Oroville Chinese Temple奥罗维尔列圣宫

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

United States · California · Oroville · 1500 Broderick St

Coordinates

39.5136, -121.5608 Map ↗

First built

1863 · The surviving brick structure is the third temple building, the first two wooden ones having burned down; transferred to the city of Oroville in 1937 and reopened as a museum in July 1949

Heritage status

U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (1976, reference number 76000478)California Historical Landmark #770

Overview

The Oroville Chinese Temple was built in 1863 as a folk-religious temple housing multiple deities. The surviving brick structure is the third temple built by the local Chinese community, the first two wooden buildings having burned down; the red brick was brought from Palermo, California. Tradition holds that funds for its construction were donated by the Tongzhi Emperor and Empress Xiaozheyi, a rare record of the Qing court's attention to an overseas Chinese community. In the late nineteenth century some ten thousand Chinese lived in the area, most drawn there by gold mining, and the temple served as their religious and social center. In 1937 the local Chinese families transferred the temple complex to the city of Oroville on three conditions: that a museum be built, that offerings at the temple continue, and that Chinese culture be shared with the public; it reopened as a museum in July 1949 and continues to honor that agreement, an example of Chinese heritage passing from community to public institution while retaining its religious function. It is designated California Historical Landmark No. 770 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1976 (reference number 76000478).

Highlights

• Tradition holds it was funded by the Tongzhi Emperor and Empress Xiaozheyi
• Transferred to the city government in 1937 under conditions
• Reopened as a museum in 1949
• NRHP (1976)