The Chinese Farmers of Celery City, Podcast Ep. 11
We are exploring the history of Chinese-Canadian market gardeners in Armstrong, BC, a community once known as “The Celery Capital of Canada.” Moving beyond traditional union stories, this episode of our On the Line podcast highlights the vital contributions of Chinese immigrants who, despite facing systemic racism and harsh restrictions, helped build a hub of vegetable farming in BC’s interior.
Publication date: October 4, 2021
Podcast length: 18:34
Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh
Production by: John Mabbott
In the late 19th century, 17,000 Chinese workers were brought to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. They were barred from citizenship, voting and land ownership, given the most dangerous jobs, paid less than white labourours, and forced to live in inhumane conditions. After the railway was completed these workers were discarded: subject to discrimination, segregation, and the Federal Exclusion Act.
Despite these barriers, Chinese immigrants found ways to survive. Many had come to British Columbia with knowledge of farming, and though they couldn’t buy property, there were ways to access privately-owned land. Armstrong’s rich soil proved ideal for celery, a labour-intensive crop that Chinese farmers mastered with innovation and precision, most notably through the invention of the “celery stamper.” Growing vegetables favoured by Chinese consumers, these farmers turned Armstrong into a produce haven.
Listeners to this episode will hear firsthand recollections from descendants of pioneer farmers like Lee Bak Bong, Louie Chin, and Jong Hughie. Howe Yet Lee, Lee Bak Bong’s grandson, shares stories of growing up in Armstrong and how his family’s produce was shipped as far as Winnipeg and supplied local Safeway stores. Meanwhile, Mary Jong recalls the isolation of being one of the only Chinese children in school and the significance of Armstrong’s tight-knit Chinatown community.
Despite their success, Chinese farmers continued to face racial barriers, from discriminatory Sunday work restrictions to targeted policing of social gatherings. In the post-WWII era, a provincial marketing board imposed quotas that limited their ability to compete, prompting some to focus more on specialized crops like Chinese vegetables to survive.
The episode also connects Armstrong’s story to other Chinese farming communities in BC, including those on the Musqueam Indian Reserve, where land and water access were more attainable due to a relationship built on mutual respect.