Dates: Tuesday, Sept 30 OR Thursday, Oct 2

Address: 404 3rd Avenue, San Diego, California 92101

Website: https://sdchm.org/

Cost: $6 

Parking Info: A parking lot is available for a fee around the corner from the museum at 450 Second Ave, San Diego, CA 92101. It is an ABM Parking lot. Otherwise, we recommend the "Park It on Market" parking structure at 614 Market St, San Diego, CA 92101, which is about a seven minute walk from the museum and also has a fee. 

Additionally, the museum is highly accessible by transit, just two blocks from the Convention Center Trolley station (served by the Green line), and within walking distance of the 12th and Imperial transit center (served by the Green, Blue, and Orange lines). If people would prefer to park and then take the trolley, we recommend parking at Fashion Valley or Old Town and then taking a 15 minute trolley ride to the museum. 

He designed the Christian Science Church that was one of the points of interest on the bridges tour!). For 30 years, this structure housed the Chinese Community Church (formerly the Chinese Mission), where English language classes were held for new immigrants who often lived in adjacent dormitories.

Following relocation and renovation, the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum was finally born in 1996. SDCHM has grown from its humble beginnings to encompass 3 downtown facilities and a Chinese-style garden. This space also houses the museum library and a lecture hall complete with modern audio-visual equipment and seating for large groups. Over the past 20 years, the museum has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors, collected thousands of ethnographic artifacts, and hosted hundreds of educational programs and exhibitions. Today, SDCHM remains a platform to celebrate multiculturalism, enrich the community, and showcase San Diego as an international and cultural tourist destination.

The museum’s exhibits share the heritage of San Diego’s Chinese community and the essence of Chinese arts and culture through historic photographs, miniature models, ancient artifacts and explanatory text. Special events also celebrate holidays like the Chinese New Year, the Moon Festival, and Veterans Day.

Since 1998, museum education and outreach programs have been bringing history to local schools and community organizations. An average of nearly 2,000 people participate in these programs each year, with an average annual increase of 35%.

The historic mission building rapidly filled up with donations from supporters, so the museum had to expand in 2004. The Capital Funds Campaign raised $900,000 for the project, and the museum purchased a space at 328 J St to model into a modern gallery that now hosts regularly rotating cultural, historical and artistic exhibits. 

If you want to explore the area more after our tour, you are welcome to check out the Asian Pacific Historic District Virtual Walking Tour here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6e65b313a36a49c8b6bbf30fde342958

The map shows you what locations to view and the site provides information about each stop along the tour. You can review it before class and ask our docents if you have any questions about it! 

Now, read on for a quick overview of some Chinese history (cannot stress “SOME” enough) and to learn about some really cool things that have come out of this fascinating place. Can’t wait to see you all at the Museum this week!

For as long as there have been civilized humans, there has been some form of China. 

Throughout human history, civilizations have come and gone. We all fondly remember and Greeks and Romans as long past cultures, relegated to the history books. But China, which counts its beginnings back to 1600 BC, has endured and continues to represent the largest population in the world, with more than 1.3 billion people. Let’s take a very quick look at Chinese history and how far it has come!

2100 – 1600 BC – Xia Dynasty

This dynasty is more legend than fact, but often figures into stories of the first dynasties and the early existence of the Chinese people in the yellow river valley. Legend has it that Yu, the first emperor, was descended from dragons and helped to control the flooding Yellow River for the people. Though likely fictional, it is still fun to note!

1600 – 1050 BC – Shang Dynasty

The earliest ruling dynasty to be recorded, the dynasty was headed by a chief named Tan. This dynasty saw great advances in astronomy and math. 

1046 – 256 BC – Zhou Dynasty

This dynasty began in the Yellow River Valley and operated with a semi-feudal system, giving rise to powerful feudal lords. Unfortunately, the lords grew so powerful that they chafed under overall rule and began to fight. Many of the lords built great walls as fortifications around their territories; these would later be joined and expanded to form the network of walls known as the Great Wall of China. Known as the Warring States period or Spring and Autumn period, great amounts of land changed hands from group to group. 

221 – 206 BC – Qin (“Chin”) Dynasty

This dynasty is considered to be the first official empire in Chinese history, as they united the region under a centralized government. The Qins standardized written scripts into a national written language and even established an academy to oversee the texts. They are also responsible for the first Asian superhighway; the 500 mile Straight Road along the Ziwu mountain range. They also began expanding the northern border wall to begin the Great Wall. Qin emperor Ying Zheng also created a large complex at the bottom of Lishan Mountain, most famous for the 13,000 piece terracotta army it houses. 

202 BC – AD 220 – Han Dynasty

This is known as the Golden Age of Chinese history, which solidified China as the superpower of the region. During this period, the 7,000-mile Silk Road allowed trade between China and India to flourish. 

A number of additional dynasties followed (we don’t have the time or the space here to review all of them), finally culminating in the last of the imperial dynasties:

1636 – 1911 – Qing Dynasty

This long ruling dynasty saw a number of advancements for the Chinese empire, as well as a number of conflicts. Most notable were the Opium Wars (1840-1842 and 1856-1860), in which China attempted to resist British and other outside influences from hooking their populace on opium, as well as the 1899 Boxer Rebellion, in which a Chinese sect attempted to kill or expel foreigners from the country. The Chinese lost the Boxer Rebellion and the sanctions imposed by the West weakened Qing rule. In 1911, after a number of conflicts, Sun Yat-Set led the successful Xinhai Revolution, leading to the Chinese Republic. 

It is clear that Chinese culture has been around longer than any other current world superpower, and their influence is felt the world over. While the interactions with world politics are sometimes at odds with our own country, we cannot deny the mark that their culture and civilization has left upon the world thus far. Here is a brief list of things that have emerged from China over the centuries:

Paper – paper was invented around 100BC in China, but it was eunuch named Cai Lun (50 AD – 121 AD) that helped to expand the production of paper and make it an industry. One of China’s most notable paper contributions is called Xuanzhi Paper, manufactured in a specific part of China. It can be preserved for 1,000 years! 

• Movable Type Printing – 1960 – 1279AD Though Guttenberg is largely credited with inventing the metal moveable printing press in 1450, the technology had existed long before in China. Wood block printing was prevalent throughout the Han Dynasty, but a man named Bi Sheng actually invented it long before. He carved individual characters on pieces of clay and hardened them in the fire. The characters were then glued to an iron print and used to print many copies. It is believed that rumors of this technology reached Europe and inspired Guttenberg. 

Gunpowder – 1000 AD – alchemists trying to find a potion for human immortality accidentally came upon the exact opposite. By combining sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter, they invented the explosive powder. They initially used the powder to make bombs to help fend off the Mongols in 1200-1300AD, which is likely how gunpowder made its way to Europe. While Europeans used gunpowder to develop all manner of deadly weapons, the Chinese mainly used their invention to propel fireworks displays. 

• Mechanical Clock – 725 AD – Named ‘Water Driven Spherical Birds’-Eye-View Map of the Heavens”, it was invented by a Buddhist monk named Yi Xing. Dripping water powered a wheel which made a single revolution in 24 hours. 

Silk – 6,000 years ago – one of the oldest fibers, there is evidence of silk cocoons being cut in half around 4000 and 3000 BC. The Chinese mastered silk weaving and heavily guarded the process, leading the West to pay for silk with its weight in gold.

Porcelain - 1600 BC – porcelain first emerged in the Shang Dynasty and grew as an art form over the centuries. Though most people know that a Ming dynasty vase is a worthy antique prize, porcelain vases, bowls, and other items had been traded for many years, primarily over the Sokk Road and through shipping companies out of Canton. 

Originally, kites were made with wood frames and cloth. As kite production developed, frames became lighter, often made of bamboo, and cloth was replaced with silk or paper. Lighter kites allowed for multi segmented designs, like large dragons. As kites were less useful in a military setting, they became an object of entertainment and pleasure, their main use today.

• Bristle Toothbrush – 1498 – though people had been chewing on sticks for hundreds of years to clean their teeth and keep bad breath (somewhat) at bay, it wasn’t until the 1400s that anyone thought to make a bristled toothbrush. Early Chinese versions used the stiff, coarse hairs from a hog’s neck and attached it to a handle made of bone or bamboo. Even if those early versions sound a bit unappealing, it was better than bad breath!

Tea – 2,737 BC – according a legend, Shennong, called the ‘Chinese Father of Agriculture’ discovered tea. Initially cooked as a green, some 1,500 years ago the Chinese developed the leaves into a drink. The oldest living cultivated tea tree is in Lin Cang, China and is about 3,200 years old! 

“China: Timeline”. The History Channel. March 22, 2019.  https://www.history.com/topics/china/china-timeline

“A Brief History of Chinese Civilization”. World Atlas. April 25, 2017. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-chinese-civilization.html

“Top 20 Ancient Chinese Inventions”. USC.edu. China. https://china.usc.edu/sites/default/files/forums/Chinese%20Inventions.pdf