COLLECTION THEMES

The Museum of Chinese Australian History has a collection of over eight thousand artefacts, photos, and records that help tell the stories, experiences, and cultural life of Australians with Chinese ancestry. Learn more about our collections through the themes below that describe Chinese arts, festivals, and beliefs as well as different elements of our community's history.

Gold Rush Collection

Chinese Museum Collections about the Gold Rush era in Australia Read more

Chinese Australian Families Collection

Community and Identity Collection

Traditional Chinese Practices Collection

A selection of objects from the Chinese Museum's Traditional Chinese Practices Collection Read more

Creative Arts Collection

Tea Heaven Experience

Tea Heaven exhibition traces the story of tea culture over 5000 years. Learn about its impact in modern history. Taste types of tea, experience a kung fu tea performance, let children enjoy bubble tea and more!
Convergence: The Art of Zhou Xiaoping in Aboriginal Australia

Convergence: Zhou Xiaoping’s work reflects an intersection between two cultures and two peoples.
The Dawn of Melbourne Art Show

The Dawn of Melbourne Art Exhibition shows artworks by a group of Melbourne artists and art lovers who have remained active during Melbourne's lockdown period.
My Museum Memoir, by Boon Tan "Uncle Boon"

The Museum team is grateful to Boon Tan, "Uncle Boon" for his dedication and passionate work at the Museum over the last 20 years. To mark his retirement Uncle Boon has written about some of his fondest memories at the Museum.

Painted: The Immigrants' Self Portrait

‘Painted: The Immigrants' Self Portrait’ is an art and documentary series featuring immigrant families that uses the process of portraiture to explore the diaspora and definition of home for immigrant families.
Chinese New Year 2021

Visit the Chinese Museum for free on Sunday 14th Feb 2021 and watch the Millennium Dragon parade and the Lion Dances in Chinatown.
United Nations declares May 21 as “International Tea Day”

The ritual of tea drinking brings happiness, harmony and well-being throughout the World. Celebrate this day with us and spread the good feeling! Visit the Chinese Museum next February and become immersed in Tea Culture at our TEA HEAVEN Exhibition - this promises to be a blissful experience!
One Million Stories: Chinese Australians 200 years

The first nationwide story of the 200 year journey from the first migrant until today.
The Real Face of White Australia Transcription Project

The Real Face of White Australia is a series of projects aimed at increasing awareness and use of a powerful set of historical documents created in the administration of the White Australia Policy in the first half of the twentieth century.
An Open Letter from the Chinese Museum

An open letter from the Chinese Museum about our shared values and the contributions the Chinese communities have made towards charitable appeals over the years.
Digital Cultural Adventures: Chinese Lantern Making

This digital program allows students to visit the Chinese Museum from their classroom. Students will make their own red paper lantern and learn about the significance and history of lantern making in China.
Classic Chinese Painting Reproduction Display

Reproductions of classic Chinese paintings from the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, showcasing three main painting styles: landscapes, close-ups on nature, and narrative paintings.
Digital Cultural Adventures: Ancient China and Amazing Inventions

This digital program allows students to visit the Chinese Museum from their classroom. Learn about Emperor Qin and his Terracotta Army, inventions that emerged during the Han Dynasty and the importance of the Silk Road.
The Chinese Museum Privacy Policy

The Chinese Museum Privacy Policy