B.C. Chinese bunk house last in Pacific Northwest

The only surviving Chinese bunk house on the west coast, which was once occupied by dozens of Chinese cannery workers a century ago, has now become ahistorical exhibit in Richmond, B.C.

The exhibit is part of the Britannia Shipyard National Historic Site. The Early Edition tagged along with agroup of Chinese-Canadian families as theyvisitedthe restored bunk house and listened to guide Kimberly Baker.

The bunk house,originally located in Knight Inlet, was home to 75 to 100Chinese cannery workers who were employed through Chinese contractors to work a variety of jobs on the canning line.

Visitors watch a documentary about Chinese cannery workers in the bunk house.

Bob Sung, a Vancouver born Chinese Canadian, measures the length of a bunk bed while looking at a hat, an opium pipe and other artifacts left by early Chinese workers.

The Britannia Shipyard National Historic Site is located inSteveston, Richmond at 5180WestwaterDrive.

It is open Saturdays 10:00 a.m. PT to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays 12:00 p.m. to4:00 p.m.