Between 1881 – 1884, about 15,000 Chinese laborers from the southern Province of Guangdong were hired to build the most treacherous part of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia. Over 5,000 Chinese railway workers perished during the job.

Rocky Railway High (Closure) – an Interactive Art Project for the symbolic return of the Chinese railway workers to Guangdong, China, their homeland (an important Chinese custom at the time).

Trip – For a period of one month, David Cheung, a contemporary artist and his two sons who are descendants of a railway worker, will travel by train and by bicycle along the section of the railway constructed by the Chinese workers. They will research and gather information about the railway workers and their families for the project.

The trip will begin in Revelstoke and end at a cemetery where some Chinese railway workers were buried in Victoria, British Columbia.

Blog – During the trip, text journals, video clips and images of on-site artworks will be uploaded to a blog to update viewers about the journey.

Artworks - A series of multi-medias artwork (photographs, paintings, mixed medias installation, digital media & video) will be produced basing on information collected from the expedition and the history of Chinese railroad workers and the 1923 Exclusion Act and Head Tax.
A total of 5,000+ pieces of artwork and writing (representing the number of Chinese workers perished during construction of the railway) on post card size paper will be collected from the public.

Exhibition - Contributions received from the public and the artwork created by the artist will be shown in an exhibition in British Columbia.

Symbolic Ritual - After exhibition in Canada is completed, all artwork & writing contributed by the public will be shipped to Guangdong Province, China to be buried in a permanent site representing a symbolic return of the Chinese railway workers to their homeland.

Video – Video documentation will be compiled with the footage of the trip and the events.
Archives - All submissions by public will be archived and permanently displayed on an interactive website.
Documentation video of the project will be uploaded online for viewing & download.
Artwork produced by David Cheung from this project will be available for future exhibitions.
 
 

於1881 至 1884年间，大約15,000名华工於广東省受聘遠赴加拿大BC省
兴建加拿大太平洋鉄路落磯山脈最險峻的路段。於三年內，超过5,000名华工因工死亡。落磯鉄路华工高(回归) 是一個象徴式將那些在山眽裡死亡的华工回归故土安葬的互動艺术項目。

 於2011年的夏天，多倫多當代艺术家張卓良將会用一個月的時间, 坐火車及騎单車, 与他兩個鉃路华工後人的兒子在华工工作过的路段收集有關华工及他们後人的资料。他们將会於沿途將他们的旅程, 訊息及一些於沿途創作的作品發放至此網站和微博与觀衆分享。他们的旅途將会由BC省的 Revelstoke 出發, 直至維多利亜市一個葬有华工的墓园終止。

他们除了將会創作一系列的多媒体艺术創作之外，亦会向加拿大的学生与大衆收集5,000多件有關鉄路华工,人頭稅及排华法的想法的作品。于BC省作展之後,5,000多件由公眾提供的作品將被運至中国广東省一個地点作永久埋葬。象徵那些客死異鄉的华工终於可以長埋自己的家鄉裡。 

所有公眾參与的作品將会永久儲存於本網站。

David Cheung 张卓良