HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE) – According to the Hanford Police Department, felony charges of arson have been submitted to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office after surveillance video showed 37-year-old Maxine Montenegro sitting on the front steps of the Taoist Temple setting items of clothing on fire.

The fire that followed in May destroyed artifacts described as “irreplaceable.”

“We have surveillance cameras, so we were pretty much sure we knew what had happened,” said Arianne Wing, the president of the China Alley Preservation Society. “It’s hard for me to find...

Read more about Woman identified in connection to Taoist Temple fire: ‘She really wiped out a whole chunk of history’

PETERSBURG - Lush, wooded areas are often hard to come by in the middle of a city where houses and buildings are packed on top of each other. A Daoist group in Petersburg is hoping to turn the vacant woods next to Blandford Academy into a publicly enjoyable nature area, which will double as its future temple site. 

Plans for the site include features like a meditation trail, a gazebo, picnic areas and a community garden space complete with edible and possibly medicinal plants for visitors to enjoy. 

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Read more about Daoist group plans to build temple with public nature area in Petersburg

HANFORD — The Taoist Temple Museum in the China Alley Historic District of Hanford was heavily damaged by fire Wednesday night, and on Thursday, the Hanford Fire Department was still putting out hot spots. 

The cause of the fire, which has left supporters of the well-known landmark reeling, has not been determined and the overall damage and losses are still being assessed. However, the stairway leading to the upstairs portion of the temple is gone.

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Read more about 'It's devastating': Fire heavily damages Hanford's Taoist temple, museum

There’s an old storefront in my hometown — a bright, pretty building that mixes brick walls and a terra cotta roof with ornate bluish-green tiles. It’s sandwiched into a block of Spanish-style storefronts across from one of the city’s oldest historic sites. For the first couple decades of my life, I walked right past it without really noticing. It wasn’t until I moved away, spent time in larger Chinatowns across the country, and even lived and studied in China that I realized what I was seeing: a glimpse of a part of my city’s history that my childhood history lessons left out.

... Read more about A road trip to the remnants of California's early Chinese communities

History will come alive once again in Weaverville in a virtual Chinese New Year Celebration and Lion Dance presented from Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park. This virtual event is being offered on the California State Parks PORTS Home Learning Program as well as the Park’s Facebook page. The virtual celebration will be broadcast on the first day of the Chinese New Year – Friday, Feb. 12 at 10AM from...

Read more about California State Parks Invites The Public To Virtually Celebrate Chinese New Year Of The Metal Ox

Taiwanese people living in the United States face a dilemma when loved ones die. Many families worry that they might not be able to carry out proper rituals in their new homeland.

As a biracial Taiwanese-American archaeologist living in Idaho and studying in Taiwan, I am discovering the many faces of Taiwan’s blended cultural heritage drawn from the mix of peoples that...

Read more about How Taiwanese death rituals have adapted for families living in the US

The Year of the Rat came alive in Mendocino last Thursday. Despite the gloomy overcast, local school children carrying signs, banners and rattles coursed down Main Street as the culmination of class lessons about Chinese culture.

A dragon led the procession, weaving its way toward the ocean. Right behind, the little ones led off the march in a formation complete with a colorful dragon head.

Passersby and visitors couldn’t help but smile. Older students followed behind. Parents walked among the children, herding them in the right direction. Teachers resolved last...

Read more about Children celebrate Chinese New Year with parade, temple visit

I was raised in a hippy household. We started our meals with a reading from the Tao Te Ching, the founding text of Taoism. I also had the more conventional experience of growing up obsessed with Star Wars. I loved the original film trilogy, and though I watched Return of the Jedi until the VHS tape broke, it’s the scenes with Yoda in Empire Strikes Back that ultimately resonated with me the most. Yoda was the first experience I ever had with a taoist sage. He managed both the irreverence and wisdom that goes with living in harmony with the Tao. As an adult, I’ve... Read more about The Critical Angle: Is 'Star Wars' really about Taoism?