Chinese Cultural Centre, Calgary
Encyclopedia
The Chinese Cultural Centre is a building in Calgary
, Alberta
, Canada
. It is located on the north-eastern side of downtown
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
in Beijing
. 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
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 a restaurant, a Chinese arts and crafts store and a traditional Chinese medicine facility.
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
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.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located on the north-eastern side of downtown
Downtown Calgary
Downtown Calgary is a region of central Calgary, Alberta. It is not a single neighbourhood per se, but is actually a larger community containing three neighbourhoods and a number of districts....
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
Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven is a complex of Taoist 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 good harvest...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. 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
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
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 a restaurant, a Chinese arts and crafts store and a traditional Chinese medicine facility.
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 furniture, ceramics, sculptures, clothing, bronze pieces and art.History
Chinatown, Calgary
Calgary's Chinatown is the fourth largest in Canada after those in Vancouver,Toronto, and Montreal. The size of Calgary's Chinatown is indicative of the relatively high proportion of people of Asian descent living in the city....
from being dominated by skyscrapers.
The original area redevelopment plan
Area redevelopment plan
An Area redevelopment plan is an urban planning designation created by municipalities in Alberta, Canada for the purposes of facilitating development in specific geographic areas. ARPs differ from Area structure plans in that they apply to areas of a municipality that have already been developed...
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.
External links
- Chinese Cultural Centre - official website