Premier David Eby has issued the following statement marking the Qingming festival:

“Today, Chinese communities throughout British Columbia and around the world will begin to mark the Qingming festival. Known as Tomb Sweeping Day, families will visit cemeteries to tidy and clean the final resting places of their ancestors. The placing of flowers expresses a yearning for departed loved ones.

“As families gather to honour and respect their ancestors, the arrival of spring blossoms reminds us to look to the future with hope and optimism.

“Qingming is a time to honour the lives of previous generations by giving thanks and reconnecting to family roots. In Canada, those ancestors made valuable contributions, often in the face of discrimination, to help make the British Columbia we enjoy today.

“Our government seeks to help preserve these stories by supporting the first Chinese Canadian museum in Canada, which will be permanently located in the historic Wing Sang Building in Vancouver. The museum helps preserve stories and the legacy of those ancestors to inform future generations. Such knowledge is even more important at a time of increased anti-Asian racism.

“On behalf of all British Columbians, we acknowledge this occasion of solemn veneration.”