Bok Kai Temple

In 1854, five years after the first contingent of Chinese arrived in California to work during the Gold Rush; a temple to house and worship their gods was erected. Foremost among these was the god of water, Bok Eye, who possessed the power to control the rains. The current temple, built and dedicated in 1880, replacing the original temple built nearby, remains the focus of the Marysville Chinese community, and is the only one of its kind in the United States. The new "Palace of Many Saints" was built with its main altar facing toward the Yuba River. It has been the responsibility of Bok Eye to ward off any evil and protect the community of Marysville and its inhabitants. Bok Eye is considered the god of the North and is said to be the Chinese god of water whose powers have successfully prevented Marysville from being flooded when all surrounding communities have sustained near-ruinous flooding as recently as 1997. One of the unique characteristics of the Bok Kai Temple is the surviving mural depicting vivid scenes of Chinese culture. The painting extends across the upper wall of the outside front entrance and has been equaled to ìthe few Daoist paintings in American museum collections.î Despite water damage, the frescos are the only ones in this condition to exist in the world as most similar work in China was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. The rare Bok Kai Temple is listed as one of Americaís 11 Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Bok Kai Temple is open to the public only during the Bok Kai Festival, the longest running in California since 1880. Temple open on weekend, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM  Temple tour requests should be sent to Marysville Chinese Community Inc. PO Box 2348, Marysville CA 95901.  Bok Kai Temple .Com