Bravely Venture into the Fraser River Valley
Gold Mountain Dream! – created by the Royal BC Museum in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of History – focuses on the personal stories and sacrifices of Chinese migrants in the 1850s as they landed on British Columbia shores in search of gold. The exhibition is a fascinating account of adventure, heartbreak and social upheaval. It explores how the gold rush not only changed landscapes and lives in BC, but how this monumental event changed China, as people flocked to a rugged land in search of fortune.
Through archival photographs and detailed storytelling, Gold Mountain Dream! tells the story of how everything changed during this fevered era, as class and racial barriers were broken down and people seized the extraordinary opportunities that glittered before them.
The exhibition runs from September 17, 2018 to January 5, 2019. It is bilingual, with content in English and Chinese.
At the start of the Fraser River gold rush in 1858, the first large group of Chinese people came to BC. They were in search of ‘Gold Mountain,’ a fabled land of promise, opportunities and wealth. These miners were known back in China as ‘Gold Mountain Sojourners.’
Gold Mountain Dream! is made possible through the generous support of the Government of British Columbia, the Francis Kermode Group, Tourism Victoria and the Royal BC Museum Foundation.
Special thanks to the following for their ongoing support: