2021 Year of the Ox Chinese New Year Celebration

Chelsea Rose, research archaeologist at Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) will talk about the Buck Rock Tunnel and the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project.

The Buck Rock Tunnel, located within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, is a site where Chinese laborers began excavation for a railroad line from Oregon to California.

The Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project connects the archaeology research from several statewide sites where Chinese immigrants worked and lived, such as the Jacksonville Chinese Quarter; mining sites at the Malheur National Forest; to the John Day Chinatown that once surrounded the Kam Wah Chung & Co. The Project, a collaboration of several agencies, including Bureau of Land Management-Medford, was awarded a 2020 Oregon Heritage Award “to serve as models for others on how to develop new ideas, approaches and innovations.”

Join us for a guided history hike at the Buck Rock Tunnel on Saturday, July 31! Southern Oregon University’s Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project archaeology field school investigated Buck Rock Tunnel, the original Oregon and California Railroad route through the Siskiyou mountains. The tunnel and surrounding railroad grade were under construction between 1883-1884 by Chinese railroad workers. The project was a collaboration between the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) and the BLM, and is part of the larger multi-agency research project that is investing Chinese immigrant sites from across the state.

Meet Your 2021 Grand Marshals!

Jim Lewis, the Year of the Ox Grand Marshal, has been on the Jacksonville city council for 32 years and was the Mayor for 14 of those years and was the sitting mayor when the first Chinese New Year celebration in Jacksonville was held.

You may have seen Gayle Lewis around town in costume, either at the Beekman House on a historic tour or giving a haunted history tour. She also tries to be wherever the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology is excavating a site here in town.

Join us on this website on February 13 at 9:00am PST for a special welcome from your 2021 Grand Marshals, Jim and Gayle Lewis.

Chickens and couplets. Dragons and oranges. Red envelopes and housecleaning. Learn about the fascinating and colorful traditions, and symbolism which enrich the celebration of the new year throughout Asian cultures.

February 12, 2021 on the Gregorian calendar marks the beginning of the year of the Ox; year 4719 on the lunar calendar. What does this mean and how should we celebrate?

In this live presentation Chelsea Rose of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) will discuss archaeological and archival information about early Chinese residents across the state. The talk will include recent findings from the ongoing Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project (OCDP): a multi-agency collaborative public archaeology and history project aimed at the research and education of early Chinese Oregonians. Themes will include Chinese miners, railroad workers, merchants, and more.

Chelsea Rose is a historical archaeologist who focuses on the settlement and development of the American West. Rose is co-director of the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project (OCDP), a collaborative research partnership that focuses on Oregon’s Chinese migrant history, and regularly works with the media, students, and community volunteers in an effort to promote archaeological awareness and encourage historical stewardship. Rose serves on the board of the Oregon Historical Quarterly, is chair of the governor appointed Oregon Heritage Commission, is co-host of Underground History on Jefferson Public Radio, and co-editor of the recent volume, “Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America,” available from the University Press of Florida.

Bats, gourds, peaches, and monkeys on horses. These images, and many others, are frequently – and artistically – depicted in Chinese art, but what do they mean? Discover some of the fascinating and fun meanings and messages hidden in Chinese art.

As the Chinese language is an exquisite conduit for rebuses (visual puns) and symbolism, motifs that appear in Chinese art often represent wishes for good fortune and auspicious messages. Join us as we decipher hidden meanings of prosperity, health, and happiness throughout traditional Chinese art. Presented by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Community Speakers Program.

Bats, peaches, ducks, ribbons, monkeys, horses. What do they all mean? Using selected objects from the fabulous collection at the Asian Art Museum come learn to unravel some of the hidden messages within Chinese art in this fascinating and fun talk.

U.S. Bank is proud to sponsor the 2021 Chinese New Year celebration and partner with the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association. Understanding the cultural history of those around us makes our community stronger and richer. Whether you identify as part of the culture or want to learn more about other cultures and experiences, you’ll enjoy this event!

We invite you to celebrate the Year of the Ox on February 13th for some fun events and activities.

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