For the next two weeks the Chinese New Year will be celebrated in communities across Canada.

Chinese immigration to North America began as early as 1788, and saw big waves to Canada, for example, during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in British Columbia in 1858, and later in the 1880s, with Chinese labour used to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.

From that period on until after World War II, Chinese were subject to various discriminatory laws to prevent or reduce the number of them that could successfully immigrate to Canada.

All discriminatory immigration laws were eventually repealed in 1947, and today the Chinese represent one of the most economically successful immigrant groups in Canada, with the largest single cohort of immigrants coming from mainland China of all countries during the last decade.

This year is the Year of the Dragon, which is especially lucky for the Chinese, representing prosperity, strength, and power.