A Song for the Paper Children
Written By Christopher Tse
A Song for the Paper Children is a tribute to early Chinese immigrants, some of whom came to Canada after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to severely restrict their entry. These “paper children,” courageous men and women, endured legislated racism, financial hardship, and frequent acts of violence and discrimination, but they followed in the footsteps of their predecessors to lay the foundation for a Chinese Canadian community today that is vibrant, resilient and here to stay.
The poem was written to commemorate the centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and was performed by poet Christopher Tse in the Senate of Canada on 23 June 2023
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Christopher Tse is an educator, writer, and award-winning artist based in Whitehorse, Yukon. He placed second at both the 2011 Poetry Slam World Cup and 2016 Rio International Poetry Slam, and continues to miss the top of the podium in most areas of his life. Christopher has shared the stage with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Shane Koyczan, and Mustafa the Poet, and his work has appeared on stages, screens, and graffiti walls worldwide. He is passionate about using rhyme to share stories about joy, resistance, community, and basketball. A Song for the Paper Children was written to commemorate the centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and was performed in the Senate of Canada on June 23, 2023
Additional information
| Specs | Trade, 8.75" X 9.25", 52 pages |
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Helen Kubiw, Canlit for Little Canadians –
“Peppering his poem with photographs of people and documents as well as drawings, Christopher Tse instills a gravitas to his works which are already deeply evocative of time and place. Surprisingly, much of it comes from asking questions. How did they feel? What did they think? What was the cost? Are they heard now? Christopher Tse makes the reader think and feel. It is the feeling of heartbreak for mistreatment and abuses, of awe for resilience and endurance, and of astonishment that these stories happened.”