Bendigo's Chinese History

Article by Charlotte Giles

The gold rush of the 1850s saw many thousands of Chinese arrive in Bendigo. Within ten years the Chinese miners and merchants made up 20% of the Bendigo population.

In the 1870s an impressive imperial dragon known as Loong was sent from China. He is now the oldest Chinese dragon in the world and is the highlight of Australia's oldest event; the Bendigo Easter Festival. While most of the Chinese gold miners returned home when the alluvial goldfields declined, a small population remained to form the Bendigo Chinese community which has continued to influence the city.

A traditional Chinese Joss House is a reminder of the rich Chinese heritage in Bendigo. It was constructed of timber and hand-made bricks during the 1860s by the local Chinese, who were plentiful on the goldfields around Bendigo. The Joss House was constructed to worship the god Kwan Gung. Kwan Gung was a Chinese general (AD 221-26) and the miners worshipped him as a judge, guide and protector. The building was restored by the National Trust upon advice received from a Chinese historian and is the oldest Australian joss house still in use today.

Another significant reminder of the Chinese population, who came to the goldfields, is the Bendigo Easter Festival. It is Bendigo's major cultural event - and has been for more than 130 years. Since 1871, the street procession has taken place featuring the Chinese community. Today the procession is energetic, exciting and dazzling as Sun Loong weaves his way through the historic Bendigo streets. Sun Loong, the world's largest imperial Chinese Dragon stretches his legs in this yearly outing, surrounded by smaller dragons, firecrackers and colourful Chinese regalia.

The Chinese have always been an integral part of the Easter celebrations.Scores of finely embroidered costumes, banners of all colours and sizes, richly carved iron-wheeled vehicles and the most impressive article of all, the dragon Loong, now the oldest imperial Chinese Dragon in the world, were sent to Bendig! o from C hina so the Chinese people in Bendigo could contribute to the festival. Both Loong and Sun Loong are now on display at the Golden Dragon Museum throughout the year

With such a rich history from the boom times of the goldrush, Bendigo has seen many people call Bendigo home over the years. There was a population explosion in Bendigo during the goldrush. People came from across the world to seek their fortune in Bendigo in the mid to late 1800's. Hopeful miners came from China, Germany, England, Wales, Hungary and all across the globe. This migration of people to the goldfields and the later dispersion of people from the goldfields to other parts of Australia and beyond is the reason why it has been said many times that one in four Australian's have heritage links to the goldfields region. This very fact has lead to a great interest in genealogy in Bendigo and the smaller villages in the area. The Bendigo Regional Genealogical Society is an active research group. Their records are accessible in the reference area of the Bendigo Public Library in Hargreaves Street And assistance is available to family historians.

China's Most Honourable City (Ancient Xi'an) - part 3-5

[Discovery Channel] Man Made Marvels: China's Forgotten City [探索频道] 建筑奇观:中国西安古城Xian, the world's biggest city at one time and the birthplace of many engineering and architectural marvels of ancient China, is resurrected with computer animation, dramatizations and scientific revelations reliving the glory of its long-lost past. A massive, near-impenetrable wall encloses the ancient city of Xian, the starting point of the Silk Road route from China into Europe. Made from a base layer of earth, quick lime, and glutinous rice extract and further fortified by a layer of bricks, the strong wall snakes around the city at a length of 13.7 kilometres. Besides being an engineering achievement, the wall is also believed to be the world's largest and most complete ancient military defense system that remains intact today. MAN MADE MARVELS: CHINA'S FORGOTTEN CITY goes behind the walls of this fortress to provide invaluable insight into the military science and architecture of the Ming Dynasty.

Video Rating: 5 / 5

Chinese Classical Furniture (Images of Asia)

Chinese hardwood furniture of the Ming dynasty is known the world over for its classical beauty and ingenious design. This beautifully illustrated introduction to Ming furniture opens with a short history of Chinese furniture styles; goes on to discuss the many varieties of chairs, tables, beds, cabinets, and stands included among Ming pieces; and uses woodblock prints of the time to explore how the pieces were arranged and used.

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The Rough Guide to China 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

The Rough Guide to China is the definitive guidebook to one of the world's most fascinating and rapidly changing travel destinations. The full-colour introduction gives an inspiring insight into many of China's highlights, from the awesome scenery down the Yangzi River to the incredible Great Buddha at Leshan and the lavish Confucius Temple. Read expert background on everything from the treasures of the Forbidden City to the Buddhist art of the Mogao Caves as well as comprehensive information on China''s history, politics, cultures and peoples. This fully- updated fifth edition includes an extended chapter on Shanghai and new colour inserts throughout allowing you to chose where to go and what to see, inspired by over 150 photos. Rely on our selection of the best places to stay and eat, for every budget with place names, accommodation and restaurants invaluably translated into Chinese script. Featuring over 140 detailed maps plus vital Chinese characters, this indispensable guide takes you from cutting-edge clubs in Shanghai to holy mountains in Tibet and from ancient temples to gleaming new skyscrapers.

Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to China

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The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century (Asian Security Studies)

The Chinese Army Today is a comprehensive study of the Chinese military, examining its ground forces in a level of detail not found in any other contemporary works. This new, revised edition has been fully updated to take account of recent changes in the institution.

In 1999, the military modernization program of the Chinese People's Liberation Army increased in intensity and achieved a focus not seen in the previous two decades. Based primarily on actual Chinese sources, this book details these changes and puts them in the context of the many traditions that still remain.

Written by a retired professional military officer who has served in China, the text uses first-hand observation of the Chinese military and three decades of military experience to weave many disparate threads from official Chinese statements, documents, and media reports into an integrated whole. The author also conducts an in-depth exploration into the many forces that constitute the People's Liberation Army.

This is an essential book for all students of Chinese military and security affairs, and highly recommended for students of Chinese Politics, Asian Security, and International Relations and Strategic Studies, in general.

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Art in China (Oxford History of Art)

About the Oxford History of Art Series:

"An impressively challenging and ambitious series intended to rewrite no less than the whole history of art in terms of new ideas and new scholarship."--Christopher White, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

"A welcome introduction to art history for the twenty-first century....The best of the past and future."--Robert Rosenblum, New York University

The last twenty years have witnessed profound changes in art history, the greatest of which stem from the social and cultural perspectives now attached to art scholarship. Written by scholars at the forefront of new thinking, many of whom are rising stars in their fields, theOxford History of Art series offers substantial and innovative texts that clarify, illuminate, and debate the critical issues at the heart of art history today. Providing a fresh new look at art that moves away from traditional elitist approaches, the series makes use of new research and methodologies, as well as newly accessible and non-canonical works to offer comprehensive coverage of the art world from archaic and classical Greek art to twentieth-century design and photography, from the artistry of African-American and Native North Americans to the masterpieces of Europe, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Lavishly illustrated and superbly designed, the Oxford History of Art brings new substance and verve to the exciting and ubiquitous world of art.

China boasts a history of art spanning 5,000 years and embracing a wide diversity of images and objects--from jade tablets, painted silk handscrolls and fans to ink and lacquer painting, porcelain-ware, sculpture, and calligraphy. But this rich tradition has not, until now, been fully appreciated in the West where scholars have focused their attention on sculpture, while largely ignoring those art forms most highly prized by the Chinese themselves, such as calligraphy. Now, in Art in China, Craig Clunas marks a breakt! hrough i n the study of the subject. Taking into account all the arts practiced in China, and drawing on recent innovative scholarship, this rich text examines the production and consumption of art in its appropriate contexts. From art found in tombs to the state-controlled art of the Mao Zedong era, Art in China offers a novel look and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Chinese art.

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Peranakan Chinese Porcelain: Vibrant Festive Ware of the Straits Chinese (No)

Exuberant, ornate and colorful, Straits Chinese porcelain is a variety of polychrome enameled export ware made to specification in China during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This lovely porcelain was made for the Straits-born Chinese or Peranakan communities in Penang, Malacca and Singapore and was used on festive occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and Chinese New Year.

Peranakan Chinese Porcelain is illustrated with over 800 full-color photographs of these distinctive porcelain types. Supported by text and photographs on many related aspects of the characteristic Straits Chinese culture, such as architecture, dress and cuisine, Peranakan Chinese Porcelain is a wonderful contribution to the history of the Straits Chinese.

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Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art

"Written by one of the most important advocates and theorists of contemporary Chinese art, Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art traces the historical roots of contemporary Chinese art and interprets some of the most important events that shaped it over the past three decades. Making serious theoretical claims based on firsthand observations, this book sheds light not only on the unique characteristics of recent Chinese art but also on the growing complexity of contemporary art in general." Wu Hung , Harrie A. Vanderstappen Distinguished Service Professor of Art History and East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and Director, Center for the Art of East Asia, University of Chicago

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Chinese Calligraphy (The Culture & Civilization of China)

Chinese calligraphy, with its artistic as well as utilitarian values, has been treasured for its formal beauty for more than three millennia. This lavishly illustrated book brings to English language readers for the first time a full account of calligraphy in China, including its history, theory, and importance in Chinese culture. Representing an unprecedented collaboration among leading Chinese and Western specialists, the book provides a definitive and up-to-date overview of the visual art form most revered in China.

The book begins with the premise that the history of Chinese script writing represents the core development of the history of Chinese culture and civilization. Tracing the development of calligraphic criticism from the second century to the twenty-first, the fourteen contributors to the volume offer a well-balanced and readable account of this tradition. With more than 600 illustrations, including examples of extremely rare Chinese calligraphy from all over the world, and an informative prologue by Wen C. Fong, this book will make a welcome addition to the library of every Western reader interested in China and its premiere art form.

(20081221)

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In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix

The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.

List Price: $ 0.99 Price: $ 0.99

BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint

  • Vintage
  • China
  • Red / Gold
  • 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese painted fancy food basket with carved images of bats of happiness and deer on lid and other Chinese symbols on the bottom rim. Reed handles and red lacquered finish.

Price:

Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set

  • Great starter set
  • 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
  • Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
  • Size: 8.5" x 6"
  • Made in China
Chinese character writing is a highly evolved discipline that relies as much on artistic craftsmanship, as it does on literary composition. Our basic writing set comes with two brushes, a black ink stick, ink stone and red ink for the "chop" or signature stamp. The ink is made by gently rubbing the ink stick in a small pool of water in the ink stone. This ancient method allows for very little waste. The same bushes and inks may be used both for writing and painting, as the two art forms are so closely linked. Our writing set comes from Shanghai, the literary capital of China. Also available on Amazon from REORIENT, is the traditional rice paper used for painting and writing.

List Price: $ 14.94 Price: $ 14.94

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