The Bok Kai Temple (, literally North Creek Temple) is a traditional
Chinese temple
Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as:
* '' mià ...
in the city of
Marysville, California
Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counte ...
, located at the corner of D and First Streets. Since 1880, it served as the center of what was a bustling
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=å”人街) is the catch-all name for 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, Asia, Africa, O ...
for a small town known as the "Gateway to the Gold Fields".
It is the only ''in situ'' 19th-century Chinese Temple in the United States that is still active.
History
When the Chinese from the Pearl River Delta west of
Canton arrived in California during the
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
, many on their way to work the gold mines landed in riverboats at Marysville. Its importance as a supply depot grew and was imprinted in their
Cantonese language
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic languages, Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River ...
: Marysville was known as ''Sahm Fou'' (ä¸‰åŸ , Third City); Sacramento ''Yee Fou'' (äºŒåŸ , Second City); and San Francisco ''Dai Fou'' (å¤§åŸ , The Big City).
In the 1860s, a temple was erected in Marysville to serve its substantial Chinese population. The history of the original and other non-extant temples is unclear; but in 1880 a new one was built and dedicated, which is still in place and in use. The foremost of the gods that are worshiped is
Běidì (,
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
: ''Pak Tai'', ''Bok Tai''; non-standard Toishanese: ''Buck Eye'', ''Beuk Aie''), also known as
Xuan Wu, ( "Dark Warrior" or "Mysterious Warrior"), a
Deity
A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
in
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion comprises a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. This includes the veneration of ''Shen (Chinese folk religion), shen'' ('spirits') and Chinese ancestor worship, ances ...
believed to govern the northern region and rain, hence its place of reverence at Bok Kai Temple, or Northern Creek Temple.
The temple plays a central role for the "bomb festival"; the first such festival in Marysville dates back to at least 1873, before the current temple was built. Although a dozen Chinese communities in California held "bomb festivals" in the late 19th century, usually on
''yee yuet yee'' (), the second day of the second month of the lunar year, Marysville's festival is the only one to persist to the present day.
Each "bomb" used is a specially made firecracker that launches a hand-sized "good fortune" ring with a number (the local newspaper called them "wheels of fortune") high in the air above the assembled crowd. The lucky person who catches the ring as it drops, fights off others vying for it, and retains full control of it, usually to the temple door, receives from the temple a reward or fortune corresponding to the ring number. In the 1880s, the Marysville
dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
, ''Moo Lung'' (), was added to the festivities. In the 1950s, when Marysville was the only U.S. community firing off these "bombs", the name was changed to the Bok Kai Festival.
The temple remains a primary focus of the present Marysville Chinese-American community, who have dedicated themselves to preserving the temple and celebrating the Bok Kai Festival.
Current use
The temple is infrequently used as an active place of worship, but is preserved as both a
California Historical Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meetin ...
and as a protected property on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. A Bok Kai festival and parade is held annually in the spring, during which time the temple is opened for ceremonies as well as for interested parties to tour. Other tours may be arranged by contacting the Temple caretaker.
In 2022, it was reported that the temple served as an inspiration and point of reference for artists working on the
Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
film ''
Turning Red'', which features a fictional temple located in
Chinatown, Toronto.
References
;Further reading
*
*
External links
Bok Kai Temple- Friends of the Marysville Bok Kai Temple
Bok Kai Festival- Chinese Community of Marysville, California
{{Yuba County, California
Buildings and structures in Yuba County, California
Chinese-American culture in California
Chinese-American history
Marysville, California
History of Yuba County, California
California Historical Landmarks
Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in California
National Register of Historic Places in Yuba County, California