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WHY I CAME HERE
'This is a very good country'
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Why I Came Here is a regular feature that explores the myriad reasons people choose Toronto as home. To see a video and share your story, go to thestar.com/whyicamehere.
Shen Gong Zan has no regrets about leaving Paris, where 'I didn't feel I belonged,' for marriage here
Mar 14, 2009 04:30 AM
Nicholas Keung
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Don't be fooled by Shen Gong Zan's look; he does speak English with an accent, but that's from his French, not his Chinese upbringing.
The 36-year-old immigrant's story embodies the 21st century global migration: his travels started in his birthplace in Shanghai, took him to Paris and have ended, so far, in Toronto.
Shen settled in Canada five months ago, sponsored by his Chinese-Canadian wife, Norine Lau, whom he met in Paris in 1999 through a mutual friend in university. The couple logged hundreds of thousands of air miles over the years until their wedding here in 2005 when the immigration sponsorship ensued.
It was a difficult choice for the couple to settle on a place to start their family and raise their 2-year-old son, Liam. Either Shen or Lau would have to give something up to be with the other.
"This is my new home," Shen said proudly. "I love Canada. This is a very good country. People come here and are accepted. They can go to their own culture and you can coexist. It is not fusion, but you have a choice. And I really enjoy Toronto."
That's a huge contrast to his family's earlier journey to France, when he was 13, where he said newcomers received few support services and had to forsake their heritage to become Parisians. "I didn't feel I belonged there. There, they wanted us to be just French," he explained. "In Canada, immigrants give to this country and they are recognized. There seems to be more opportunities in Canada."
Although Shen studied math and physics in university, he said there were limited career choices for immigrants in France, and the glass ceiling was obvious. After serving in the army on conscription, he opened his own restaurant and a trading company. (He also spent a year in Africa working for an aid group and later as a merchandiser in Hong Kong.)
He is particularly impressed with Canada's multiculturalism policy, which encourages people of diverse backgrounds to observe each others' heritage and fosters peace.
"We have a lot of Africans in France, but I didn't know anything about the Black History Month celebrations until I came to Canada and learned about it in my English class," which he started in January.
Shen is picking up English quickly and said he may go back to school to study law one day.
When Liam grows up, Shen wants his son to learn English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese (his mom's mother tongue), and Shen's native Shanghainese.
TheStar.com | GTA | 'This is a very good country'
'This is a very good country'
<!-- ABOVE ARTICLE TOOLBOX -->
<!-- ARTICLE TOOLBOX -->
Why I Came Here is a regular feature that explores the myriad reasons people choose Toronto as home. To see a video and share your story, go to thestar.com/whyicamehere.
Shen Gong Zan has no regrets about leaving Paris, where 'I didn't feel I belonged,' for marriage here
Mar 14, 2009 04:30 AM
Nicholas Keung
<!-- CREDIT 1-->IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTER
<!-- ARTICLE CONTENT -->
Don't be fooled by Shen Gong Zan's look; he does speak English with an accent, but that's from his French, not his Chinese upbringing.
The 36-year-old immigrant's story embodies the 21st century global migration: his travels started in his birthplace in Shanghai, took him to Paris and have ended, so far, in Toronto.
Shen settled in Canada five months ago, sponsored by his Chinese-Canadian wife, Norine Lau, whom he met in Paris in 1999 through a mutual friend in university. The couple logged hundreds of thousands of air miles over the years until their wedding here in 2005 when the immigration sponsorship ensued.
It was a difficult choice for the couple to settle on a place to start their family and raise their 2-year-old son, Liam. Either Shen or Lau would have to give something up to be with the other.
"This is my new home," Shen said proudly. "I love Canada. This is a very good country. People come here and are accepted. They can go to their own culture and you can coexist. It is not fusion, but you have a choice. And I really enjoy Toronto."
That's a huge contrast to his family's earlier journey to France, when he was 13, where he said newcomers received few support services and had to forsake their heritage to become Parisians. "I didn't feel I belonged there. There, they wanted us to be just French," he explained. "In Canada, immigrants give to this country and they are recognized. There seems to be more opportunities in Canada."
Although Shen studied math and physics in university, he said there were limited career choices for immigrants in France, and the glass ceiling was obvious. After serving in the army on conscription, he opened his own restaurant and a trading company. (He also spent a year in Africa working for an aid group and later as a merchandiser in Hong Kong.)
He is particularly impressed with Canada's multiculturalism policy, which encourages people of diverse backgrounds to observe each others' heritage and fosters peace.
"We have a lot of Africans in France, but I didn't know anything about the Black History Month celebrations until I came to Canada and learned about it in my English class," which he started in January.
Shen is picking up English quickly and said he may go back to school to study law one day.
When Liam grows up, Shen wants his son to learn English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese (his mom's mother tongue), and Shen's native Shanghainese.
TheStar.com | GTA | 'This is a very good country'
