María Montt, Alternative Director of ICLAC and Carol Chan, Associate Researcher, participated in the curatorship of this free exhibition that is open to the public.
Religious practices, migration and cultural diversity are some of the topics explored in the new exhibition “The Journey of Guan Gong” at the National Museum of Natural History, curated in collaboration with the Millennium Nucleus Impacts of China in Latin America and the Caribbean (ICLAC). The inauguration took place this Thursday, July 13, and included representatives of different communities of Chinese migrants in Chile and their descendants.
The exhibition arises from discovering a wooden figure in the museum's warehouses. The figure, carved from a single piece of wood, worships the ancient deity Guan Gong, popularly considered the protector of Buddhist temples and businesses. This is why altars can be found in different Chinese restaurants and martial arts schools, among others.
The exhibition addresses, through the history of the cult of Guan Gong, the religious and cultural practices of the Chinese communities that began to migrate to Chile in the 19th century and their descendants, communities that coexist with Chilean society and about which little is known.
“We want to show through these photographs that the Chinese community is very present and that it is very diverse. It is not a closed community that only marries among themselves, which is one of the stereotypes. It can be seen through historical documents that families were already diverse, which is true to this day,” says Carol Chan.
The exhibition features photographs from historical archives and photographs collected through a call that the museum previously opened. An important part of these files were sent by some groups in northern Chile such as the Cheng Ning Hui Social and Cultural Center of Antofagasta and the Chung Hwa Center of Tocopilla.
“It is important to highlight this collaborative part of the exhibition, although many photographs are archival, the exhibition is also collaborative. We are interested in citizens getting involved with what the museum is, participating and feeling included,” highlights Francisco Garrido, curator of the exhibition.
During the event, Director of the ICLAC Millennium Nucleus, Francisco Urdinez, reaffirmed the Nucleus' commitment to collaborative work, highlighting the importance of events like these aimed at bringing both cultures closer together.
The exhibition is free and can be visited in the Central Hall of the National Museum of Natural History (Quinta Normal Park) until September.
The Millennium Nucleus ICLAC aims to deepen the understanding of the political consequences of China's “capital boom” in Latin America in the last twenty years, both in its socioeconomic and cultural dimensions. The team of principal investigators is made up of academics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Chile, Universidad Chile, Universidad Católica Norte and Universidad Tarapacá.