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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW New entry sign designs approved ... AHS athletes accused of robbing pizza delivery person ... As It Was: Jacksonville’s Chinese New Year ... New entry sign designs approved ... AHS athletes accused of robbing pizza delivery person ... As It Was: Jacksonville’s Chinese New Year ... QUILLS & QUEUES Exhibit tells history of Chinese in Southern Oregon Free exhibit runs through April 17 at the mall Comment By Vickie Aldous for the Tidings Follow @@VickieAldous DailyTidings.com By Vickie Aldous for the Tidings Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 4:02 PM By Vickie Aldous for the Tidings Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 4:02 PM » Social News Wah Chung, the owner of a grocery store on A Street in Ashland and a labor contractor, helped marshal the small army of Chinese workers who worked to build a railroad line connecting Oregon and California in the 1880s. He often let workers stay at his house next to the store, feeding them fish and eels he raised in a pond near his home. His story is one of many told in the Southern Oregon Historical Society's free exhibit "Courage in the Golden Valley: Chinese History in Southern Oregon," which is open through April 17 at the Rogue Valley Mall, 1600 N. Riverside Ave., Medford. Unlike many Chinese men, Chung was able to bring his wife to live with him in America. Americans generally opposed allowing Chinese women to immigrate here, citing concerns over prostitution and Chinese people settling permanently in the United States and raising families. The exhibit doesn't shy away from the discrimination and obstacles faced by Chinese who were drawn to western American by the 1850s gold rush. White settlers exaggerated the opium use of Chinese people, passed laws to try and stop them from owning mines and often ridiculed Chinese cultural traditions. Attitudes of the time were captured in newspapers, with The Oregon Sentinel among those using blatantly racist language, the exhibit shows. While hundreds of current Rogue Valley residents flock to the annual Chinese New Year celebration in Jacksonville, an 1879 article in The Oregon Sentinel described festivities then, saying, "Our pagan neighbors ushered in their 'New Year' on Monday evening with the usual barbaric ceremonies." But while discussing discrimination, the exhibit also features the accomplishments of many early Chinese residents. "A lot of records about individual Chinese have been lost. We're trying to highlight individuals. While Chinese workers were part of a community, individuals had their own unique experiences," said SOHS Exhibitions Curator Amy Drake. One of the most prominent members of the community was mining labor contractor and mine owner Gin Lin. He is credited with bringing hydraulic mining technology to the area. Under his direction, workers built extensive hydraulic mining systems. Historians believe Lin may have mined $2 million worth of gold — and kept much of his money in the Beekman Bank in Jacksonville. "He returned to China in 1894 a very wealthy man," Drake said. Displays that help bring his story alive include a mine scale and weights with Chinese coins, plus large photographs of hydraulic mining and Lin himself. Tsi Quoy, who was nicknamed "China Mary," was one of the rare Chinese women in Southern Oregon in the 1800s. Chinese and white children enjoyed a playful game in which they ran up and knocked on her door. She would give them Chinese candy and lychee nuts. Quoy's feet were bound to display her wealth and social standing in Chinese society. The exhibit features a range of tiny lotus shoes that are both beautiful and horrifying — beautiful because of their intricate embroidery and horrifying because the feet of girls had to be folded and broken to fit the shoes' small dimensions. While 13 percent of Jackson County's population was Chinese in 1870, the population later plummeted. Drake said many moved to larger cities like Portland to work in other industries, and others moved to the coast to labor in canneries. The exhibit shows Chinese history is still alive and well locally, with the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association staging events like the Jacksonville Chinese New Year's celebration and St. Mary's School in Medford bridging the divide between China and America with Chinese language and cultural instruction. "Courage in the Golden Valley: Chinese History in Southern Oregon" is inside a vacant store on the lower level of the mall between JCPenny's and Macy's. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. See www.sohs.org for more information. Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous . By Vickie Aldous for the Tidings Follow @@VickieAldous DailyTidings.com By Vickie Aldous for the Tidings Follow @@VickieAldous Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 4:02 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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