Ray Cai left a city of 15 million for a 'simple life' on P.E.I.

CBC P.E.I. brings you eight stories of immigrants from around the world who have chosen to live on Prince Edward Island. Some have come to learn. Some to work. Others for safety. The series, I Live Here Now, reveals why people left their old lives, what they're doing now on P.E.I., and their dreams for the future.

They sold their apartment, car and all their furniture, and with everything else jammed into six bags of luggage, Ray Cai, his wife Seacy and 11-year-old son Eman boarded a plane in Guangzhou, southern China — population 15 million — for the 14,000-kilometre journey to their new home halfway around the world.

A place called Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Population 36,000.

"When I first stepped on P.E.I. my first impression is wow, the airport is so small. And there are no high buildings here," Cai recalled.

And the people, super friendly, appeared to be in no hurry. This could be good, he thought.

"In China," he said, "we walk much faster."

That was November 2015. And while there have been some challenges, the family has no regrets about paying the $150,000 under the Island's provincial nominee program to come live in P.E.I.

Rai Cai's journey from southern China to P.E.I.

"It's worth it," Cai said. "Definitely." 

Worth it, he said, because he wanted a "simple life" when he moved his family to P.E.I. That's just what he got. 

In China, they would often take drives to the countryside, take photos and eat at small restaurants to escape the frenzy of the city. There are traffic jams almost 24-7, he said. University Avenue in Charlottetown at rush hour is nothing. 

On P.E.I., they chose to buy a house in Winsloe, a small, quiet suburb of Charlottetown. They sometimes see foxes cut through their backyard. In China, they lived in a small apartment, where they could see hundreds of other people, but nary a fox, from their sixth-floor balcony.

Cai and Pan started Formfree Branding, a business specializing in photography, graphic design and printing, located in the Confederation Court Mall.

I have a better family life since I moved to P.E.I.— Ray Cai

The business is similar to the one they had in China, but instead of eight employees, they have just themselves. 

And the 10-hour work days, common in China, are now few and far between.

"The competition in China is very hard, and I have to work very hard to keep the company running and keep my employees working," Cai said.

"I have a better family life since I moved to P.E.I. I can control my time here," he said. "I'm not rich but I can provide for my family here."

They have used that family time to explore some of Canada. In the summer of 2017, they loaded up their minivan and drove to Toronto and Niagara Falls. 

The family has been making the most out of the cold Island winters. (Seacy Pan)

They have learned to ski and skate — which is not as common in southern China, where the temperature can still reach 20 C in the winter months.

Cai said privacy, gender equality and other basic human rights get more respect in Canada.

"Poor or rich, young or old, healthy or disabled are treated equally by the others here," he said.

It's all part of Cai's plan for Eman to grow up in a "better environment." In China, he said, there was pressure from all sides — society, school, friends, family — to always be the best.

"Here, it is just parents," Cai said, looking at Eman and smiling.

I told my son, 'You must have lots of kids.'— Seacy Pan

They also have the freedom to expand their family on P.E.I. When they lived in China, they were subject to the country's one-child policy, which ended in 2016. And while Pan said they won't have any more children in Canada, they are hoping for at least a few grandchildren.

"I told my son, 'You must have lots of kids.'" 

That is still several years away. Eman, now 15 and in Grade 10 at Colonel Gray High School, is enjoying his teenage years on P.E.I. He has made some friends, but he said it hasn't always been easy. He said Chinese people are sometimes misunderstood as too serious or aloof because they lack confidence in their ability to speak English. 

"It doesn't mean we aren't funny people," he said, noting the family's two favourite TV shows are Big Bang Theory and Shameless.

"It's just a language problem. If you are willing to get to know others deeply you would find out many of the Chinese people are very interesting."