Multiple Events Planned to Celebrate Salem-Keizer’s Chinese Heritage during Qingming Festival

Community organizations from around the Salem-Keizer area, including Willamette Heritage Center, Keizer Heritage Museum and the Salem Pioneer Cemetery, are hosting a number of events during this year's Qingming Festival that will help remember the area's early Chinese American community.

Events at a Glance -All events are free and open to the public

Date	Start Time	Event	Place
Thursday, April 4	6:00 pm	Book Signing and Talk -- A Willow Tree Becomes a Forest: The Story of Hop Lee	Willamette Heritage Center, Dye House 1313 Mill St SE Salem
Friday, April 5	3:00 pm	Qingming Celebration at "Hop Lee" Low Sun Fook's Tombstone	Claggett Cemetery 398 Bolf Terrace Rd N, Keizer
Friday, April 5	6:00 pm	Book Presentation - A Willow Tree Becomes a Forest: The Story of Hop Lee	Keizer Cultural Center 980 Chemawa Rd NE, Keizer
Saturday, April 6	11:00 am	Qingming Celebration	Salem Pioneer Cemetery Entrance Hoyt St & Skopil Ave S. Salem

Qingming Festival

The Chinese festival of Qingming, celebrated annually in early April (the 15^th day after the March equinox), is an opportunity to remember those who have died. It is traditionally celebrated by visits to cemeteries and the sweeping of grave sites and offerings. Thanks to the work of historian and Keizertimes reporter Ann Lossner and the memories of former Salem and Keizer resident Suie Lai Sun, we know a lot about how Qingming was celebrated in the Salem-Keizer area 100 years ago. Before the holiday, businesses in Salem would begin collecting money from the community to purchase food and other supplies, which were taken to Salem's Pioneer cemetery by wagon on the day of the festival where there was a slab table and open oven where candles and incense were lit and food and drink put out. As Suie Lai Sun remembered: "Then the men knelt and recited prayers for the dead. Rising, they folded each specially shaped paper around a narrow strip of paper in an intricate manner, bowed three times, lighted the paper from the candles, bowed again, and tossed the burning paper into the oven." Some food was left as an offering in the cemetery, but most was taken back to town and shared.

In 2017, the concrete slab used as an offering table in these yearly celebrations was rediscovered in the Salem Pioneer Cemetery and through an archaeological investigation uncovered. The City of Salem and community partners reinstituted an annual celebration of the festival in 2018. The annual celebration at Salem's Pioneer Cemetery and a new opportunity to celebrate at Keizer's Claggett Cemetery are part of this year's community Qingming celebrations.

A Willow Tree Becomes a Forest: The Story of Hop Lee

This year we have the privilege of hosting Dr. Russell Low, the grandson of former Salem-Keizer resident Low Sun Fook, also known as Hop Lee, the name of the laundry business he operated. Dr. Low has published several books about his family's history. His newest release: A Willow Tree Becomes a Forest: The Story of Hop Lee looks at the life of his grandfather and the family's experiences living in the Salem-Keizer area, from operating a laundry to turtle wrangling to hop farming and brokering. Two book presentations are scheduled in Salem and Keizer which will talk about the book and the unique experiences the family had in both places. Dr. Low will be bringing signed books with all proceeds dedicated to supporting scholarships for nursing students at California State University San Marcos. Guests are encouraged to bring checks or cash, and the books will be available for a $20 donation.

About the Willamette Heritage Center:

The Willamette Heritage Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit museum dedicated to connecting generations by gathering, preserving and sharing the history of the Mid-Willamette Valley. Visit williametteheritage.org for more information.

About the Keizer Heritage Museum:

The mission of the Keizer Heritage Museum is to celebrate, collect, promote, preserve, and explore the history of the City of Keizer, its culture, people, and surrounding community. Visit https://keizerheritagemuseum.org for more information

About the Salem Pioneer Cemetery:

Visit https://www.salempioneercemetery.org/index.php for more information

About the City of Salem Qingming Celebration:

Visit https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/things-to-do/history/annual-chinese-qingming-festival for more information

About Russell Low:

Visit https://www.russlow.com for more information

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