Chinese in Canada

[kfson]

What are the largest Chinese population centers in Canada?
What martial arts did they bring with them?

[David Jamieson]

What are the largest Chinese population centers in Canada?
What martial arts did they bring with them?

Toronto & Vancouver are the largest population centers of Chinese peoples in Canada.

Vancouver has a very large Chinatown almost equal to that of San Franciscos in population and acreage. It's fairly impressive.

Toronto has 2 major Chinese communities. There is old Chinatown in downtown T.O which runs up Spadina Ave and across Dundas St and covers all the side streets around. Blocks and blocks of outdoor markets, million pieces of crap stores, dim sum joints, restaurants, kungfu schools, associations, newspapers etc etc etc.

Up in the North East is the Town of Markham. Where I live. Markham boasts the largest exclusively Chinese Mall outside of Hong Kong in the world. The greater portion of Toronto's Chinese population isn't actually in Toronto, they're in Markham. :)

Kungfu styles here are all the well knowns, Hung Gar, CLF, WC, PM (N&S), Modern Shaolin, North Shaolin, San Da and so on and so forth. Kungfu is not quite as open here though. There is definitely not a preponderance of Kungfu schools, but there are many kwoons. You have to really look for them. Most of them are not advertised at all.

In Downtown T.O, there are several commercial schools and even Toronto's oldest Kwoon run by Paul Chan. His club is called Hong Luk. They teach a style called Do Pi there but are also well known for their southern styles as well. Also is the National Fut Gar association, the gee kung tong on Dundas, the KMT on Augusta and of course many back street places just like grampa used to go to. :D

In Vancouver it is just about the same sort of setting, but I think the do it up a little more there as far as the Kungfu goes. They have big parades and huge lion and dragon dance spectacles in the streets in Van and for teh most aprt that's not done much in T.O.

Every major city in Canada has a Chinatown and every Chinatown has a Kungfu school or a sifu in it who teaches for some family association or some food and beverage association or what not. There's a lot of different social groups in Chinese culture. Not to mention the Massive chinese cultural centres that are found in major cities as well and are guaranteed to have at the very least modern wushu being learned in them.

hope that gives you a general idea.