139-Year-Old Naturalization Certificate

This naturalization certificate, issued under the Victorian Act No. 256 on October 26, 1885, was granted to Chin Ah Yin and includes his black-and-white photograph.

Born in Canton in 1866, Chin Ah Yin arrived in Australia from Hong Kong in 1880, though his ship’s name is unknown. Listed as a hawker, he later worked as a laundryman at 203 Spring Street, Melbourne, where he married Emily Helena Mangkee in 1907.

Post-marriage, the family name evolved from Chin to Ah Yan, Ah Yang, and finally Yan, reflecting their integration into the migrant community.

The National Archives of Australia holds naturalization records for the Colony of Victoria for the period from 1848 to 1903. This naturalization is a rare example of an original colonial naturalisation certificate in private hands, with its annotations and photograph holding significant historical value. 

Chin Ah Yin and Emily had four sons and one daughter. Their only grandchildren—Penelope Yan, Sue Yan Middlemiss, Susan Yan, and the late Jocelyn Yan—donated this important document to the Chinese Museum.

Early Operations of the Church of Christ Chinese Mission

Church of Christ Chinese Mission Minute Book 1924-1950

50^th Anniversary Pamphlet of Church of Christ Chinese Mission - 1955

Founded in 1905 by the Church of Christ of Victoria Department, the Church of Christ Chinese Mission on Queensberry Street, Carlton, has been a cornerstone of the Chinese Australian community.

The handwritten and typewritten documents from this period offer a vivid portrayal of the church’s daily activities and operations during the early to mid-20th century. These records provide invaluable insights into the church’s mission and its role within the community, as well as reflecting the vibrant community spirit of Chinese Australians from the late 1800s through the 1950s.

The Church of Christ Chinese Mission is deeply connected with numerous Chinese Australian families and influential individuals. Many of these people played active roles in the church’s social and religious activities or were involved in its management and operations. The items in question were inherited by the donor from his father, whose paternal grandfather, William Jame, was the church's first Minister.

Donated by Dr. Wesley JAME in 2023

Library Donation:

Dr. Christopher Cheng (Doctor of Philosophy in Institute for Culture and Society Western Sydney University)

2023. “Coming Home to a Foreign Country.” International Institute for Asian Studies Reviews.

2023. “Mutual Language Barriers in the Oral Histories of Immigrants.” Agora 58(2): 26-29.

2023. “From Ancestral Halls to Modern Schools.” Heritage and History in the China–Australia Migration Corridor 5:85-214.

2022.   Australian Migrant Heritage in South China. PhD dissertation (Winner of the Best Australian Thesis in Chinese Studies). 

 

John Griffiths (Chinese Museum Board Duty Chair)

<Red Tape, Gold Scissors: The Story of Sydney's Chinese> by Shirley Fitzgerald, drawing on extensive research and scores of interviews with Chinese families, focuses on the Chinese community of Sydney to tell this fascinating, complex story of the Chinese link with Australia.

 

Irene Poon (Chinese Museum Volunteer)

<The China-Australia Migration Corridor-History and Heritage> - Edited by Denis Byrne, Ien Ang, and Phillip Mar. This book is a study of the history and impact of Chinese-Australian migration and highlights a transnational approach to the heritage of migration and the flows of people, ideas, objects, and money that circulate through migration corridors.

Reverend Tony Lai, Minister of Gospel Hall Melbourne, wrote, edited and published this book* to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Gospel Hall in Melbourne and explore the history and development of Australian Chinese Christian Churches. We are grateful to Reverend Lai for this generous donation.

*This book is written in traditional Chinese.

The Museum is deeply grateful to Li Cunxin AO for donating a signed pair of ballet shoes to the museum’s main collection. They were worn by Mr Li when he was a Guest Artist for The Australian Ballet's Le Corsaire performance in 1995.

Acknowledging our most recent donors: Ms Ramsey, who donated the "Home for the Dragon" video which reflects the shifting approaches of raising cultural awareness in Australia; Mr Leong and Ms Tomlin, for the wonderful addition to the museum’s WWII Chinese Australian soldier’s collection. 

We are grateful to Ms Andrea Chung for donating five digital materials from her family’s collection. These digital high-resolution scans give insights into how the Chinese were treated in the business circle of Victoria in the early 20th century, Chinese gold miners’ living condition in the 1850s, and the contribution of Chinese Australians in WWII.

These wedding horseshoes (right) and purse (left) were among the items donated by Eunice Leong, whose family has long been active members of Melbourne’s Chinese community. In Australia, brides were given horseshoes for good luck, a practice that is no longer popular these days. Do you or your mother have horseshoes from your own wedding? Share a photo on Facebook or Instagram and tag us (@chinesemuse)! 

Eunice also donated other items relevant to wedding traditions of Australian born Chinese as well as experiences in the Australian armed forces during the Second World War of Chinese Australians.  

The museum is grateful for her family’s continued support. 

Chinese Art Exhibition Catalogue c.1941

Organised by the Brighton Hostesses Air Force Club and the Victorian Chinese Women’s Relief Fund, this 32pp original catalogue was produced for an exhibition at Myer Emporium, Mural Hall Lounge in June 1941. The 376 exhibition pieces described in the catalogue were lent by individual donors - some who were notable Melbourne collectors. The catalogue provides a list of prominent Melbournians, both Chinese and non-Chinese citizens, who participated in charity. It’s a snapshot of Melbourne wartime life of the 1940s. It epitomises the public sympathy towards the Japanese invasion of China and reflects the strong interest in Chinese culture and art by the Melbourne establishment of the time. We are grateful to Mr Stan Chang, Mr Michael Lanyon, and Mr John Griffiths for responding to the call for donation to purchase this catalogue.

George Chen, the owner of Golden Orchids restaurant, donated these materials to the museum. The Golden Orchids, located along Bourke Street in Melbourne’s Chinatown, served Malaysian and Chinese dishes to customers for decades until it permanently closed its doors in 2018. These materials from the restaurant help document the diversity of cuisines and the multicultural flavours available through different food establishments in Australia. We are grateful to Mr Chen for his contributions to our collections.

Till Family. L-R: Grandson Norman Jarm, Grace Till, Selena Till (nee Anguey), Roy Till, and Henry Till. Circa 1930

David Jarm has donated 11 digital copies of historical photographs from his family’s photo collection to the museum’s research archives. These photographs feature the history of Mr Jarm’s Great Grandfather- Henry (Lew) Till and his family as well as provide insights into the operation of a Chinses Mission Church on Queensberry Street and the trading activities of Chinese fruit merchants in Melbourne in the early 1900s.

Sydney-based graphic designer Joy Li’s The Immigrant Game of Life —created as part of her university project- Li General Store in 2017. Li’s satirical approach does not merely visualise cultural stereotyping and social expectations but also confronts them as a means to convey the challenges and experiences of migrants.

To know more about Joy Li's work, please visit: https://joyli.com.au/

The museum is deeply grateful to Ms Noela Foote for donating a cloth purse, a card-mounted photograph of the Lee-Moy sisters and a Chinese doll to the museum’s main collection. These objects tell interesting stories about the Lew Shing family, provide a glimpse into Australian toy culture, and document the involvement of Australians of Chinese ancestry in the Australian dance and theatre industry. 

These two stereoscopic images were taken in 1901 during the parades held in Melbourne to celebrate the opening of the First Federal Parliament of Australia and the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. The first stereo card shows the procession near the Chinese Citizens’ Arch that used to stand along Swanston Street. The second one depicts the Queen Victoria Arch on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets. Chinese symbols, dragons, and hanging lanterns adorned the Chinese Arch. In the centre was an inscription that read, “Welcome by the Chinese Citizens”.

We wish to thank Mr Isaac Hermann for this generous donation. These objects provide insights into the contributions of the Chinese community in Melbourne and their role in shaping Australia as a multicultural nation.