| Summary: | In 1860, the first Chinese women landed in British Columbia, beginning a trickle of immigration despite a policy of excluding Asian females. While the New World used Chinese men to build the railroads, they were not encouraged to increase and multiply here. Under the Willow Tree tells a remarkable tale of courageous women who left their families behind in China, knowing they would never see them again. As girls, they faced the heart-wrenching odyssey of being shipped off to the New World to marry men they had never met. As women, they fought against the many forms of racism, while challenging sexism within their own community. By passing on language, culture, and values to their children, these women helped define what it means to be Chinese in the New World. Beautiful old photographs combine with the recollections of seven women who grew up in Canada in the first part of the twentieth century to produce a testament to the strength, resourcefulness and dignity of their forebears.
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