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Discovering Melbourne's Chinatown: our history and heritage
This free exhibition is a unique and innovative permanent exhibition which is located in the Museum's Chinatown Visitor Centre.
The exhibition features four diverse sections which allow visitors to gain an insight into the fascinating history of Melbourne's Chinatown, as told through the history of the buildings and the building of communities following the fervor of the gold rushes and personal stories. Historic photographs and archeological remains help interpret to the visitor the changing streetscape and the personal stories of those who worked and inhabited the area. Objects and photographs featured in the exhibition were drawn from a number of sources including the Museum's Collection, private collections, the State and National Libraries and Heritage Victoria. To allow for greater accessibility by the community, the exhibition was produced fully bilingual.
This exhibition received a commendation in the 2011 Victorian Community History Awards in the Best Exhibit or Multimedia Category
Finding Gold
On the lower level of the Museum, Finding Gold replicates the experience of the Chinese in Australia's 19th century goldfields. During your visit you can retrace the journey from Canton on a steamer and become immersed in the adventures of Chinese goldseekers through displays that include a winding deep lead mine and an elaborate goldfields diaorama. Afterwards you can consult your fortune in the temple of Guan Gong (a famous Chinese general and deity), be entertained by Cantonese opera in a tent theatre, and see diggers double their winnings on the Chinese lottery.
Melbourne's Dragons
The Melbourne Dai Loong Association's Millennium Dragon winds it way from the ground floor to the lower ground hibernating in readiness to be awakened for the Chinese Spring Festival (Jan-Feb) and the Moomba Festival (March) each year. The Museum displays the last three processional Chinese Dragons which have paraded the city streets for most of last century as part of Melbourne's 100-year-old tradition celebrating the presence of Melnbourne's long-standing Chinese Community. Standing over 3 metres high, the Millennium dragon is the largest in the world requiring 6 people just to carry the head. Flanked by ceremonial regalia, banners, lanterns and lions, the dragon procession is a spectacle not to be missed!
Bridge of Memories
Bridge of Memories is an exhibition that explores the complexities of "identity" through the personal experiences of Chinese Australians who have migrated from many parts of the Asia Pacific region.
The exhibition provides an understanding of the diverse cultural make up of the Chinese Community from China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The exhibition highlights the various changing world economic, social and political circumstances over the past 50 years, during which time over 500,000 Chinese have migrated to Australia, impacting on the make-up of today's multicultural society.
The exhibition is being jointly researched and supported by the Australian National University - Faculty of Asian Studies.
Chinese Australians
The history and culture of the Chinese in Australia is presented on the third floor of the Museum. The exhibition tells the stories of Chinese Australians from first migrants in the 19th century to recent arrivals.
This gallery presents the Museum's collection, accumulated over the past twenty years, with a wide variety of objects ranging from furniture to 19th century pottery, and much more. Cultural life of Chinese Australians is presented through objects including old dragon and lion heads, Cantonese opera banners and musical instruments. A highlight of the Museum is the costume collection, with traditional wedding clothes, shoes worn by women with bound feet and opera costumes all on display. |
 
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