A totem pole was bestowed upon the Qiang people of Sichuan Province by the British Columbia First Nations Forestry Council, and AGS Movers Chengdu had the privilege of providing the logistics.
During a mission to the region, which was devastated by an earthquake in May 2008, the British Columbia First Nations Forestry Council leaders decided to donate a totem pole as a symbol of unity and hope for reconstruction and renewal.
The planning of this operation started in mid June and every step was taken into careful consideration, starting with the logistics at the airport, the type of truck to be used and a crane for unloading at the Museum, including the choice of fabric colour for the unveiling of the totem pole.
The totem pole operation began with the unloading and collection from Chengdu Airport, and delivery to the Sichuan Museum for the donation ceremony the next day. The momentous ceremonial event on 4 July was attended by the Governor General of Canada.
The very next day, the totem pole was safely delivered to Beichuan (200km from Chengdu) where it was erected at the location of the new Canadian-funded schools in Sichuan province.
Keith Ellis, Country Manager of AGS Movers China, commented:
“It is not every day in our business that we come across an opportunity to be involved in something this special, and I am proud that our Chengdu office has been able to participate in an event that may not happen again in China. This was truly memorable and we look forward to the development of the new schools.”