Raging wildfires which have ripped across parts of Canada's British Columbia in recent weeks have put the Barkerville Historic Town, one of the province's largest historical tourist destinations, dangerously at risk.
Sweltering conditions from a heat wave which has gripped Western Canada since early July resulted in many wildfires breaking out, with more than 300 fires erupting across British Columbia towards the end of last month.
One blaze came very close to the Barkerville Historic Town, which was named after a British prospector who found gold there in 1862, forcing it to be closed to the public while firefighters tried to secure the area.
The town has been recognized as a national heritage site in Canada for around a century, with many of its historic buildings being restored and maintained to retain their original look.
The small town also drew an influx of Chinese miners during the 19th century gold rush, where traces of their past lives are still preserved. A total of 125 heritage buildings are still in use in the town, making it a living history museum.
"We do have a large repository of Chinese artifacts. Barkerville's population at the height of our gold rush was one-third to one-half Chinese," said Stewart Cawood, the town's manager for public programming and media.
Following nearly two weeks of closure amid evacuation orders, the historic town was set to re-open on Friday, according to a notice published on a British Colombia tourism site.
Raging wildfires put historic Canadian town at risk
Raging wildfires put historic Canadian town at risk
Raging wildfires put historic Canadian town at risk
China's movie box office, during the three-day Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival holiday, hit 377 million yuan (roughly 52 million U.S. dollars), with small-budget and heartfelt productions drawing strong audience response.
According to online data, the top five performers during the holiday from Friday to Sunday were "Minecraft: The Movie," "We Girls," "Ne Zha 2," "Mumu," and "Fox Hunt."
Unlike major holidays such as the Spring Festival or summer vacation, the Qingming slot is relatively short and less competitive, offering more screening opportunities for mid- and low-budget films.
Movies such as "We Girls" and "Mumu," which focus on special social groups of female prisoners and parents with a deaf child, emphasizing emotional storytelling, resonated widely with the audience.
"It was deeply moving. Both my child and I were in tears. I'm still emotionally affected even after leaving the cinema," said An Na, a moviegoer in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province.
The emotional movie attracted large audiences.
"The turnout was quite strong, especially in the afternoons. On the day of Qingming Festival, our first show started at 08:20, and screenings ran all the way through to 02:00 in wee hours," said Hou Xuezhi, a manager on duty at a cinema in Shanghai.
The movie Mumu also launched a public welfare campaign during the holiday, inviting deaf viewers and their families for special screenings.
Another version of the movie with enhanced subtitle accessibility for the hearing-impaired , including descriptions of environmental sounds, background music, and voiceovers, as well as color-coded dialogue, is scheduled for nationwide screening on Tuesday.
In addition to new releases, the Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2," the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time, enjoyed renewed popularity during the holiday, with its original release earlier this year.
"The film still has momentum. Many viewers missed it during the first round and came after hearing about it from their friends. It's now been three months since its release, but attendance remains solid," said Wu Ting, manager of a China Media Group (CMG)-affiliated cinema in Shanghai.
Low-budget films shine during Qingming Festival holiday
