[BCMA] "Who Am I?" Bridging the Pacific: from Guangdong to Barkerville and back

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

For immediate release

December 6, 2012

 

barkerville-whoamih-4c_page_1

 

December 11, 2012 to January 14, 2013

(Vancouver, BC) Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden and Barkerville are pleased to
present Who Am I? - Bridging the Pacific: from Guangdong to Barkerville and
back, an exhibition that examines the history of the Chinese immigrants who
came to Barkerville, British Columbia in the late 19th and early 20th
century to mine and carry out business. The exhibition features historical
archive photographs as well as portraits by Chow Dong Hoy, a
Chinese-Canadian photographer known for his startling, evocative
documentation of First Nations, Chinese, and Caucasian subjects. These
photos, along with dioramas, an interactive computer kiosk and bilingual
book, depict the lives of the Chinese in the Cariboo region during the Gold
Rush.

Some of these Chinese immigrants returned home to China and some made new
homes in Canada. Who am I? will explore these people's lives, aspirations
and work. It will also ask the question: Who were they as individuals?
History has treated them as a group and few details, including their names,
have been recorded. This exhibition intends to reach out to these people's
descendants and gather stories to identify who they were, where they came
from and went to, how they lived and when. By doing this, it is hoped that a
greater understanding of the Chinese in the Cariboo will be achieved.

CONNECTION TO CHINA

During the Cariboo Gold Rush, thousands of people from all over the world
stampeded up the Fraser River to Barkerville in search of gold. One of the
largest migrations was from the Wuyi County districts in Guangdong province
in southern China. The Chinese, almost exclusively men, were involved in
many mining ventures and businesses, often as labourers.

Barkerville's beautifully preserved Chinatown, its Chinese cemetery and its
extensive collection of archival records, photographs, and artifacts - many
brought to the Cariboo by immigrants from Guangdong - now comprise the
oldest and largest collection of Chinese buildings and artifacts in North
America. This includes the largest collection of pre-1900 written documents
that are specific to North American activities and the oldest Chee Kung Tong
building in Canada, which was designated as a National Historic Site of
Canada in 2009. As western North America's largest living history museum,
Barkerville is rich with Chinese-Canadian history.

Today, the people in Guangdong Province still feel incredibly connected to
the "Overseas Chinese" who left Guangdong in the 19th and early 20th
century. The money they sent back to their families and to support a variety
of charitable organizations changed the face of Guangdong, resulting in
significant economic and social development. Much of the interest is on a
more personal level, though. There is a sincere desire to know more about
the immigrants: the work they did, how they lived, and where their remains
were buried. Nearly 75% of the men who came to North America never returned,
but many Chinese have at least one such ancestor who continued to send
familial support to China.

Barkerville's collections have an increasingly important role to play in
building bridges between cultures and linking our past to our future.
Barkerville has been praised by Chinese officials for its excellence in
preserving and presenting the history of the Chinese emigrants. The
buildings, photographs and archival material tell stories that have been
lost on the other side of the Pacific.

 

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 5K2
604-662-3207 
www.vancouverchinesegarden.com <http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/> 
Facebook.com/vancouverchinesegarden.com     
Twitter.com/vangarden

     large logo for web

 

 

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