When COVID-19 hit Canada, the Chinese community was arguably one of the most affected groups. Not only did we have to deal with potential health and financial issues like everyone else, we also faced possible discrimination and xenophobia from those who are misinformed or prejudiced.

Before this epidemic, many in Vancouver already held a negative view of Chinese people, especially the wealthier ones. First, there is the controversy around real estate, where rich Chinese people buy up huge portions of land, leaving them unoccupied to late sell for a profit when the value increases. While this did improve the economy, it created a huge housing crisis in Vancouver. Vacancy taxes introduced by the Canadian government did not solve the issue completely. Then, there is the stereotype that Chinese people are materialistic and enjoy flaunting their expensive lifestyle and showing off their wealth in the forms of foreign cars, massive houses and designer clothing. This belief’s origins can be found in the behaviour of some of the wealthier Chinese people and 富二代s, with their frequent trips to luxury stores, racing with exotic cars and social media posts. Finally, there are the typical stereotypes of course: Things like Chinese people all eat dogs, cats, etc.

Knowing this, it really came as no surprise to me that Vancouver, like many other places in the west, has recently seen a spike in racially motivated crimes against those of Asian descent. In April, Global News reported that a Vancouver man pulling a 92 years-old Asian man with dementia out of a store and pushing him onto the ground. In the same month, The Vancouver Sun reported a man who went on a racist tirade against two Asian women on a subway attacked another woman when she tried to defend the pair. These are just two of the dozens of reported incidents in the last few months.