Tong (Mary) Shan
Description
An interview with Tong (Mary) Shan for the Lillian H. Smith Story Project.
Creator
Shan, Tong (Mary)
Contributor
Wong, Christina
Format
MP3
Date Created
July 29, 2015
Spatial Coverage
Downtown (Toronto, Ont.)
Kensington-Chinatown (Toronto, Ont.)
Rights Holder
Wong, Christina
Interviewer
Wong, Christina
Interviewee
Shan, Tong (Mary)
Location
Lillian H. Smith Branch
Transcription
00:00 Speaker 1: My name is Mary. Chinese name Tongshan. I'm born in northeast part of China. I moved to Tokyo and then moved to Canada. So I know libraries are very good resources for anyone. When I landed here I even don't know where to purchase the newspaper. At that time, I want to look for a rental place. I ask a Chinese lady in Chinatown. She told me, "Oh, you don't have to purchase any newspaper." She just guide me to go to the Lillian Smith. This is the very important place. I even didn't realize I have a big gift to go to Lillian Library. At that time I feel I still have big struggling, and this struggling stage is so long. At the beginning, I... My purpose is to keep my daughter's Chinese, so I always read Chinese book for her and to find some simple English book read with her together.
01:29 S1: I remember at that time I went to the second floor, pick up some basic Microsoft application book to learn Word, Excel. Actually, I'm not a technical person, so at last I give up. I don't want to read this kind of book in English. It's too challenging for me. At that time, my word... Vocabulary is not big enough to read this book completely. I know the basic meaning, but I gave up. One year later, my husband come back from Japan, so we move from Downtown to Uptown.
02:19 Speaker 2: Okay.
02:20 S1: And...
02:21 S2: So originally you were living in this area?
02:24 S1: This catchment area.
02:26 S2: Okay.
02:26 S1: And then I go to adult High School, Centennial College.
02:31 S2: Okay.
02:32 S1: At that time, I don't have time to read any book in Chinese, but I know I'm a book lover, so library is the venue. I always go to this place. Even much more than shopping mall or any other place.
[laughter]
02:52 S2: Oh, that's the same with me. I love going to the library more than a mall. [laughter] It's nicer.
02:58 S1: So when I read the book, the author is Sarah Steward, 'The Library'. The title is 'The Library'. But I read this in Chinese. I read it to my daughter. The Chinese name is Aishu Ren Huang Mu Li. The name is quite different. When I read this book in Chinese with my daughter, I realize, "Oh, I just like that little girl, Elizabeth Brown". And I hope my daughter just like this girl. After this library, I went to reference library, Toronto Reference Library and Fairview Mall Library, Fairview Library and North York Central Library. Just because I started from here, so I know much more information...
03:57 S2: Right. You knew what...
03:58 S1: About the library.
04:00 S1: This the first the beneficial I get... I got from this library. The second, I knew a lot of community information.
04:08 S2: Yes. Because of Lillian...
04:10 S1: Because... Yes, this is my first stage when I landed here. At that time, I just think about where to go.
04:17 S2: What to do and... Yeah.
04:18 S1: What to do...
04:20 S2: So, do you...
04:21 S1: After a few years English training, I realized, "Oh this would change." There have so many people as a settlement worker in library. So this is the second stage. When I turn back to Lillian in 2006.
04:45 S1: So 2006 you came here?
04:48 S2: I came back just for a workshop about Toronto child aid... Oh, I forgot the exact name...
04:57 S2: That's okay. Yeah, yeah.
04:58 S1: For the workshop. At that time, I want to know how this English speaker facility, this workshop and they even invite another Chinese lady as the interpreter. So I want to know much more the social service information. So when I came back, I find at my first time to go to the Lillian Library, there isn't any settlement worker.
05:29 S2: Oh, right, 'cause it was...
05:29 S1: Just a few years past.
05:30 S2: You're right. Yes, yes.
05:31 S1: This service...
05:33 S2: It did come after. Yes.
05:35 S1: It's enriched.
[chuckle]
05:36 S2: Yes. Do you know... Do you remember what year you first came to the library here?
05:41 S1: 2001.
05:42 S2: 2001. Okay. 2001.
05:45 S1: In July.
05:47 S2: And see, then you came here, and then you moved to uptown, like North York? Okay. And then 2006 you came back. Okay. Cool.
06:03 S1: Last year, I get a job close to this library, so...
06:09 S2: Oh, okay. So you work in this area now?
06:11 S1: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
06:12 S2: Oh okay.
06:13 S1: This is my third stage. At my first stage, I am like a consumer, like a library user, and the second is the learner. The sixth stage is I became a real reader. To find a book, I really want to read. Beginning, I want to read some book to enhance my hard skill, like computer skills or English skills, but now...
06:47 S2: But now it's just you reading for fun.
06:49 S1: Yeah, because I take TTC every day, so I spend almost all my time, read a book, [06:58] ____, majority books borrowed from Lillian H. Smith library... It includes Canadian painting and... Paintings and drawings. And another kind of book or books, like travelling or history, but this kind of book, I read in Chinese, and the certain sort of books, I just read... For example, I checked out Phantom Opera.
07:43 S2: Oh Phantom of the Opera, yeah.
07:45 S1: In English, and gets Chinese book as well, and just reading context. Even the publisher, the DK publisher. I even read some books, just borrowed two books in English and in Chinese.
08:03 S2: Oh I see, you do both at the same time. That's great.
[laughter]
08:06 S1: To... It's so helpful for me to read, understand the... To understand the English deeply. That's all my story.
08:14 S2: Oh that's so nice. That's such a great story. I felt... You felt that this place could help you in so many ways, and that's such a nice story because you don't hear it too often and it's something we, I guess, sometimes people take for granted what libraries can do, so it's more than just books sometimes.
08:43 S1: People can elaborate their skill and to find the new resource here. One day, I saw a group of learner, ESL learner, going down the basement and then have a tour here.
08:58 S2: Oh yes, yes, yes.
09:00 S1: So, when I saw that picture, I realized, "Oh, it's just like over 10 years ago... "
09:07 S2: That's how you felt?
09:09 S1: Yeah, I was there. Just like appreciation, I think a library can empower people.
01:29 S1: I remember at that time I went to the second floor, pick up some basic Microsoft application book to learn Word, Excel. Actually, I'm not a technical person, so at last I give up. I don't want to read this kind of book in English. It's too challenging for me. At that time, my word... Vocabulary is not big enough to read this book completely. I know the basic meaning, but I gave up. One year later, my husband come back from Japan, so we move from Downtown to Uptown.
02:19 Speaker 2: Okay.
02:20 S1: And...
02:21 S2: So originally you were living in this area?
02:24 S1: This catchment area.
02:26 S2: Okay.
02:26 S1: And then I go to adult High School, Centennial College.
02:31 S2: Okay.
02:32 S1: At that time, I don't have time to read any book in Chinese, but I know I'm a book lover, so library is the venue. I always go to this place. Even much more than shopping mall or any other place.
[laughter]
02:52 S2: Oh, that's the same with me. I love going to the library more than a mall. [laughter] It's nicer.
02:58 S1: So when I read the book, the author is Sarah Steward, 'The Library'. The title is 'The Library'. But I read this in Chinese. I read it to my daughter. The Chinese name is Aishu Ren Huang Mu Li. The name is quite different. When I read this book in Chinese with my daughter, I realize, "Oh, I just like that little girl, Elizabeth Brown". And I hope my daughter just like this girl. After this library, I went to reference library, Toronto Reference Library and Fairview Mall Library, Fairview Library and North York Central Library. Just because I started from here, so I know much more information...
03:57 S2: Right. You knew what...
03:58 S1: About the library.
04:00 S1: This the first the beneficial I get... I got from this library. The second, I knew a lot of community information.
04:08 S2: Yes. Because of Lillian...
04:10 S1: Because... Yes, this is my first stage when I landed here. At that time, I just think about where to go.
04:17 S2: What to do and... Yeah.
04:18 S1: What to do...
04:20 S2: So, do you...
04:21 S1: After a few years English training, I realized, "Oh this would change." There have so many people as a settlement worker in library. So this is the second stage. When I turn back to Lillian in 2006.
04:45 S1: So 2006 you came here?
04:48 S2: I came back just for a workshop about Toronto child aid... Oh, I forgot the exact name...
04:57 S2: That's okay. Yeah, yeah.
04:58 S1: For the workshop. At that time, I want to know how this English speaker facility, this workshop and they even invite another Chinese lady as the interpreter. So I want to know much more the social service information. So when I came back, I find at my first time to go to the Lillian Library, there isn't any settlement worker.
05:29 S2: Oh, right, 'cause it was...
05:29 S1: Just a few years past.
05:30 S2: You're right. Yes, yes.
05:31 S1: This service...
05:33 S2: It did come after. Yes.
05:35 S1: It's enriched.
[chuckle]
05:36 S2: Yes. Do you know... Do you remember what year you first came to the library here?
05:41 S1: 2001.
05:42 S2: 2001. Okay. 2001.
05:45 S1: In July.
05:47 S2: And see, then you came here, and then you moved to uptown, like North York? Okay. And then 2006 you came back. Okay. Cool.
06:03 S1: Last year, I get a job close to this library, so...
06:09 S2: Oh, okay. So you work in this area now?
06:11 S1: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
06:12 S2: Oh okay.
06:13 S1: This is my third stage. At my first stage, I am like a consumer, like a library user, and the second is the learner. The sixth stage is I became a real reader. To find a book, I really want to read. Beginning, I want to read some book to enhance my hard skill, like computer skills or English skills, but now...
06:47 S2: But now it's just you reading for fun.
06:49 S1: Yeah, because I take TTC every day, so I spend almost all my time, read a book, [06:58] ____, majority books borrowed from Lillian H. Smith library... It includes Canadian painting and... Paintings and drawings. And another kind of book or books, like travelling or history, but this kind of book, I read in Chinese, and the certain sort of books, I just read... For example, I checked out Phantom Opera.
07:43 S2: Oh Phantom of the Opera, yeah.
07:45 S1: In English, and gets Chinese book as well, and just reading context. Even the publisher, the DK publisher. I even read some books, just borrowed two books in English and in Chinese.
08:03 S2: Oh I see, you do both at the same time. That's great.
[laughter]
08:06 S1: To... It's so helpful for me to read, understand the... To understand the English deeply. That's all my story.
08:14 S2: Oh that's so nice. That's such a great story. I felt... You felt that this place could help you in so many ways, and that's such a nice story because you don't hear it too often and it's something we, I guess, sometimes people take for granted what libraries can do, so it's more than just books sometimes.
08:43 S1: People can elaborate their skill and to find the new resource here. One day, I saw a group of learner, ESL learner, going down the basement and then have a tour here.
08:58 S2: Oh yes, yes, yes.
09:00 S1: So, when I saw that picture, I realized, "Oh, it's just like over 10 years ago... "
09:07 S2: That's how you felt?
09:09 S1: Yeah, I was there. Just like appreciation, I think a library can empower people.
Files
Collection
Citation
Shan, Tong (Mary), “Tong (Mary) Shan,” TPL Virtual Exhibits, accessed April 20, 2024, http://omeka.tplcs.ca/virtual-exhibits/items/show/1786.