In1986whenVancouver,aCanadianport,hadjustcelebratedits100thbirthday,thecity’sdevelopmentsattractedworld-wideattention.Thatacityisbasedonaharboranddevelopsflourishinglyowingtotheprosperityoftheharboristheveryroadtosubsistenceanddevelopmenttakenandexperiencedbymanyportcities.Thanksto100yearsofdevelopmentandconstruction,Vancouver,whichboastsanaturalice-freeharbor,hasbecomeaworld-famousport.IthasregularpassengerandcargoshipssailingtoAsia,Oceania,Europe,andLatinAmerica,theannualvolumeoffreighthandledamountingto80milliontons.
Onethirdoftheemployedinthecityareengagedintradeandtransportation.ThesplendidachievementsofVancouverarethefruitsofitspeople’swisdomanddiligence,comprisingthecontributionsofitsvariousethnicgroups.Beingacountrywithavastterritoryandasparsepopulation,CanadaisevenlargerthanChina,yetithasasmallpopulationoflessthan30million.Forthisreason,absorbingimmigrantsfromforeigncountriesisanationalpolicyfollowedlongandconsistentlybytheCanadianGovernment.ItcanbesaidthatinCanadaallpeopleexcepttheIndiansareforeignimmigrants.Theonlydifferenceamongthemliesinthefactthatsomebegantosettledownthereearlierthanothers.AndVancouverdoesparticularlydeservebeingcalledoneoftheworld’smulti-nationalcitiesthatcanbecountedonone’sfingers.Nowadays,ofthe1.8millionresidentsinVancouver,asmanyashalfwerenotborninthecity,andoneofevery4residentsisanAsian.
Thereare250,000ChineselivinginVancouverandplayingadecisiveroleinitseconomicchangeanddevelopment.HalfoftheseChineseinhabitantshavesettledinVancouveronlyinthepastfiveyears.WithsomanyChineselivingthere,VancouverhasbecomethelargestChinesecommunityoutsideAsia.