Chinese Cemetery Redux

Fern's off on a road trip to our southern neighbor so I'm back on Sunday posting duty. I mentioned a couple of days ago I had returned to Harling Point. I found the tide out again - I really should trouble myself to check some tide tables. I found that the altar pictured above has been freshly painted since last time I photographed it and it looks quite different. I am posting another photo of it today because it's such a peaceful and slightly mysterious scene. You have to keep in mind that this scene is urban Oak Bay - little more than a hundred meters back is a dense residential neighbourhood. Click HERE to see some past posts of Harling Point.

Chinese Cemetery

I went to Harling Point today to work a little more on landscape photography. The point is also the site of the Chinese cemetery which has been closed for many years though it is still maintained. Pictured above is the altar where memorial ceremonies take place. The cemetery site was chosen according to careful interpretation of Feng Shui principles and it does seem to be a special place.

The Chinese Cemetery

This is one of Victoria's secret spots; a little off the beaten track nestled in Fairfield this historical landmark is worth a visit. - Fern

Harpoon Rock

On last week's post about Gonzales Beach I pictured one of the glacial erratics that is on that beach. Here are two more. Both of these are located at Harling Point, which marks one end of Foul Bay (Gonzales Beach). Harling Point is also the site of the Chinese Cemetery and in addition to these glacial erratics is geologically interesting because it lies directly over the intersection of two giant tectonic plates. The erratic pictured above has a name, Harpoon Rock, derived from an old Lekwungen folk tale. A man was hunting seals here when he was visited by "the Transformer" who turned him into this stone.

Chinese Cemetery

This is the gate to the old Chinese Cemetery. Prior to 1903 Chinese were buried in a low-lying section of the Ross Bay Cemetery. After seven years the remains were exhumed and cleaned and stored for shipment to China where they were reburied after appropriate ceremonials. The Ross Bay location proved inadequate due to wave and water damage to graves during storms and in 1903 the Chinese community purchased this nearby site for temporary interments.The two towers on the right of this photo flank an altar where burial services were conducted. This plot of land was chosen in accordance with the principals of feng shui and it is interesting that the site (Harling Point) is also the meeting place of two large sections of the earth's crust.

This site was used for temporary burials until the war between China and Japan in the 1930's made it impossible for the practice to be continued. Burials at this site were permanent from then until the 1950's when the site was closed.