©Contents Copyright Ron Young
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Gold bearing areas of the Pacific Rim, including: British Columbia, western
United States, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and other places.
We will be featuring clothing, including an 1880 wed ding skirt, musical instruments,
gambling and game pieces, ceramics, opium re lated artifacts, and many small
artifacts that we can not place on display elsewhere in Barkerville. Also, photographs
will help illustrate the great differences between the Chi nese and European
cultural traditions. They will also tell a story of similarity - in mining.
The display will also feature 'period' music and the smell of incense. The whole
effect will be oriented towards emphasizing the cultural differences, primarily
because the Chinese social order and lives were so far removed from their Euro-Canadian
contemporaries. It was not until the 1930's that there was a definite beginning
of integration in the two cultural groups. This can be seen in some of the artifacts
that will be on display.
The entire display has been constructed as a shell within the original structure
of the building so that should Barkerville in the future want to change the
display, the shell can be removed and old walls will be intact. This initial
ground floor display is only phase one of completing the building as a display
area. The next phase will be to have the upstairs portion brought back to the
vigor it had when it was being actively used during the 1930's. During that
time period, the upstairs kitchen was used to cook the food for the miners working
for Bill Hong. It is well re membered as a happy place where the children could
have fun in the front living room and a cup of tea could be had if you were
in need of fortification on the way home from a skiing trip. The kitchen was
always a busy place where the women would be constantly preparing food. And,
much of the original wall paper and floor coverings are intact!
Last but not least, the display will be dedicated to the memory of Bill Hong
who was first and foremost the great chronicler, miner, fire marshal, entrepreneur,
and collector of artifacts, without whose concern for the pres ervation of the
history of Barkerville this display would not have been possible.
1994 is a big year in terms of display development and reconstruction. Our largest
display to date concerns what most of us call the Hong Warehouse. Built in 1932,
it was the home and business for the Bill Hong family. It was also the home
of Mr. Hong's partner for part of the time. The building will hence foreword
be known as the Lee Chong Company Store, its original name, and will house an
exhibit of artifacts that relate to the people of Chinese origin in Barkerville
and the Cariboo Goldfields.
The display features a Chee Kung Tong meeting room, where the initiates to the
society would have been inducted. This portion of the display has been thoroughly
researched by Ying Ying Chen and includes a display of flags that represent
vari ous chapter houses throughout the world.
A portion of the display will help to place the Chinese into the context of
the world. The great Opium Wars, 1840 to 1860, that opened up China to foreign
trade also help lead to the flow of people from the Canton region to the go
Bill Quackenbush
Curator,
Barkerville Historic Town
| ©Contents Copyright Ron Young
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