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Ching Ming Jie 2025
Bring your family and friends for a rare public cultural celebration and community event!
Saturday, April 5th | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
South Bay Historic Chinese American Cemetery
300-A Curtner Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
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Take Part in Local History
Ching Ming Jie is an opportunity for families to visit and clean the graves of their ancestors, paying their respects and showing gratitude for their contributions and sacrifices. At our event, we honor and remember the pioneers buried in the cemetery with offerings, incense, and cleaning. This festival is an essential part of the cemetery's history, and we welcome everyone to join us in this special event. Don't miss out on the chance to be a part of this traditional celebration!
What is the South Bay Historic Chinese American Cemetery?
In 1902, the Santa Clara Chinese community banded together to raise funds and buy a plot of land to bury their dead. As they were not allowed to bury their dead in existing cemeteries, this land was passed down and maintained by the Santa Clara Chinese American community for over 100 years to the modern day.
The historic Chinese American Cemetery of San Jose is located on Curtner Avenue, adjacent to the Oak Hill Cemetery. It is a small plot of land, 140 feet by 160 feet, with an altar and a burner for paper offerings. The cemetery contains more than 249 graves of early Chinese pioneers in the country.
Today, our goal is to preserve the history of this cemetery through various means. These include archiving and recording oral histories of members of the organization to provide resources for current and future historians, building a monument memorializing the Chinese Americans who lived and died in Santa Clara and those still in the cemetery, and engaging with local youths to keep the story alive in the next generation.
STAY IN THE COMMUNITY
Our Projects
Archiving
Archiving existing materials and recording a history of the cemetery: Our Archiving Volunteers are preserving and digitizing the past and present of this historic land, starting with the original deed of purchase. The goal is to preserve and digitize the history of the cemetery for current and future historians.
