Canada's golden immigrants from China remembered
Mar 4, 2013 4:05:33 GMT -5
Post by helen on Mar 4, 2013 4:05:33 GMT -5
The golden history that links British Columbia and China is on display through a new exhibit of photographs that opened in Hong Kong this week.
Titled Who Am I? Bridging the Pacific from Guangdong to Barkerville and Back, the collection of portraits and snapshots showcases the Chinese immigrants who left home in the late 19th century, arrived on Canada's shores and helped settle communities such as Barkerville in the foothills of the Cariboo Mountains.
They were gold rush explorers, just like thousands of others who flocked to the Fraser River, and they left an indelible mark on Barkerville and other historic towns in the province.
John Massier, chair of the Barkerville Historic Trust, was in Hong Kong for the opening of the exhibit and said most people don't realize the contribution Chinese immigrants made to settling towns in British Columbia.John Massier, chair of the Barkerville Historic Trust, was in Hong Kong for the opening of the exhibit and said most people don't realize the contribution Chinese immigrants made to settling towns in British Columbia. (Meagan Fitzpatrick/CBC News)
"While most of us know that the Chinese played a part in the early gold rush, I don't think very many British Columbians or Chinese realize the scale and the scope of their contributions," John Massier, chair of the Barkerville Heritage Trust, said at the exhibit's opening at the Hong Kong Museum of History. "We put together this exhibition to honour their memory."
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/02/fitzpatrick-hong-kong-barkerville-exhibit-2.html
Titled Who Am I? Bridging the Pacific from Guangdong to Barkerville and Back, the collection of portraits and snapshots showcases the Chinese immigrants who left home in the late 19th century, arrived on Canada's shores and helped settle communities such as Barkerville in the foothills of the Cariboo Mountains.
They were gold rush explorers, just like thousands of others who flocked to the Fraser River, and they left an indelible mark on Barkerville and other historic towns in the province.
John Massier, chair of the Barkerville Historic Trust, was in Hong Kong for the opening of the exhibit and said most people don't realize the contribution Chinese immigrants made to settling towns in British Columbia.John Massier, chair of the Barkerville Historic Trust, was in Hong Kong for the opening of the exhibit and said most people don't realize the contribution Chinese immigrants made to settling towns in British Columbia. (Meagan Fitzpatrick/CBC News)
"While most of us know that the Chinese played a part in the early gold rush, I don't think very many British Columbians or Chinese realize the scale and the scope of their contributions," John Massier, chair of the Barkerville Heritage Trust, said at the exhibit's opening at the Hong Kong Museum of History. "We put together this exhibition to honour their memory."
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/02/fitzpatrick-hong-kong-barkerville-exhibit-2.html