My Personal Environemental History
August 7, 2025 By: Jessica McMath
My Personal Environmental History
My family environmental history will focus on my mother’s side of the family as I have never met my father’s side of the family. Originally born in Canton, China, my grandfather immigrated to Canada in the early 1950s with his family to start a new life in Vancouver. Canton, which is now called Guangzhou today, is located near the Pearl River and just outside of Hong Kong. I have found sparse information online to understand why the cities name had change, and even my grandpa was not entirely sure as he was living in Canada when it changed. Furthermore, I will refer to the city my grandfather emigrated from as Guangzhou as that is what it is known as today. My grandfather’s memories of life in Guangzhou were limited due to the onset of his dementia, but from what I could learn from him the area he grew up in was poorer with limited resources and infrastructure. Food and employment opportunities were scarce. His father wanted a better life for his family and left for Canada to find better employment opportunities. Once he found a job, the rest of the family, my grandfather included, joined him. There, he met my grandmother, also Chinese, and married and started a life in what today is called East Vancouver. They have moved around but remain married to this day.
My mother was born shortly after their marriage in the 1960s, living together in an older building that contained their home upstairs, and a store they owned downstairs. This store was in a family-oriented residential area, with an elementary school across the street. My mother recalls the area being beautiful, with lots of nature and places to play nearby; this area was a relatively safe area within Vancouver. While this area was beautiful, my grandparents did not get to enjoy it as they worked round the clock taking care of their store to make ends meet. I recall my grandfather telling me that Canada was more expensive than China, and keeping up with rent, food, store costs, and family costs was challenging. This is where my grandparents ongoing belief of living with less and wasting nothing was born. They pinched pennies, to cut costs and save more money. My mom even tells me the story of how she wanted to buy a flashy pair of shoes, but my grandmother chose the “boring” ones as they cost less. This reminded me of my childhood when I had also wanted a flashier pair of sandals that cost three times more than the off-brand ones my mom chose instead. This really resonated with me today as I understand why they both made those choices, not because they wanted to upset us, but rather as a way of survival in a new country. Unfortunately, racism was rampant during these times and my grandparents were conned by their landlord out of money. The Chinese Exclusion Act had been repealed not too long ago, and they were forced to move out and sell their store, which was the reason they chose to relocate to North Vancouver. The penny pinching and sale of their store gave my grandparents the financial ability to buy a house in the Lynn Valley area of North Vancouver. My grandmother recalls lying on the living room floor of her new home, with no furniture, and just being in awe that this house was really hers. Funny enough, that house remains in our family, and I have grown up in it myself for some time. Like their old home/store, this new house was located in a family-oriented neighbourhood with parks and schools nearby. My grandparents had dreams of having a family in a safe and beautiful neighbourhood, and both times they had been able to find a place that fit their wants. My grandparent’s penny pinching continued even after the purchase of their house, and well into my time with them. This also influenced my mother’s behaviour. My father also grew up in financial hardship, working endlessly to pay for his needs. I like to think my grandparents, father, and mother have influenced mine as well. I am very cautious of my own money, and I like to imagine that I can work as hard as my family did to achieve their life goals.
My ethnicity is half Chinese, half Canadian, but growing up around my Chinese grandparents have connected me more with my Chinese roots. I believe that this has influenced my day-to-day life in ways I am not even completely sure of. I have a strong sense of love and care for my environment and believe in not wasting anything that I have. Part of the reason I am taking an environmental history course is to learn more about the environment so I can be one of the caretakers of it for years to come. I believe that my grandparents’ actions were carried down from generations past. Even telling my mom that I am taking this course, she exclaimed “wow! That sounds so interesting and so fun to learn about!” Reflecting on these little moments that seem insignificant, it caused me to look back and think about what other things that may have been a result of my grandparents’ hard work, environment, and history that have been carried down the family tree.
My grandparents have taught me valuable life lessons from their hardships growing up in China, Vancouver, then North Vancouver. Even though my grandfather knew of these hardships, he continued to work hard and even sent money back to Guangzhou to family members who did not have the same opportunities as he did. Both my grandparents worked tirelessly through the years, facing hardships and racism. They remained positive and only took what they needed to move toward their life goals. Reflecting now, I am curious what my grandfather would think of my life that was impacted by his hard work. I imagine he would want to walk through the same forests I do every day and enjoy the peace and happiness of nature, knowing that his choices in life influenced my happy life today.