“From China to Fresno: A 150-year Cultural Journey,” the first museum exhibition focused on Chinese American history in Fresno, California, is on display in the Kearney Mansion Museum through May 4.
The exhibition works to “share and highlight the culture, contribution, and participation” of Fresno’s Chinese American community, according to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Fresno, or CCBA, which worked with the Fresno County Historical Society on the project.
“The Historical Society has had in their archives and storage for almost 50 years, all of these Chinese artifacts that have not seen the light of day, and it’s time that we put them out for the community and for everyone to see,” project co-chair Norman Wong told ABC 30 News in Fresno.
Candice Pendergrass of the Fresno County Historical Society, said to ABC 30 the exhibition consists of over 100 artifacts, photographs, and documented stories, including altars, calligraphy pieces and various outfits.
“Historically, the first largest population of the city of Fresno in the very beginning were Chinese settlers, so it’s an important part of our history,” Pendergrass said to ABC 30.
According to the CCBA, the exhibition is the first phase of two, with the end goal of finding a permanent home for the artifacts displayed in the Kearney Mansion Museum.
“I feel very proud,” Wong said of the exhibition, to ABC 30. “I can relate and identify with almost everything you see here.”
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