Museum tells past stories of overseas Chinese
- Source: Global Times
- [02:11 November 18 2009]
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Silverware used by Chinese living in the South Pacific area.
The exhibition hall with a model boat on display.
By Wu Ziru
For many Chinese people, stories of their compatriots working overseas in the past few centuries are often those of legend – the rise from the bottom of society as laborers and basic workers, to the middle and upper classes of communities. A newly-opened museum about Chinese people overseas is showcasing the success stories of such workers.
After seven years of construction and a further seven years of being deserted, the Guangdong Provincial Overseas Chinese Museum was finally declared open last week for a trial run, with more than 1,000 pieces of cultural relics from overseas Chinese on display.
With a total investment of more than 90 million yuan ($13.18 million), the museum covers nearly 15,000 square meters, making it the largest museum in China about overseas Chinese.
The goal of the museum is to explore the experiences of overseas Chinese and track the contributions that they have made to their homeland, explained museum director Wang Minghui, at the opening ceremony Friday.
For many who sought their fortune overseas from the 17th to 19th centuries, the experience was often painful. They traveled to every corner of the globe, only to find themselves working in large farms or factories to earn a living.
There is even a saying that "under every railroad tie of the Central Pacific Railroad there is a Chinese worker buried."
The grand display in Guangdong Provincial Overseas Chinese Museum follows this period of history, showcasing a wide range of odds and ends that the intrepid travelers once used during their overseas expeditions.
