"This thesis examines the ways in which Canadian immigration policies influenced the making of Chinese Canadian identity between 1949 and 1989, by focusing on three historic moments: the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the family reunification agreement between Canada and the PRC in 1973, and the Tiananmen massacre in 1989. I use these three historic moments to trace a state-community connection, and to show how state-community interaction on Canadian immigration policies shaped the perception of being Chinese in Canada. To clarify this process, my project brings two interrelated yet distinct concepts to bear in tracing the nuances of Chinese identity in Canada. The concept of “diasporic identity” draws attention to the way Chinese communities living abroad define and express their identities by building links between the local settler society and the ancestral homeland. The concept of “Chinese Canadian identity” draws attention to the way the Chinese in Canada developed their sense of belonging in Canada when the Canadian state met their needs in terms of diasporic identity. To these investigative ends, this thesis analyzes the responses of the Canadian state to key historical moments using government documents and parliamentary Hansards, and analyzes the responses of the Chinese in Canada using two Chinese Canadian newspapers: The Chinese Times and the Shing Wah Daily News. In this way, my project ties the changing nature of Chinese identity to events in the People’s Republic of China, developments in state relations, and Canadian immigration policy at three historic moments"--