To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American transcontinental railroad completion and the significant contribution made by Chinese-American workers to this historical project, the Chinese Railroad Workers Photography Exhibit is on display from Aug. 1-31 at the Downtown Main Library.
This exhibition pays tribute and gives a voice to the approximately 20,000 Chinese workers who, with extraordinary determination and courage, completed the massive West Coast segment of the world’s first transcontinental railroad. It shows the history of the Chinese railroad workers who shed blood and tears on this project from 1865 to 1869.
“This exhibit provides a great opportunity for all of us to learn about an episode of this country’s past, its accomplishments and how people from different backgrounds worked together to achieve those accomplishments,” said Felicity Tao, chair of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association (GCCCEA). “Hopefully, this exhibit will help us learn a little bit more about Chinese Americans.”
This exhibition is presented by GCCCEA, the Greater Cincinnati Chinese School, the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) via its Vibe Cincinnati platform and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
“Through this exhibit and our relationship with the GCCCEA, our goal is to highlight the richness of the various cultures within the Cincinnati region and to promote inclusion as a destination that honors diversity,” said Jason Dunn, group vice president of diversity, sales and inclusion at the Cincinnati USA CVB. “By creating equity through events and experiences, we are continuing to establish Cincinnati as a city that is welcoming to all.”
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Courtesy of the Chinese Railroad Workers of North America Project at Stanford University, Monica Yeung Arima and Adrian Arima Gift Fund, and Li Ju, this exhibition, officially named “Chinese Helped Build the Railroad. The Railroad Helped Build America,” is on tour throughout the country. According to the project research team, the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University seeks to give a voice to the thousands of Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and social landscape of the American West. For more information, visit https://web.stanford.edu/group/chineserailroad/cgi-bin/website/.
MEDIA IMAGE: Felicity Tao, chair of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association (left) and Chinese Ambassador Huang Ping during the exhibit’s July 31 opening reception at the Downtown Main Library.
