Chinese Bull Gang Painted in 1984 by Ernest Marza, Victoria on Outdoor Building Wall
The Cowichan Valley boasts the highest mean temperatures in Canada. It is home to Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park, where some of the world's tallest trees are located, Pacific Rim National Park and the West Coast Trail, and the award-winning mural town of Chemainus. History, arts, culture, and native influences are prevalent. From just five murals and lots of spirit in the summer of 1982, Chemainus has struggled, grown and succeeded in literally putting itself on the map. In 1983, it won the prestigious New York Downtown Revitalization Award for redevelopment of the town core. It has since gained world wide acclaim for the integrity and superb artistry of its huge depictions of the town's history, earning the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award (the Americas) in 1994. Thirty-six larger-than-life historic paintings in this open air gallery and many statues now greet the gaze of hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Chemainus thrives as a result, but it remains a small town, with just over 4,500 residents. These welcoming people still dish out island hospitality, along with ice cream and afternoon tea and scones just as they always have. The Chemainus Festival of Murals Society was founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1987 to manage and develop the Chemainus Murals Projects, to foster and encourage the artistic interpretation of the history of the Chemainus Valle and the promotion of arts, culture and tourism within the Chemainus Valley. Our members, consisting of many tireless volunteers, continue the work of maintaining and planning the murals in addition to welcoming the world to Chemainus, The Little Town That Did! Many Chinese people had been enticed to the west coast of Canada as labourers in the late 1800's. A number settled in Chemainus with the promise of steady work in the lumber industry. In the painting, twenty-tree men of the Chinese "Bull Gang" struggle to move a huge timber through the lumber yard to a sailing vessel. Planks laid in
Size: 5620px × 3733px
Location: Chemanus, Vancouver Island. British Columbia. Canada.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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