The walls here actually talk – they’re papered inside with 150-year-old donation ledgers from the once-thriving Chinese community, the immigrants who built Northern California’s infrastructure, a rich culture that has all but disappeared. It’s a surprise that the oldest continuously used Chinese temple in California (and an exceptionally beautiful one at that), dating to the 1870s, is in Weaverville.
The blue-and-gold Taoist shrine contains an ornate altar, more than 3000 years old, which was brought here from China. The adjoining schoolhouse was the first to teach Chinese students in California. Even in Asia (let alone California) it's rare to see a Chinese temple with the all the ancient features so well preserved.
