Nellie Yip Quong

Nellie Yip Quong with her husband, Charlie

Nellie Yip Quong (née Nellie Towers; 1882-1949) was a Canadian midwife, feminist, and social activist.[1] She and her husband Charlie Yip Quong were the first mixed Oriental/Caucasian married couple in Vancouver.[2] For over four decades, she worked tirelessly to improve the conditions of Chinese living in Canada.[3] In 2008, she was designated a Person of National Historic Significance for being a "bold and outspoken advocate for her adopted community, she served as an intermediary between the Euro-Canadian and Chinese Canadian societies."[4]

Biography

Yip Quong was born in Saint John, New Brunswick née Nellie Towers. She went to the United States for private education. Afterwards, she worked as an English teacher in New York City. While teaching, she met Charlie Yip Quong, a Chinese jeweller from Vancouver.[1]

In 1900, she married Charlie Yip Quong in New York City, back when interracial marriages were rare. After some time in both New York City and Vancouver, the couple went to China. In 1904, they returned to Vancouver.[5]

In 1917, Charlie and Nellie moved to 783 East Pender Street where they raised their daughter Eleanor (Lum). There she provided health and social services in Chinese, that were not available in Vancouver due to racism.[6] Among the services provided was midwifery, where she aided in the delivery of about 500 babies.[1] She also arranged adoptions for single mothers.[7]

Eventually, she was hired by the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver as the first public health nurse for the Chinese population. She also acted as an interpreter in Vancouver and translated court cases.[5] In addition, she "convinced the Vancouver General Hospital to end their policy of keeping all non-Caucasian patients in the basement."[8]

Designation

Yip Quong's designation was initiated by Imogene Lim, chair of the anthropology department at Vancouver Island University, a relative by marriage, and supported by Mrs. Yip Quong's daughter Eleanor Lum and her granddaughter Starlet Lum.[9]

Legacy

On May 35, 2013, the Nellie Yip House received a 'Places That Matter' plaque from the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.[10]

Trivia

  • Yip Quong was able to speak Cantonese, four regional dialects and some Mandarin.[5]
  • Yip Quong was colour blind.[1]
  • Jimi Hendrix's grandparents, Ross and Nora Hendrix, lived in the same house in Vancouver as the Yip Quoungs.[2] Subsequent to the Yip Quong's departure, the house had become a brothel.[7]

Quotations

  • "I have given up a whole lot to know my husband's people and it took a long time to win their confidence... Oh I tell you it was often distressing."[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vancouver Heritage Foundation Weekly: Places That Matter ~ Nellie Yip Quong House — Vancouver Is Awesome
  2. 1 2 When An Old House Whispers...: History Walking Tours in Vancouver's Old East End
  3. ↑ Nellie Yip's House - YouTube
  4. ↑ Yip Quong, Nellie National Historic Person
  5. 1 2 3 100 More Canadian Heroines: Famous and Forgotten Faces by Merna Forster, pg. 285 https://books.google.com/books?id=nPqQ2rzWL7IC&pg=PA284&lpg=PA284&dq=Nellie+Yip+Quong&source=bl&ots=GAsMYLjR5p&sig=MPDSkGM4oQRdcPFtVs2vP8YtQQY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hn3qU8b0MIKYyATMk4L4Cw&ved=0CHgQ6AEwEA#v=onepage&q=Nellie%20Yip%20Quong&f=false
  6. ↑ Nellie Yip Quong and International Women’s Day | Dundurn
  7. 1 2 The Nellie Yip House on 783 East Pender Street | Chinese Canadian Stories
  8. ↑ Nellie Yip Quong and International Women’s Day | Defining Canada
  9. ↑ Julie Chadwick: Researcher honours her heritage - Nanaimo Region - Nanaimo Daily News
  10. ↑ Places That Matter Plaque Project | Vancouver Heritage Foundation
  11. ↑ 100 More Canadian Heroines: Famous and Forgotten Faces by Merna Forster, pg. 286 https://books.google.com/books?id=nPqQ2rzWL7IC&pg=PA284&lpg=PA284&dq=Nellie+Yip+Quong&source=bl&ots=GAsMYLjR5p&sig=MPDSkGM4oQRdcPFtVs2vP8YtQQY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hn3qU8b0MIKYyATMk4L4Cw&ved=0CHgQ6AEwEA#v=onepage&q=Nellie%20Yip%20Quong&f=false
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