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- Textual record
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Date(s)
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[192-?] (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
2 letters with 1 envelope
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Custodial history
Purchased from Bjarne Tokerund Bookseller Inc. in 2021 (TR 1062). The provenance of the letters is Victoria's Chinatown. No other details are known.
Scope and content
Consists of two letters written in Traditional Chinese, likely sent in the same accompanying single envelope, to Hwong Leeyau in Victoria, BC. The letters were sent by Canglee and Yangkou in Anyox, BC on Sept. 19.
Letter 1:
Brother Leeyau,
The job market is bleak in Anyox. The copper [mining] is gone and there is no revenue. Job firing and rate reduction happened time and again. There are countless people with no jobs and countless people getting out of town. The brothers from our village are working now but their working days seem numbered. I have no job now and I am thinking of leaving town. I want to ask you whether there are jobs in Victoria.
Canglee
Posted on Sept. 19 with an address for mail in Anyox
Letter 2:
Brother Leeyau,
Leeyu came by bus to my place on the 9th. He wanted to work in a restaurant but there is no such a job for him. Now he's working for a white person and the pay is $18 a week. The job market is very slow in our city and it's very hard to find a job. One should save a lot of money so that once there is a chance you can make progressed quickly. I got a letter from Kwang Wei yesterday, telling me he and Mr. Chiang created a company of iron and copper in Vancouver, right by Sinfualo [transliteration - might be a restaurant]. He asked me to invest in and also work for the company. I like this business very much and talked with the stakeholders on my side. They said I can by no means leave the shop. To think about it, my business is actually very stable. I had a hard time to decide. As the saying goes, you can't split one body for two jobs. I finally declined their offer by writing and I let you know about it.
Yangkou
Sept. 19
Also includes accompanying modern translation sheet for the letters.
Notes area
Physical condition
Excellent condition.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- Chinese
Script of material
- Traditional Han
Location of originals
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Restrictions on access
No restrictions.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Personal or academic use of materials is welcomed under the standard fair dealing and educational use clauses of Canadian Copyright Law. Commercial use is, however, forbidden without the express permission of the copyright holder. For information on obtaining written permission from the copyright holder, please contact the Northern B.C. Archives and Special Collections.