The foundation stone of "Phoenix City Chinese Ancestors Memorial Tombstone" was laid

The foundation stone of "Phoenix City Chinese Ancestors Memorial Tombstone" was laid and laid. Here are buried a group of the earliest Chinese people who came to Arizona. Here are the earliest tombs left by Chinese people in Alberta...

A group of earliest Chinese people who came to Arizona are buried here. Here are the earliest tombstones and Chinese characters left by Chinese people in Alberta. The foundation stone of the "Phoenix City Chinese Ancestors Memorial Tombstone" on this cemetery will be laid soon.

Pioneer & Military Memorial Park in Phoenix is ​​an early cemetery with historical significance. There are many famous figures in the cemetery, and a lot of important information is preserved in it. There are 3,700 tombs and about 600 tombstones in this 11-acre cemetery. The cemetery is divided into 7 areas, and the early Chinese cemeteries are also among the poor cemetery areas. From 1886 to 1914, 50 Chinese people of Chinese ancestry and their descendants were buried in Chinese cemeteries, and some of their remains were picked up and transported back to China by their relatives. Very few people know the information of these burials, because they generally do not appear in newspapers. In addition to identifying the information of individual families, some only have their names, and there is no news about their descendants.

In 1993, K. J. Schroeder, a research anthropologist at ASU University, and an archaeological team conducted excavations in the cemetery and unearthed some Chinese coins, bone artifacts, jades, small Buddha statues and other objects. The archaeologist edited a book: "Pioneer & Military Memorial Park Archaeological Project in Phoenix Arizona 1990-1992".

There is the only Chinese tombstone in the cemetery. The tombstone is short and thin. The inscription only reads: "Grave of Deng Xiangyuan, a resident of Kaiping Tower Village." There are no more clues. Scholars asked Mr. Tang Xiaoxian, the first Chinese principal of Tempe, to publish information in Chinese newspapers and periodicals in an attempt to find the descendants of the deceased in order to study their life, thoughts, family, etc., so as to promote the glorious history of Chinese pioneering the province. But 20 years have passed, and Qie has not been able to solve this "tombstone mystery."

Zhang Zhaohong, the current president of the Chinese Welfare Association, has collected relevant information for many years, hoping to solve the mystery of this tombstone. In the process of searching, from looking up names to reading genealogies, from following up on history to visiting former overseas Chinese, from investigating American cemeteries to the hometowns of overseas Chinese in China. Zhang Zhaohong published 10 articles in Chinese newspapers and websites, which aroused widespread response from the overseas Chinese community. Many old overseas Chinese provided clues and received assistance from the cemetery. After years of hard work, the mystery was finally answered. Data shows that Deng Xiangyuan was a Chinese who came to Arizona quite early. His tombstone is the earliest tombstone left by Chinese in Alberta, and the inscription on the inscription is the earliest Chinese character in Alberta. The tombstones have great reference value for future research on the history and culture of Chinese people in Alberta. Among the genealogy of Deng Xiangyuan's descendants, one is Deng Xinping (1922-1995), justice of the 9th Circuit Court of the United States. The appearance of Deng Xinping's name gave the mystery of the tombstone a halo in the end.

On May 26, 2014, the overseas Chinese community in Phoenix went to the "Ancestors and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery" to commemorate and pay homage to the overseas Chinese ancestors. Members of groups including senior overseas Chinese leader Yu Wenjin, the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation, Fei Ni Chinese Welfare Association, Deng Gaomi Office, Yu Fengcaitang, Kaiping Association, Chinese Restaurant Association, Rongguang Association, Taiwan Federation of Associations, Longgang Office, academia, and the Sunbird Chinese Network of Alberta laid wreaths and blue flowers at the Chinese cemetery, bowed in tribute, and expressed their condolences to the Chinese ancestors in the process of cautiously pursuing the future.

I have a deep feeling. In the early Chinese cemeteries, there were fifty Chinese buried in them. They had a low status and were discriminated against, both before and after life. In that era of Chinese exclusion, they had many sad stories. A hundred years ago, the tombstone of Deng Xiangyuan's ancestor was short and thin, which seemed to be a reflection of the low historical status of the Chinese in that era. Due to the passage of time, it is difficult for Deng Xiangyuan to return to his hometown and find his loved ones. His tombstone is pitying himself in the deserted graves in the wilderness, waiting in the lonely years of history... Today, the page is finally turned. The tombstones have left a precious historical and cultural heritage for the Chinese people in Alberta. From now on, "the first monument in the Chinese cemetery" and Deng Xiangyuan's name will no longer be forgotten. Zhang Zhaohong specially went to take a photo with Deng Xiangyuan's tombstone, and also went to another "Greenwood Cemetery" to take a photo with the "Chinese Memorial Cemetery" monument for comparison.

Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix was founded in 1906 and is the largest cemetery in Arizona.

In 1992, Mr. Yu Wenjin, a well-known overseas Chinese leader in Alberta, felt that Chinese cemeteries were not concentrated. He discussed with the Chinese Welfare Association and the management of Greenwood Cemetery to open up the first "Chinese Memorial Garden" in Alberta. Not only did it erect a memorial cemetery stone, but also built a "royal cemetery" with distinguished status, which fully reflected the respect of the senior management of Greenwood Cemetery for the status of the Chinese. This is a change that the Chinese could not have dreamed of more than a hundred years ago. Since the cemetery considers the Chinese people and respects their cultural customs, a large number of Chinese people have been buried there.

Today, the status of the Chinese has been significantly improved, from a narrow road to a broad road, from being discriminated against to being respected. As they continue to integrate into mainstream society, their concepts and minds are also constantly expanding. The Chinese no longer dwell on the past history and the injustices imposed by society, but face it more actively, contribute to the improvement of the system, and have the courage to participate in future development and innovation.

There are still more than 20 Chinese ancestors buried in the Chinese cemetery. The Phoenix Chinese Welfare Association decided to erect a commemorative tombstone for them, so that these ancestors who pioneered the Chinese in Arizona in the earliest days can also get their due status and respect. This decision has received great attention and strong support from the Phoenix City Government, senior cemetery decision-makers, senior overseas Chinese leader Yu Wenjin, and the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation. At present, the memorial tombstone has been built. On December 21, Dustin Marut from the city government's construction department, David Walker, general manager of Greenwood Cemetery, Mark Lamm, director of the Ancestors Memorial Cemetery, David Yee, president of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation, and Homer Zhang, president of the Welfare Association, waited to inspect the tombstone placement site. The foundation laying will be carried out in the near future, and the overseas Chinese community in Phoenix will hold a grand commemorative ceremony on a certain date.

For information, please visit the website: http://www.paaca.us/new_page_144.htm (Photo/Text by Zhang Zhaohong)