Department:
Our Chosen Land
Replica or Original:
Not a Replica
On Display, In Storage, or in a Private Offsite Collection:
On Display
Primary Material:
Paper
Medium:
Certificate
Dimensions:
Classification/Category:
Personal Objects
Specific Classification:
Legal Documents
Notable Signatures,
Inscriptions, and/or Markings:
not available
Donated by:
not available
Accession Number
1993.004.003
Artifact Date:
A.D. 1800 - 1899
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912)
Artifact Era/Dynasty:
Unknown
Creator:
Chinese
Creator Ancestry:

As China struggled with rapid overpopulation, wage-labour jobs became scarce after China’s defeat in the First Opium War (1839-1842). Lower priced foreign manufactured goods also undercut the Chinese product industry. Law and order broke down when the the Taiping Rebellion broke out in 1850 and continued to 1864. As a result of of massive industrial, political and environmental obstacles, many Chinese residents emigrated.
The first major law that Canada passed to limit Chinese immigration into the country, the Dominion Immigration Act, required Chinese Immigrants to pay a $50 head tax ($1387.50 with today’s inflation). Additionally, no inbound ship could contain more than 1 Chinese Immigrant per 50 tons of cargo.
This Head Tax was increased to $100 ($3,204.70) in 1900 and $500 ($15,295.17) in 1903. A total of 24 million dollars were paid by Chinese immigrants to the Canadian government for the Head Tax from 1885 to 1923. No other immigrant group was subject to paying such fees when entering Canada.
Our Chosen Land features a Head Tax Certificate required by a Chinese immigrant arriving to Canada.

Artifact Date:
A.D. 1800 - 1899
Artifact Era/Dynasty:
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912)
Creator:
Unknown
Creator Ancestory:
Chinese
Catalogue Entry
Online References:
not available
Department:
Our Chosen Land
On Display, In Storage, or in a Private Offsite Collection:
On Display
Replica or Original:
Not a Replica
A head tax certificate required by a Chinese immigrant arriving to Canada.
抵達加拿大的中國移民所需要的人頭稅證明。
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Classification/Category:
Personal Objects
Specific Classification:
Legal Documents
Notable Signatures,
Inscriptions, and/or Markings:
not available