CHINESE TEMPLE MUSEUM OPENS UP
OROVILLE >> The Chinese Temple opened Saturday as part of the Oroville City Council’s plan to open museums as COVID-19 public safety guidelines loosen.
The museum opened from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and opened at 50% capacity while requiring guests to wear face masks at all times. Visitors had their temperature checked and filled out necessary contact tracing paperwork as needed adhering to CDC guidelines.
At a March 16 Oroville City Council meeting it was announced that with Butte County in the red Tier 2 under the California COVID-19 public safety guidelines, museums could begin to open once again. Bolt’s Antique Tool Museum in Oroville was the first to open, and Saturday the Chinese Temple joined Bolt’s as the two opened their doors for visitors.
Oroville City Clerk Jackie Glover said that the Lott Home is tentatively scheduled to open May 8th and the Nature Center Bath House is tentatively scheduled for June 5th. There has been no date set for the Pioneer Museum to open yet.
The Chinese Temple opened in 1863 and features a variety of features including temples from three separate religions — Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, according to Docent Ann Chamberlain. The Temple of Many Deities, a Temple of Confucianism as well as a Buddhist Temple are featured on the Chinese Temple grounds. Also featured on the grounds are all plants native to China, a courtyard with bricks in a cloud pattern, a fishpond and several other museums on the concourse.
The Cullie Room highlights Chinese and American costumes from 1840 to 1940, and another display hall highlights tapestries from Chinese history. The tapestry hall is centered around the eye of the peacock, which Chamberlain says symbolizes the emperor always watching. Clear mirrors cover the tap
estries which she said keep out the evil spirits.
Oliver Wyatt was visiting the Chinese Temple museum Saturday with his mother Mickey Rich, and Rich said Wyatt loves driving by the museum, even with the doors closed for the past year. Wyatt was taking photos and said his favorite part was the clothing and the bamboo in the courtyard.
Chamberlain shared a story about a Chinese man who was on vacation along Highway 99 and saw a sign that said “Chinese Temple.” He stopped what he was doing, and was shocked at what he saw once he arrived. She said she gets this a lot from visitors and loves when visitors from San Francisco’s Chinatown take trips to visit.
The Chinese Temple in Oroville has unique ties with San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Chamberlain explained a bad flood in 1907 caused many Chinese to flee Oroville’s Chinatown, which was built next door to the temple along the Feather River, for San Francisco.
Chamberlain, who grew up at the museum after her mother was an original docent at the Temple for 23 years, said that she does not have a favorite part of the museum but loves its beauty. Instead she loves the experiences with visitors she gets to share the Temple’s history with.
The Chinese Temple museum will be open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., while Bolt’s Antique Tool museum will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and $2.50 for AAA members or groups of 15 or more at both museums. Children 12 and under are free.