Chinese Cemetery
1598 Townsite Road, Nanaimo, Colombie-Britannique, V9S, Canada
Reconnu formellement en:
2002/10/07
Autre nom(s)
s/o
Liens et documents
Date(s) de construction
1924/01/01
Inscrit au répertoire canadien:
2005/10/05
Énoncé d'importance
Description du lieu patrimonial
The Chinese Cemetery is a municipal cemetery located outside the downtown core in a predominantly residential area. The historic place is limited to the legal boundaries of the cemetery.
Valeur patrimoniale
The Chinese Cemetery is a rare, tangible link with Nanaimo's Chinese heritage. The Chinese, almost wholly single men, came to Nanaimo as early as the 1860s to work in the mines or to open businesses. Perceived as unfair competition because of their willingness to work for lower wages than white employees, the Chinese were the source of much labour conflict during the 19th century. Initially, the Chinese settled in what is now downtown Nanaimo but in the 1880s they were removed, by the coal company, to the outskirts of town in an effort to reduce tensions. By 1908, a new Chinatown, one of the largest in North America at that time, was established near the western edge of the city. This last Chinatown was destroyed by fire in 1960, although much of its population had already dispersed. Because there is so little other tangible evidence of the Nanaimo's Chinese heritage, the Chinese Cemetery is especially significant.
Built in 1924, the Chinese Cemetery is a very good example of an ethnic cultural landscape. In addition to grave markers with Chinese inscriptions, the cemetery features traditional Chinese elements including ornate, brightly painted entry gates, a pagoda structure, an altar and a shrine. Although the cemetery is no longer exclusively Chinese, it retains, through the presence of these elements, a distinct Chinese character.
The Chinese Cemetery's striking entrance gates and its location on a main thoroughfare make it a highly visible neighbourhood landmark.
Source:City of Nanaimo, Development Services Department
Éléments caractéristiques
Key elements of the Chinese Cemetery include:
-the grave markers
-the entry gates, pagoda, altar, and shrine
-the location on a main road
Reconnaissance
Juridiction
Colombie-Britannique
Autorité de reconnaissance
Administrations locales (C.-B.)
Loi habilitante
Local Government Act, art.954
Type de reconnaissance
Répertoire du patrimoine communautaire
Date de reconnaissance
2002/10/07
Données sur l'histoire
Date(s) importantes
s/o
Thème - catégorie et type
- Exprimer la vie intellectuelle et culturelle
- La philosophie et la spiritualité
Catégorie de fonction / Type de fonction
Actuelle
Historique
- Religion, rituel et funéraille
- Site funéraire, cimetière ou enclos
Architecte / Concepteur
s/o
Constructeur
s/o
Informations supplémentaires
Emplacement de la documentation
City of Nanaimo, Development Services Department
Réfère à une collection
Identificateur féd./prov./terr.
DhRx-97
Statut
Édité
Inscriptions associées
s/o