New Kelowna mural will commemorate Chinese pioneers

Kelowna artist Charles Chau is creating a vibrant new mural that will commemorate the contributions of Chinese pioneers in the Okanagan from the early 19th century to the 1960s. 

The mural is being painted on two courtyard walls at the Gospel Mission Shelter in collaboration with the Okanagan Chinese Canadian Association.

"We are trying to recreate a little bit of the visual story of the historic Chinatown and the early Chinese settlers in Kelowna," said Chau.

Farm theme

The shelter, located on Leon Avenue, is in the same area where the city's historic Chinatown used to be — up until around the 1960s.

In the 1930s and 1940s, there was significant farming activity in the area.

"So, I picked the farming days, early Chinese farmers in Kelowna [and] in the Okanagan region, as the main theme that drives the whole painting," Chau told Daybreal South's Laurence Watt.

Through his research, The Hong Kong-born artist  discovered that many of the first Chinese settlers in the area were involved in mining, and then later, railway construction.

In 1909, Chinese-Canadians made up around 15 per cent of Kelowna's population. 

In 2016, Stats Canada found that less than 2 per cent of Kelowna's population is of Chinese descent. 

Symbolism

So far, Chau has painted one wall a "radiant yellow" and the other a "sharp green." Next, he plans to paint trees.

"The trees symbolize... the fruits and the harvest. [It's] about growing," he said.  "We treasure what our ancestors have done for us and we're enjoying the benefits of that, and that also ties in with the Christian value of raising hope and giving."

On the outside he will be painting a traditional Chinese hand scroll that will be about 15 metres long.

"I'm borrowing that concept to draw a timeline of the early Chinese settlers from the mining, and to the railway, then to the farming and then to Chinatown," said Chau.

He hopes the mural will  be done by mid-June. There will also be a documentary film released around the same time with interviews with seniors talking about the history of Chinese culture in the area.

"I love it because it's very engaging with the community," said Chau.