The Chinese Cultural Centre is a building in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

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, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern side of

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

and was completed in September 1992. The centre piece of the complex is the ''Dr. Henry Fok Cultural Hall'', a building modeled after the Hall of Prayers of the

Temple of Heaven The Temple of Heaven () is a complex of imperial religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

. The 70 foot (21 m) high ceiling is decorated with 561 dragons and 40 phoenixes. It is supported by 4 columns with gold ornamentation representing each season. The outer surface of the dome is covered in blue tiles imported from China and crafted by the same company that endowed the Temple of Heaven during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

600 years ago. They were installed in traditional Chinese layered fashion and consolidated with mortar. The second level of the building contains classrooms and a library with books in Chinese and English (''Orrin and Clara Christie Might Library''). The main level hosts Dr. Henry Fok Cultural Hall, Henry G.D. Chow auditorium and a traditional Chinese medicine facility. There's also a restaurant and Chinese Artifacts Museum on the lower level.

Chinese Artifacts Museum

The Chinese Artifacts Museum is located on the lower level of the centre. Exhibits include the story of Chinese immigration in Canada, and the history of the Chinese community in Calgary. There are also replicas of different kinds of Chinese artifacts, including Terracotta warriors, mahogany furniture set, ceramics, sculptures, clothing, bronze pieces and art.

History

Interest for redevelopment of the area became acute in 1982, and in order to preserve the unique Chinese identity of the area, the City of Calgary and residents of the area came up with a redevelopment plan that would preserve the cultural identity and prevent

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...

from being dominated by skyscrapers. The original area redevelopment plan called for the reduction of Chinatown by 40% in area, so the community, together with city planning, produced a plan that included the construction of a large cultural centre. The plan was agreed upon by all involved parts. The building was inaugurated in September 1992. There are many events throughout the year to celebrate chinese holidays and events. There are performances such as traditional chinese lion dance,chinese opera.

References

External links

Chinese Cultural Centre
- official website {{Calgary landmarks Chinese-Canadian culture in Alberta Buildings and structures in Calgary Museums in Calgary Ethnic museums in Canada Museums of Chinese culture abroad

Chinese Artifacts Museum

History

See also

References

External links