration with the West's lingering focus on perceived Chinese failings.
"The Olympics by itself is an embodiment of a sort of Chinese coming-out party," said Cheuk Kwan, who said excitement has been mounting throughout the diaspora since China was awarded the Games in 2001.
"The Chinese are looking at the Olympic Games as the kind of washing off of all humiliation and bad things that China used to represent," he said. "Chinese Canadians still hold dear the fact that they are Chinese. When China becomes a super nation, they feel proud. They feel that their status in society is tied directly to how China is being thought of on the world stage."
Cheuk Kwan helped found the influential Chinese Canadian National Council. He will be online Monday at 2 p.m. ET for a live discussion. (Handout)
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Mr. Kwan, who appears regularly on community radio shows also says he recently began to notice a profound shift in the attitude of his listeners. They still light up his phone lines with fervour, though now it is to inform him that criticism he might make of the Chinese system has become tantamount to slighting the Chinese people.
What do you think? What has changed? Mr. We're pleased Mr. Kwan will join us for a live discussion Monday until 3 p.m. ET. Send your questions now and read the answers at the bottom of this page.
Cheuk Kwan was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. After earning his master's degree in systems engineering in the U.S., he immigrated to Canada in 1976 where he embarked upon a successful career in information technology.
His international upbringing gave the multilingual Mr. Kwan — he speaks English, Japanese, French and several Chinese dialects — an early start in world travel and opportunities to meet people from several countries. His career later brought him to the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and back to Japan and Hong Kong.
Back home in Canada, the community activist founded The Asianadian, a magazine dedicated to the promotion of Asian Canadian arts, culture and politics in 1978. The following year, he helped lead a nation-wide fight for equality for Chinese Canadians. He is presently the chair of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Christine Diemert: Thanks for joining us today Mr. Kwan. We've got a lot of questions, so I'll just get started.
Charles Burton from St Catharines: When Canadians express concern about the situation of Tibetans or Uyghurs or believers in religion in China, some ethnic Chinese often dismiss these claims on the basis that the Canadians are 'anti-China' or 'don't understand China.' So we get no reasoned response, but are instead charged with racism and ignorance.
What can Canadians do to on the one hand to stand for those who are suffering from injustice in China and on the other to avoid making these ethnic Chinese feel so offended?
