Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Exhibit remembers Chinese massacre

300 immigrants were killed in Torreón in 1911 because of racial intolerance


Mexico has dealt a couple of blows to the Chinese in the past few months, but it wasn’t the first time.

It was in May 1911 that the army massacred at least 300 Chinese immigrants in Torreón — half the Chinese population, a slaughter that has since been blamed on racial intolerance and hatred.

Like some other Mexican massacres, it was also covered up.

But an uncovering is taking place this week in Mexico City in the form of an exhibition entitled “303: the Chinese massacre in Torreón,” a collection of photos, documents and video that focus on a historical event that doesn’t appear in any history texts.

It took place during the height of the revolution, when Francisco Madero’s army took control of the city. By three o’clock in the afternoon of May 15 the streets were covered in bodies.

3 comments:

Rolly said...

Certainly racial intolerance and invy (the Chinese community had become an economic powerhouse) had a lot to do with the massacre, but choosing the wrong side in the Revolution was also a major factor. Since I live next to were it happened, I've been interested in this story. One of these days, I'll write a piece on Facebook sharing what I have learned.

Anonymous said...

Certainly racial intolerance and invy (the Chinese community had become an economic powerhouse) had a lot to do with the massacre, but choosing the wrong side in the Revolution was also a major factor. Since I live next to were it happened, I've been interested in this story. One of these days, I'll write a piece sharing what I have learned.

Hannibal said...

I am Mexican and some of my best friends in Mexico are or were of Chines ancestry.I remember my Wong and Woo friends.

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