2 days ago
New gallery preserves Calcutta’s 200-year Chinese community history
A new gallery in Calcutta tells the story of the city’s Chinese community.
It displays objects, tools, photographs and religious items collected from community members.
The gallery is inside a historic community building in Tiretta Bazaar.
Tiretta Bazaar was Calcutta’s first Chinatown.
Chinese settlement in the area began after Atchew arrived near the Hooghly in 1778.
Over time, Chinese communities also developed in Bowbazar and Tangra.
The city’s Chinese-origin population has become much smaller than it was decades ago.
Organisers say the gallery can help protect this history for future generations.
They also hope it will encourage heritage walks and tourism.
The Cheenapara Heritage Gallery, Calcutta’s first gallery dedicated to its Chinese community, opened on Blackburn Lane.
Its exhibits include ritual objects, trade tools, everyday artefacts, photographs, calligraphy materials, an abacus and a temple rubbing.
The gallery occupies part of the Huining Huiguan in Tiretta Bazaar, the city’s original and India’s oldest Chinatown.
Calcutta’s Chinese-origin population has declined from about 20,000 in the mid-20th century to roughly 2,000 today.
The project was conceived by Tansen Sen and created through a collaboration between Intach and The CHA Project, with British Academy funding.
- Who
- The Cheenapara Heritage Gallery project involved Tansen Sen, Intach, The CHA Project, the Huining Huiguan and members of Calcutta’s Chinese community.
- What
- A gallery dedicated to nearly 200 years of Calcutta’s Chinese history opened with historical artefacts, photographs and documents.
- Where
- The gallery is on Blackburn Lane, off Central Avenue, inside the Huining Huiguan in Tiretta Bazaar, Calcutta.
- When
- The gallery opened on a rain-soaked Saturday; the articles do not provide a specific date.
- Why
- It was created to preserve the Chinese community’s history and artefacts, while also supporting heritage awareness and tourism.
Key facts
- Gallery
- Cheenapara Heritage Gallery
- Location
- Blackburn Lane, Tiretta Bazaar, Calcutta
- Historical scope
- Nearly 200 years of Chinese community history
- Community population
- About 20,000 in the mid-20th century; roughly 2,000 today
- Key settlement date
- Atchew arrived near the Hooghly in 1778
- Community associations
- Six huiguans were established between 1838 and 1908
- Funding
- British Academy
- Project partners
- Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and The CHA Project
Quotes
Rinkoo Bhowmik
Founder of The CHA Project, a Singapore-based urban design studio
“It is our responsibility to preserve this wealth. The imprint left by ancestors should be passed down through generations so that future descendants can carry forward this friendship.”
telegraphindia.com
“If Calcutta wants to be a city of multicultural and multinational connections, then this history needs to be preserved. Before we start losing this history, something should be done.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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