Chinese Museum

The Chinese people are known to have traveled far and wide, especially during ancient times, significantly influencing the lives of people from all across the globe. Australians are no exception, and the rich history of early Chinese-Australians is now enshrined in the famous Chinese Museum located in the modern Chinatown district of Melbourne.

Built in 1985, the Chinese Museum has been designed to record, preserve and share the rich history of the large Chinese community living in Melbourne that has long been a part of the Australian landscape. This is done through a wide range of activities, including regular exhibitions, public seminars, and heritage tours, all with the aim of showcasing the richness and the diversity of Chinese culture.

In most other places, the Chinatown area has often been portrayed as a good source of genuine Chinese cuisine, and in a way, this is somewhat accurate. In Melbourne, however, the Chinatown district offers more than just Chinese food. It also happens to serve an extensive array of cultural experiences for tourists ideally represented by the Chinese Museum.

The lower area of the building has several interesting attractions. For one, there is an elaborate diorama that illustrates the life of early Chinese during the gold rush days of Australia. It even features a steamer where tourists can enjoy retracing the steps taken by Chinese gold seekers during those days. Additionally, a Guan Gong temple can be found here that can supposedly foretell one's destiny.

The third level, meanwhile, is home to the Central Equity Gallery, where exhibitions depicting the evolution of Chinese-Australians are depicted. It also houses the main collection of the area including various Chinese arts, notably ancient pottery.

Chinese costume collections can also be seen in this particular area. Specifically, Chinese wedding clothes, opera costumes, and shoes of bound-feet women are regularly displayed here.

The Chinese Museum also boasts of playing host to a wide range of early Chinese textiles and clothing, many of these dating back to the 1850s. These offer visitors a glimpse into the kind of materials that Chinese-Australians made use of in creating classic Chinese clothing. In 2005, the collection was made available to the general public via the Internet through efforts exerted by the Chinese-Australian Historical Images in Australia.

A particularly popular attraction of the place is the Dai Loong, sometimes referred to as the Millennium Dragon. It is considered as the biggest Chinese dragon worldwide and annually parades through the streets of Victoria during the colorful Chinese New Year festivities.

Considered by most Chinese-Australians as a significant source of Australian multiculturalism, the Chinese Museum has been visited by at least 20,000 young children where they got to learn more about the unique multicultural society of Australia as well as Chinese influences on Australian language, arts, literature, and customs.