The Ballad of the Chinese Workers

Years ago, our own dear land,
In eighteen eighty-one,
Had a mighty railway planned
From coast to coast to run.
 
Hopeful men came flowing forth
In search of livelihoods;
Roused by tales of what laid north
And for what truths it stood.
 
Courage, justice, liberty:
What they expected here.
Freedom, fairness, bravery,
Not prejudice and fear.
 
It took four years to succeed;
In eighteen eighty-five,
We’d at long last done the deed
But lost one thousand lives.
 
 
Yes, one thousand lives were lost;
While fourteen thousand more
Lived and seemed to dull the cost
As better to ignore.
 
 
In a little grassy plain
A few small blocks of wood
Mark the bones that ne’er again
Went home they way they should.
 
Let your mind now wander out
To where theirs once did stand,
In their hearts no trace of doubt
But aspirations grand.
 
What did they think when they saw
The prejudice in store?
No refuge in love or law
From an unequal war.
 
Canada, our nation sweet,
Once not so long ago,
Sold its soul just to complete
This path that suffered so.

The Ballad of the Chinese Workers

Baapooh Chung

Grade 12

University Transition Program
Burnaby, British Columbia

I feel injustice over what happened during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway since I am of Chinese heritage myself.

Related Essays

  • Not Just A Label

    Not Just A Label

    Althea Pacia

    Winnipeg, Manitoba

    I chose this question because I wanted to speak about strong Canadian women that have influenced and inspired many girls including me.

  • Charter of Rights and Freedoms Shaping My Identity

    Charter of Rights and Freedoms Shaping My Identity

    Shae Newman-Macksey

    Winnipeg, Manitoba

    I felt I had a strong personal connection to this topic, and could really tie in my own experiences as a Canadian.

 
View all essays