Today is opening day for a new cultural museum that recognizes the work and sacrifice of more than 17,000 Chinese labourers who helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway through BC’s Fraser Canyon.
The Lytton Chinese History Museum traces the story of Chinese inhabitants in the Lytton area from 1858 to 1928. Constructed in the style of an 1881 Chinese Temple that once stood in the area, the museum includes almost 200 period artifacts collected from throughout the BC Interior.
Exhibits covering the gold rush, railway construction, Chinese cultural practices, and the difficulties faced by Chinese labourers help bring recognition to the early Chinese influence on Lytton and the Fraser and Thompson Canyons, and also create a greater awareness of the historic links between the Chinese community, the First Nations community and other local residents.
The museum also contains an altar and an area for study and meditation.
For more information, visit Lytton Chinese History Museum.
