Chinese Museum

Chinese Museum

The proposal to build the Chinese Museum and showcase the historical achievements of the Chinese community was first put forward by a respected Australian — Don Dunstan, the then Chairman of the Victoria Tourism Commission. After receiving strong responses and support from all sectors of society, the Victorian government donated 240,000 Australian dollars, promptly purchasing an old warehouse building in Melbourne’s Chinatown built in 1890 as the museum site. After more than a year of renovation and preparation, the museum officially opened to the public in November 1985.

The Chinese Museum is primarily dedicated to collecting, researching, and exhibiting historical relics of early Chinese Australians and is a unique tourist attraction on Melbourne’s Chinatown. In front of the museum stands a pair of large stone lions, reflecting traditional Chinese architectural style. The museum houses five floors of exhibition halls, including the Chinatown Visitor Centre, the Dragon Gallery, the underground “Gold Rush” exhibition hall, the over 200-year history of Chinese Australians exhibition hall, and the story gallery of people from the Asia-Pacific region who have settled here since the 1950s.

The exhibition halls display several thousand pieces of Chinese Australian historical artefacts and supplementary exhibits in an orderly fashion, including early Chinese clothing, labour tools, tableware, furniture, household items, and more. Artefacts include historical photographs, newspapers, diaries, letters, books, account books, and various types of crafts. Audiovisual materials include oral history audiotapes and videotapes. Almost every exhibit is accompanied by bilingual Chinese and English descriptions, making it easy for visitors to understand the origin, time period, and meaning of each item.

Chinese Museum, Melbourne

Must-visit reason: The most comprehensive museum on early Chinese Australian history

Continent where the attraction is located: Oceania

Country/region where the attraction is located: Australia

State/province where the attraction is located: Victoria

City where the attraction is located: Melbourne