160th Anniversary of Chinese in Costa Rica

The main purpose for the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica is to pay tribute to a Costa Rican ethnic group that has a marked and lasting influence on the main culture of the territory. That is why two divisions belonging to state universities such as the Confucius Institute of the University of Costa Rica and the Department of History of the State University through the Distance, join forces to request a declaration of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. In accordance with our university’s policies of respect for the diversity of ethnic groups and cultures (Title I, article 4, subsection d, UCR Organic Statute) and to serve as a means of increasing cultural awareness (Chapter I, article 2, subsection e, UNED Organic Statute) we want this celebration to be declared of cultural interest because we believe that one hundred and sixty years of Chinese cultural presence cannot be ignored historically, economically nor socially.

The celebration includes a series of cultural and academic activities to commemorate, publicize and reflect on the importance of the arrival and permanence of the Chinese cultural group in Costa Rica. Because in 2003 the first Monday of October was decreed as the day of the Chinese culture in Costa Rica, the month of October is proposed as the date for the commemorative events to start throughout the national territory, but with the capital city as the main venue for the commemorations. Forums, conferences, artistic shows, audiovisual projections and a symposium will be the main events of the celebration that will be distributed throughout a calendar year not only because of the logistics involved in the activities and the number of groups that co-organize the commemoration (Chinese Associations of Costa Rica, UNA, ITCR, Legislative Assembly, primary and secondary education institutions, Embassy of the People's Republic of China) but also to achieve our purpose of making the Costa Rican population aware of the contributions of the Costa Rican Chinese cultural group. 

OBJECTIVES

1. Review the historical events that led to the formation of a group of Costa Ricans of Chinese origin in the country.
2. Show the meeting and disagreement points between the different groups of Chinese origin in Costa Rica.
3. Share with the great Costa Rican community the cultural and historical legacy of the Chinese who settled in Costa Rica.
4. Implement activities that promote reflection on the contributions of Chinese to Costa Rican culture and society.
5. Promote among the different members of the Costa Rican Chinese community, especially among the younger generations, a sense of belonging and pride in their bicultural identity. 

For more information on Chinese migrations in Costa Rica, you can access the PREMEHCHI website: http://premehchi.ucr.ac.cr

2015 SCHEDULE

• Gala Dinner in Commemoration of the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica. October 3rd, 2015. Casa China Restaurant. 7 p.m.
• Conference: The 160th anniversary of the arrival of the Chinese in CR by the Coordinator of the Chair of History of the UNED, Master Alonso Rodríguez. October 9th, 2015. Confucius Institute. 6 p.m.
• Presentation of the artistic troupe of the University of Sun Yat Sen. October 5th, 2015. Eugene O'Neill Theater. 7 p.m.
• Chinese Culture Day at Saint Gabriel Elementary and High School, October 14th, 2015, 9 am.
• Exhibition of historical documents of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica. From October 15th to November 13th. First floor of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Costa Rica. Adjacent to the Lobby. Office area of ​​the School of Philology.
• Chinese culture workshops in communities: UCR Campus, Liberia October 16th. Headquarters of the Pacific UCR, October 23rd. Museum of San Ramón November 3rd.
• Chinese traditional music concert. November 12th, 2015. Main Hall of the UNED’s Paraninfo. 7 p.m. Co-organized by the Chinese-Costa Rican Musical Arts Center, the UNED Music School and the Confucius Institute of the University of Costa Rica.
• Conference: Demographic analysis of the Chinese population of Costa Rica by the Director of Demoscopy, José Alberto Rodríguez. November 6th, 2015. Confucius Institute. 6 p.m.
• Symposium of Studies on China from Latin America. Conference room of the Confucius Institute of the University of Costa Rica. November 19th and 20th, 2015. From 10 am to 3 pm. Organized by the Confucius Institute of the University of Costa Rica.
• Launch of the series of micro-documentaries about the Chinese in CR: Historias de la Montaña de oro produced by the filmmaker Pablo Ortega. Conference room of the Confucius Institute of the University of Costa Rica November 20th, 2015, 2 pm.

2016 SCHEDULE

• Launch of the micro documentary about the Chinese in CR, Maletas de Bambú, produced by the filmmaker Pablo Ortega. Lobby of the National Library, January 22nd, 2016, 10 am.
• Exhibition of historical documents of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica. Lobby of the National Library. From January 22nd to February 26th, 2016.
• Workshops of the campaign Reading is pure life: The legend of the Chinese New Year. Spain Room, National Library. January 28th and February 4th, 2016, 10 am.
• Calligraphy, knots and paper cutting workshops. Headquarters of the UNED. March 1st, 10 a.m. -Exhibition of historical documents of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica. House of culture of Puntarenas. Opening April 8th, 2016, 5 pm.
• Workshops of the campaign Reading is pure life: The legend of the Chinese zodiac. UNED University Center in Puntarenas. April 29th, 2016, 10 a.m.
• Exhibition of historical documents of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica. Banco Popular and University Center of the UNED in Cañas. May 2016.
• Exhibition of historical documents of the arrival of the Chinese in Costa Rica. National Archive. Inauguration June 9th, 2016. June and July 2016. Chinese Culture Friday at the National Archives: Project to recover the historical memory of the Chinese community in Costa Rica. June 9th, 2016, 3 pm.
• Presentation of the novel Viaje a Puntalin by Otto Apuy. House of culture of Puntarenas. June 24th, 6 p.m.
• Presentation of the micro-documentary Bamboo Suitcases at the Research Conference on the Costa Rican Pacific. UCR, Pacific Headquarters. August 23rd to 25th, 2016.
• Celebration of the 12th Anniversary of the Confucius Institutes. UCR, Rodrigo Facio University City. September 30th to October 25th, 2016.
• Cultural Exchange Week between China and Costa Rica. Children's Museum. October 12th to 22nd, 2016.