H. Ray Liaw oral history collection on Chinese South African immigrants, 1998-1999

The H. Ray Liaw Oral History Collection on Chinese South African Immigrants includes video recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted by H. Ray Liaw with twelve members of her extended family, South African Chinese immigrants, who emigrated from South Africa to Washington State and Toronto, Canada. Also included is the video documentary and introduction to the project created by H. Ray Liaw for her University of Washington Women’s Studies undergraduate thesis. The interviews cover topics such as life in South Africa in the early twentieth century, life in China, the Chinese immigrant community in South Africa, apartheid, work, experiences as South African Chinese immigrants in the US and Canada, marriage customs, family life, discrimination, politics, and community building.

Interviews were conducted by H. Ray Liaw and a translator was present during the interviews. The interviewees speak Chinese and English and the translator simultaneously translates Chinese to English during the video recordings. H. Ray Liaw transcribed the interviews.