Saturday, May 12, 2012
APPEASING THE WANDERING SPIRITS:
Chinese communities around the world are celebrating the annual Hungry Ghost Festival, which is observed in the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
The reference to ghosts is due to the belief that the gates of the underworld are thrown open during the seventh month - which this year runs from August 10 until September 7.
Offerings of food are left for the wandering ghosts and elaborate paper statues are burnt to appease the spirits. Paper lanterns are also sometimes set adrift to help guide lost souls.
Many see the Hungry Ghost Festival as an inauspicious time to engage in certain activities, including moving house and getting married, however this report from channelnewsasia.com reveals an increasing number of people are happy to ignore the taboo and tie the knot regardless.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Chinese Cycles of Years.
Among the many extraordinary eu9» toms of the Chinese is that of banding yeare together in groups of twelve, called cycles and naming each year of the series after some animal. Thus, the first year of a new cycle is the year of the Rat, the second the year of the, Ox, the third the year of the Tiger. Every Chinese horn in the year of the Rat belongs to the Order of the Rat, and so on. The animal "class" of every Chinese man and woman is thus recorded, and is held to be of great importance in foretelling the future. Another curious fact about the Chinese reckoning of time is that in the Celestial Empire a child is held to be one year old, as soon as it is born. With the absurd superstition so dear to the Oriental mind, a baby boy is frequently given a girl's name in order to deceive the evil spirits, who, apparently, have an objectionable habit of making it as hard as possible to rear a male child success fully.
Name Children
The Chinese care so little for their girl babies that they do not give them a baby name, but just call them Number One, Number Two, Number Three, according to their birth. Boys sre thought so much more of in China than girls that if you ask a Chinese father who has both a boy and a girl how many children he has, he will always reply, Only one child. Bruce Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 2359, 25 March 1892, Page 6
MURDER ALLEGED MOTHER AND BABY GIRL
(By Telegraph—Press Association.)
TAUMARUNUI, December 2,
A Chinese half-caste woman, Olive Cronin, aged 27 years, wife of D. K. You, a lorry-driver, of Taumarunui, was arrested by the police this afternoon on a charge of killing her daughter aged 2 1/2 months by cutting her throat with a Cleaver. Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 134, 3 December 1935, Page 18
A FOUNDLING BABY
Hearing a baby crying at the doorway of the St Banabas Home for Lost Babies in Khaiidallah at 6 o'clock yesterday morning a nurse was surprised to find a baby of distinctly Chinese appearance.The baby waß a boy,three weeks old,and healthy, It was nicely dressed in a cotton frock, two silk and wool/vests, and woollen booties, and wrapped in a woman's blaek face-cloth overcoat with fur collar and cuffs, Inquiries are being made to discover the parentsof the child, and any information that might throw light on tho matter should be given to the Police Department. Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 35, 11 February 1932, Page 13
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
From Immigrant to New Zealander
Yvonne Wong's account of her families immigrantion to New Zealand. The story was submitted to the NZCA Short Story Writing competition.
From Immigrant to New Zealander
This story will recount how I became a New Zealand born Chinese through the immigration of my father and the subsequent arrival of my mother to New Zealand. This is retold in the context of the restrictions placed upon Chinese immigrants by the New Zealand Government between 1900 and the 1950s.
My Father
Loo Shick Lung left his homeland in Guangzhou, China in 1918 to seek a better life in New Zealand. At this time, Guangzhou was not only suffering from overcrowding but there was also famine and flooding. My father’s passage was paid for by a relative and repaid later. I believe my father was chosen from his village as he could read and write Chinese. My father was 15 years old. Before he was permitted to enter New Zealand he had to pay the £100 poll tax imposed on Chinese and also pass an English Literacy Test. This required him to read to the satisfaction of customs officials one hundred words of English picked at random. Chinese were classified as Aliens – the Yellow Race – and, as such, were thumb-printed on arrival in Auckland, like common criminals. After a short stint at the Waihi Gold Mine, Loo Shick Lung returns to Auckland to work as a cook in Chan Dar Chee’s fruit shop at No. 1 Queen Street. Chan Dar Chee was a major supplier to the shipping lines and hotels. My father’s accommodation was in a room above the shop. In 1929 he returned home to marry my mother. I do not know whether the marriage was already arranged before his return to China. After the birth of a son in 1931, Loo Shick Lung returned to New Zealand alone as New Zealand did not allow Chinese women to enter the country at this time.
My Mother and eldest brother
In 1937 Japan invaded China. My mother and eldest brother fled from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. They walked the route of the railway line until it reached the sea. This took around seven days and a lot of the time my mother piggybacked my six year old brother. When the railway line ended and the sea commenced a person who met them [and] put them on a boat to Hong Kong. In 1939 my mother and brother were part of a group of 249 Chinese wives and 244 dependant children allowed to enter New Zealand as temporary war refugee permits on humanitarian grounds. Entrance to New Zealand required a £500 deposit and a £200 bond per family.
When my mother and brother arrived in 1939 on the boat Niagara, my father was already market gardening on leased land in Onehunga. Their home was a railway carriage with electric lighting as was their only amenity. A cold tap in the garden provided water. There was a bomb shelter at the back of the garden. My brother started school in 1940 and recounts how he was teased as he spoke no English. My mother was “stateless” since Chinese women were not granted residency by the New Zealand Government until July 1947. Chinese immigrants were unable to become naturalised as New Zealand citizens until 1952. Our family grew by four during this time. In 1949, my eldest brother together with a relative started a fruit shop in Mt Eden which he still runs to this day.
Myself – a Chinese child in the 1950s
In 1952, our family moved to our own home and garden in Mangere Bridge. This same year my father bought a fruit shop in Karangahape Road. He was thinking of future jobs for his children. I started school and would walk there daily - rain, hail or shine. While I was occasionally called Ching Chong Chinaman, this was a milder form of racial discrimination compared to that my parents had experienced. My job after school was to go to the dairy to buy ½ loaf of brown bread for the next day’s school lunches. On Saturdays, we would chop wood for boiling the copper for our weekly baths and washing of clothes. We were loved, well fed, clean and proud to be Chinese.
Our family life reflected New Zealand values. Chinese New Year was a regular working day. We ate special food and children received red packets which contained money, which was banked. The only Chinese holiday celebrated by Chinese immigrants was 10 October – Double Tenth Festival – the Chinese Nationalist Day. Chinese businesses closed, market gardeners ceased working and children had a day off school. We would go to Mission Bay for a picnic and play games with other Chinese families.
Our lives became a comfortable blend of the two cultures, as wedding celebrations of the 1950s demonstrate. Whole families were invited. The bride and groom wore traditional European clothing, were married in a European church and the wedding reception consisting of European foods such as a ham salad followed by fruit salad and ice cream was held at the Farmers Tea Rooms, Hobson Street. Before eating, we would sing both ‘God Save the Queen’ and the Nationalist Chinese Anthem. The next day there would be a traditional Chinese banquet dinner for around 500 held in a marquee at the family residence. The food was all home prepared.
In the late 1950s, the first Auckland Chinese Community Centre was purchased in Symonds Street from donations from the Chinese community. It was the old State Theatre. On Sunday evenings there would be Chinese pictures and my parents would often attend.
By the 1950s we had assimilated well into the New Zealand society, and with my parents gaining citizenship, the transition from immigrant to Kiwi New Zealander was made. We were known as hard-working, law-abiding citizens. We dressed like everyone else, spoke English and at school we ate marmite sandwiches.
http://chinesecommunity.org.nz/site/topics/show/91-from-immigrant-to-new-zealander
From Immigrant to New Zealander
This story will recount how I became a New Zealand born Chinese through the immigration of my father and the subsequent arrival of my mother to New Zealand. This is retold in the context of the restrictions placed upon Chinese immigrants by the New Zealand Government between 1900 and the 1950s.
My Father
Loo Shick Lung left his homeland in Guangzhou, China in 1918 to seek a better life in New Zealand. At this time, Guangzhou was not only suffering from overcrowding but there was also famine and flooding. My father’s passage was paid for by a relative and repaid later. I believe my father was chosen from his village as he could read and write Chinese. My father was 15 years old. Before he was permitted to enter New Zealand he had to pay the £100 poll tax imposed on Chinese and also pass an English Literacy Test. This required him to read to the satisfaction of customs officials one hundred words of English picked at random. Chinese were classified as Aliens – the Yellow Race – and, as such, were thumb-printed on arrival in Auckland, like common criminals. After a short stint at the Waihi Gold Mine, Loo Shick Lung returns to Auckland to work as a cook in Chan Dar Chee’s fruit shop at No. 1 Queen Street. Chan Dar Chee was a major supplier to the shipping lines and hotels. My father’s accommodation was in a room above the shop. In 1929 he returned home to marry my mother. I do not know whether the marriage was already arranged before his return to China. After the birth of a son in 1931, Loo Shick Lung returned to New Zealand alone as New Zealand did not allow Chinese women to enter the country at this time.
My Mother and eldest brother
In 1937 Japan invaded China. My mother and eldest brother fled from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. They walked the route of the railway line until it reached the sea. This took around seven days and a lot of the time my mother piggybacked my six year old brother. When the railway line ended and the sea commenced a person who met them [and] put them on a boat to Hong Kong. In 1939 my mother and brother were part of a group of 249 Chinese wives and 244 dependant children allowed to enter New Zealand as temporary war refugee permits on humanitarian grounds. Entrance to New Zealand required a £500 deposit and a £200 bond per family.
When my mother and brother arrived in 1939 on the boat Niagara, my father was already market gardening on leased land in Onehunga. Their home was a railway carriage with electric lighting as was their only amenity. A cold tap in the garden provided water. There was a bomb shelter at the back of the garden. My brother started school in 1940 and recounts how he was teased as he spoke no English. My mother was “stateless” since Chinese women were not granted residency by the New Zealand Government until July 1947. Chinese immigrants were unable to become naturalised as New Zealand citizens until 1952. Our family grew by four during this time. In 1949, my eldest brother together with a relative started a fruit shop in Mt Eden which he still runs to this day.
Myself – a Chinese child in the 1950s
In 1952, our family moved to our own home and garden in Mangere Bridge. This same year my father bought a fruit shop in Karangahape Road. He was thinking of future jobs for his children. I started school and would walk there daily - rain, hail or shine. While I was occasionally called Ching Chong Chinaman, this was a milder form of racial discrimination compared to that my parents had experienced. My job after school was to go to the dairy to buy ½ loaf of brown bread for the next day’s school lunches. On Saturdays, we would chop wood for boiling the copper for our weekly baths and washing of clothes. We were loved, well fed, clean and proud to be Chinese.
Our family life reflected New Zealand values. Chinese New Year was a regular working day. We ate special food and children received red packets which contained money, which was banked. The only Chinese holiday celebrated by Chinese immigrants was 10 October – Double Tenth Festival – the Chinese Nationalist Day. Chinese businesses closed, market gardeners ceased working and children had a day off school. We would go to Mission Bay for a picnic and play games with other Chinese families.
Our lives became a comfortable blend of the two cultures, as wedding celebrations of the 1950s demonstrate. Whole families were invited. The bride and groom wore traditional European clothing, were married in a European church and the wedding reception consisting of European foods such as a ham salad followed by fruit salad and ice cream was held at the Farmers Tea Rooms, Hobson Street. Before eating, we would sing both ‘God Save the Queen’ and the Nationalist Chinese Anthem. The next day there would be a traditional Chinese banquet dinner for around 500 held in a marquee at the family residence. The food was all home prepared.
In the late 1950s, the first Auckland Chinese Community Centre was purchased in Symonds Street from donations from the Chinese community. It was the old State Theatre. On Sunday evenings there would be Chinese pictures and my parents would often attend.
By the 1950s we had assimilated well into the New Zealand society, and with my parents gaining citizenship, the transition from immigrant to Kiwi New Zealander was made. We were known as hard-working, law-abiding citizens. We dressed like everyone else, spoke English and at school we ate marmite sandwiches.
http://chinesecommunity.org.nz/site/topics/show/91-from-immigrant-to-new-zealander
Thursday, February 23, 2012
REMEMBERING HAINING STREET
: With both eyes open PDF Print E-mail
Lynette Shum
REMEMBERING HAINING STREET: With both eyes open
http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/Current-Historical-Research/REMEMBERING-HAINING-STREET-With-both-eyes-open.html
Lynette Shum
REMEMBERING HAINING STREET: With both eyes open
http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/Current-Historical-Research/REMEMBERING-HAINING-STREET-With-both-eyes-open.html
Restoring Old Chinese Headstones
4.4 Restoring Old Chinese Headstones in the Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.
Author: Leslie Wong.
Throughout the Otago region there are many lost Chinese graves in or out of cemeteries whose locations can only be found by local knowledge or in cemetery ledgers and historical accounts. In many historic places the cemeteries themselves have long disappeared. Dunedin has 3 major cemeteries that span the periods from the early Chinese gold miners, to the Chinese labourers of the 1920s to 1950s. One of the older cemeteries has its Chinese graves so desecrated that no amount of effort could restore the gravestones.
Luckily, at a once neglected place in the cemetery at Andersons Bay, Dunedin, there is an unique collection of 53 plots of which there are 46 restorable headstones. This area was originally considered to be wasteland only fit for the burial of aliens and the Chinese were segregated there into their own subdivision. Many names written into the official records had no resemblance to the transcribed names on the headstones. No major attempt had been made to produce an accurate transcript and find the full origins of those buried there.
By a twist of fate, trees and overgrowth had sheltered this location from the elements and public view for over 30 years. Today, we have an almost complete memorial to those early Chinese from the 1920's to nearly 1950. Unfortunately many headstones have been vandalised and broken, while others had tree branches growing against them, pushing them over and smashing them. In spite of what has happened, this is the best repository of Chinese headstones in Dunedin that could be restored to commemorate a chapter in our history.
Many Chinese came to this country with nothing but a suitcase full of hope, and when their time was up, they had even lost the suitcase. Few had the good fortune to realise their dreams and prosper.
The restoration project began ‘secretly’ by myself in 1996 and was planned to restore headstones in 3 phases with a time span of 2 years per phase. Originally it started with scrub cutting and clearing of a small section to see if the project was feasible and to see if some way could be devised to clean and glue together the broken headstones. If no solution could be found, the project could have been abandoned there and then.
The easy tasks were taken first in order to develop the skills necessary to tackle the more difficult problems. Many of the original white marble stones were green, having been eaten into by moss and the lettering badly weathered.
A few of the unbroken stones were chemically washed and bleached to make them white again. Special tools were devised to recut the lettering that had all but faded. Because some stones were too old and brittle, the use of the traditional hammer and chisel method was not possible. Original carving mistakes or missing lines are left uncorrected. A restored white stone could not be photographed to record what was written and the lettering had to be hand painted in black or gold for the final photograph.
A broken stone found in the soil was taken home to see if it could be cleaned and glued together. Fortunately, a modern epoxy glue was found and the join was stronger than the original stone. It was necessary to clamp the two halves together for the glue to take hold. At the gravesite a concrete base was cast to hold the restored headstone. Many broken headstones had to be restored at home and where possible the missing piece had to be fabricated with a concrete aggregate and colour matched, with the missing characters remade. To passersby, my front lawn often resembled a cemetery with several headstones in various stages of restoration.
There are a few headstones that have the lettering inlaid with black lead. These should have been everlasting, and are the most difficult to restore. When the lead was first hammered in, the carved lettering beneath fractured. Over the years a fungus grew between the fractures and the lead, and eventually the lead and pieces of marble fell out leaving a crater. The damaged areas had to be refilled and new lettering cut with a dental drill. Finally, a matching imitation filler is inserted. Sadly, some headstones cannot be restored.
It is always easy to take a backward glance at what may have been our heritage, but when time has taken its toll, we realise that it is there no more. Through our hands we must preserve what is precious, to pass down through the generations for all time to come.
graves3.gif (100736 bytes)
View of some retored Headstones June 1998
graves2.gif (57718 bytes)
Intial Trial Clearing 1996
graves1.gif (68606 bytes)
Same Site Retored AUGUST 1998
http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/Chinese-in-Australasia-and-the-Pacific/Graves.html#4.4%20Restoring%20Old%20Chinese%20Headstones%20in%20the%20Andersons%20Bay%20Cemetery,%20Dunedin.
Author: Leslie Wong.
Throughout the Otago region there are many lost Chinese graves in or out of cemeteries whose locations can only be found by local knowledge or in cemetery ledgers and historical accounts. In many historic places the cemeteries themselves have long disappeared. Dunedin has 3 major cemeteries that span the periods from the early Chinese gold miners, to the Chinese labourers of the 1920s to 1950s. One of the older cemeteries has its Chinese graves so desecrated that no amount of effort could restore the gravestones.
Luckily, at a once neglected place in the cemetery at Andersons Bay, Dunedin, there is an unique collection of 53 plots of which there are 46 restorable headstones. This area was originally considered to be wasteland only fit for the burial of aliens and the Chinese were segregated there into their own subdivision. Many names written into the official records had no resemblance to the transcribed names on the headstones. No major attempt had been made to produce an accurate transcript and find the full origins of those buried there.
By a twist of fate, trees and overgrowth had sheltered this location from the elements and public view for over 30 years. Today, we have an almost complete memorial to those early Chinese from the 1920's to nearly 1950. Unfortunately many headstones have been vandalised and broken, while others had tree branches growing against them, pushing them over and smashing them. In spite of what has happened, this is the best repository of Chinese headstones in Dunedin that could be restored to commemorate a chapter in our history.
Many Chinese came to this country with nothing but a suitcase full of hope, and when their time was up, they had even lost the suitcase. Few had the good fortune to realise their dreams and prosper.
The restoration project began ‘secretly’ by myself in 1996 and was planned to restore headstones in 3 phases with a time span of 2 years per phase. Originally it started with scrub cutting and clearing of a small section to see if the project was feasible and to see if some way could be devised to clean and glue together the broken headstones. If no solution could be found, the project could have been abandoned there and then.
The easy tasks were taken first in order to develop the skills necessary to tackle the more difficult problems. Many of the original white marble stones were green, having been eaten into by moss and the lettering badly weathered.
A few of the unbroken stones were chemically washed and bleached to make them white again. Special tools were devised to recut the lettering that had all but faded. Because some stones were too old and brittle, the use of the traditional hammer and chisel method was not possible. Original carving mistakes or missing lines are left uncorrected. A restored white stone could not be photographed to record what was written and the lettering had to be hand painted in black or gold for the final photograph.
A broken stone found in the soil was taken home to see if it could be cleaned and glued together. Fortunately, a modern epoxy glue was found and the join was stronger than the original stone. It was necessary to clamp the two halves together for the glue to take hold. At the gravesite a concrete base was cast to hold the restored headstone. Many broken headstones had to be restored at home and where possible the missing piece had to be fabricated with a concrete aggregate and colour matched, with the missing characters remade. To passersby, my front lawn often resembled a cemetery with several headstones in various stages of restoration.
There are a few headstones that have the lettering inlaid with black lead. These should have been everlasting, and are the most difficult to restore. When the lead was first hammered in, the carved lettering beneath fractured. Over the years a fungus grew between the fractures and the lead, and eventually the lead and pieces of marble fell out leaving a crater. The damaged areas had to be refilled and new lettering cut with a dental drill. Finally, a matching imitation filler is inserted. Sadly, some headstones cannot be restored.
It is always easy to take a backward glance at what may have been our heritage, but when time has taken its toll, we realise that it is there no more. Through our hands we must preserve what is precious, to pass down through the generations for all time to come.
graves3.gif (100736 bytes)
View of some retored Headstones June 1998
graves2.gif (57718 bytes)
Intial Trial Clearing 1996
graves1.gif (68606 bytes)
Same Site Retored AUGUST 1998
http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/Chinese-in-Australasia-and-the-Pacific/Graves.html#4.4%20Restoring%20Old%20Chinese%20Headstones%20in%20the%20Andersons%20Bay%20Cemetery,%20Dunedin.
Paul Wah
Paul Wah Features Editor The Dominion Wellington
As a 3rd generation Chinese New Zealander I wish to comment on the reported apology by Helen Clark for the imposition of the infamous poll tax of 1890-1926 and the reported stitching together of a government financial compensation package.
My grandparents migrated to NZ in the early 1900’s from China and Australia respectively, each paying the crippling poll tax of £100 each and endured the hardships and indignities suffered by other new Chinese settlers at that time.
I still recall my grandmother as a highly intelligent and perceptive person, who adapted well despite all difficulties. She counselled me to be optimistic in the belief that times for me and my children would be better, as eventually white people would outgrow their bigotry and ignorance towards us so that we would all have an equal place in NZ society.
The anti-discrimination laws passed in the 1970’s, better education, greater prosperity and the free intermingling of people across international boundaries has relegated the bigoted attitudes of the past to the pages of history. Our children have freedom, opportunity, freedom and success. They are the lucky true inheritors of the great NZ dream. Some are aware of the injustices of the past, and none that I know carry the grievances of history within their breast determined to find an opportunity to make somebody pay.
We are adamant the sins of Richard John Seddon and politicians of the past are not a debt for which the government of today is accountable. My family carries the grievances of the past very lightly on their shoulders.
Too much should not be made of Helen Clark’s apology as the wrongs and injustices of the past are self-evident. Such public self-flagellation serves little purpose and can only be seen as a cynical attempt at vote catching in an election year. If Ms Clark is sincere in her efforts to seek re-approachment with those aggrieved members of the Chinese community then let her Government direct the Education Ministry to write into the History and Social studies curriculum of schools a full and fair treatment of early NZ’s dicriminatory laws plus an analysis of how such policies had devastating effects on the families concerned.
In seeking our vindication it is important that we Chinese take a balanced viewpoint of the situation at that time. As an older person who has travelled very extensively and having lived and worked in China it is clear that racial intolerance, discrimination and oppression are universal and not a practice engaged by one particular race.
I am saddened that my grandparents had such a hard time gaining acceptance in NZ, more so that their aspirations were blunted in this new country of exceptional opportunity. China, in the late 1800’s was ravaged by civil war, banditry, poverty and political instability. Migration to NZ despite the poll tax and discrimination offered a better life than from whence they had come. For this they were grateful.
I have greatest difficulty with some suggestion of monetary compensation. The Chinese community do not need buckets of Government (actually our money) cash.. This can be seen as the ultimate "40 pieces of silver". By accepting monetary compensation we would in a single action have joined the "grievance industry" an activity synonymous with failure, inertia and an unwillingness to accept a responsibility for one’s own outcomes.
The Maori grievance industry is unique as they are the indigenous people and have a fulcrum of newly enacted laws around which to litigate and clearly suffer severe handicaps which they do not seem to be able to unilaterally resolve. No such similar situation exists for the Chinese who have proven well able to advance without leaning on the State.
Of concern is that we now have a large Pacific Island minority coat-tailing the Maori grievance industry. They work via a State sponsored Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, progressively ratcheting up additional privileges for their people.
With ever increasing enclaves of ethnic communities settling in NZ, the opportunities for an expansion of groups claiming redress for past grievances (real or imagined) is considerable.
It is important to all New Zealanders that the grievance industry should be quarantined to where it now lies and we Chinese have nothing to do with extracting compensation for wrongs of a century ago.
When my generation passes on there should be none left who have experienced the harsh effects of the Poll Tax laws and associated racial discrimination.
I would like all New Zealanders to remember us as hardworking, intelligent, responsible and successful citizens who have given at least as much as they took from the land of their adoption; as people with sleeves rolled up, hands outstretched to work, but never as a people with hands out ready to receive "freebies" from fellow New Zealanders.
Paul Wah 12 Westpoint Ave Lower Hutt
Former Principal Taita College and former Chairperson Wellington Ethnic Council
http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/Poll-Tax/Paul-Wah.html
As a 3rd generation Chinese New Zealander I wish to comment on the reported apology by Helen Clark for the imposition of the infamous poll tax of 1890-1926 and the reported stitching together of a government financial compensation package.
My grandparents migrated to NZ in the early 1900’s from China and Australia respectively, each paying the crippling poll tax of £100 each and endured the hardships and indignities suffered by other new Chinese settlers at that time.
I still recall my grandmother as a highly intelligent and perceptive person, who adapted well despite all difficulties. She counselled me to be optimistic in the belief that times for me and my children would be better, as eventually white people would outgrow their bigotry and ignorance towards us so that we would all have an equal place in NZ society.
The anti-discrimination laws passed in the 1970’s, better education, greater prosperity and the free intermingling of people across international boundaries has relegated the bigoted attitudes of the past to the pages of history. Our children have freedom, opportunity, freedom and success. They are the lucky true inheritors of the great NZ dream. Some are aware of the injustices of the past, and none that I know carry the grievances of history within their breast determined to find an opportunity to make somebody pay.
We are adamant the sins of Richard John Seddon and politicians of the past are not a debt for which the government of today is accountable. My family carries the grievances of the past very lightly on their shoulders.
Too much should not be made of Helen Clark’s apology as the wrongs and injustices of the past are self-evident. Such public self-flagellation serves little purpose and can only be seen as a cynical attempt at vote catching in an election year. If Ms Clark is sincere in her efforts to seek re-approachment with those aggrieved members of the Chinese community then let her Government direct the Education Ministry to write into the History and Social studies curriculum of schools a full and fair treatment of early NZ’s dicriminatory laws plus an analysis of how such policies had devastating effects on the families concerned.
In seeking our vindication it is important that we Chinese take a balanced viewpoint of the situation at that time. As an older person who has travelled very extensively and having lived and worked in China it is clear that racial intolerance, discrimination and oppression are universal and not a practice engaged by one particular race.
I am saddened that my grandparents had such a hard time gaining acceptance in NZ, more so that their aspirations were blunted in this new country of exceptional opportunity. China, in the late 1800’s was ravaged by civil war, banditry, poverty and political instability. Migration to NZ despite the poll tax and discrimination offered a better life than from whence they had come. For this they were grateful.
I have greatest difficulty with some suggestion of monetary compensation. The Chinese community do not need buckets of Government (actually our money) cash.. This can be seen as the ultimate "40 pieces of silver". By accepting monetary compensation we would in a single action have joined the "grievance industry" an activity synonymous with failure, inertia and an unwillingness to accept a responsibility for one’s own outcomes.
The Maori grievance industry is unique as they are the indigenous people and have a fulcrum of newly enacted laws around which to litigate and clearly suffer severe handicaps which they do not seem to be able to unilaterally resolve. No such similar situation exists for the Chinese who have proven well able to advance without leaning on the State.
Of concern is that we now have a large Pacific Island minority coat-tailing the Maori grievance industry. They work via a State sponsored Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, progressively ratcheting up additional privileges for their people.
With ever increasing enclaves of ethnic communities settling in NZ, the opportunities for an expansion of groups claiming redress for past grievances (real or imagined) is considerable.
It is important to all New Zealanders that the grievance industry should be quarantined to where it now lies and we Chinese have nothing to do with extracting compensation for wrongs of a century ago.
When my generation passes on there should be none left who have experienced the harsh effects of the Poll Tax laws and associated racial discrimination.
I would like all New Zealanders to remember us as hardworking, intelligent, responsible and successful citizens who have given at least as much as they took from the land of their adoption; as people with sleeves rolled up, hands outstretched to work, but never as a people with hands out ready to receive "freebies" from fellow New Zealanders.
Paul Wah 12 Westpoint Ave Lower Hutt
Former Principal Taita College and former Chairperson Wellington Ethnic Council
http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/Poll-Tax/Paul-Wah.html
Year of the Dragon - New Year traditions
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
12:00 until 13:30
Family History Lunchtime Series
Year of the Dragon - New Year traditions
Wednesday 22 February 2012, noon to 1.30pm
with Helen Wong & Dr Anthony Han
Central City Library
Whare Wānanga, level 2 (unless otherwise stated)
With our Year of the Dragon in full swing, come and join us to hear about past and present New Year traditions in Chinese and Korean families.
Helen Wong is a NZ-born Chinese and a prolific writer with numerous published works and social media feeds to her name. Dr Anthony Han immigrated to New Zealand at the end of 1995 from Korea and has since been published in both Korean and English many times over.
Discover what the Year of the Dragon means to Helen and Dr Anthony's communities, and don’t forget to check out the other fun and fascinating events we’re holding to celebrate the lunar new year!
To book your place, phone (09) 307 7771 or book online.
http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/whatson/familyhistory/familyhistoryseries.aspx?occurrence=5
http://www.facebook.com/events/368439033167692/
12:00 until 13:30
Family History Lunchtime Series
Year of the Dragon - New Year traditions
Wednesday 22 February 2012, noon to 1.30pm
with Helen Wong & Dr Anthony Han
Central City Library
Whare Wānanga, level 2 (unless otherwise stated)
With our Year of the Dragon in full swing, come and join us to hear about past and present New Year traditions in Chinese and Korean families.
Helen Wong is a NZ-born Chinese and a prolific writer with numerous published works and social media feeds to her name. Dr Anthony Han immigrated to New Zealand at the end of 1995 from Korea and has since been published in both Korean and English many times over.
Discover what the Year of the Dragon means to Helen and Dr Anthony's communities, and don’t forget to check out the other fun and fascinating events we’re holding to celebrate the lunar new year!
To book your place, phone (09) 307 7771 or book online.
http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/whatson/familyhistory/familyhistoryseries.aspx?occurrence=5
http://www.facebook.com/events/368439033167692/
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
CHINESE BURIAL SERVICES
Elaborate Ceremonials. The many curious customs of the Chinese have been a constant source of wonder and amusement to the tourist in China. By far the oddest but most impressive of their ceremonies is the burial rites for their dead. The Chinese hold their dead in high esteem, and shower honors upon their memories by burning incense and candles daily. They also honor their relatives who have died many years before.
As soon as a Chinaman dies his relatives embalm him. Dressed in the richest garments, he is placed in a teakwood coffin, solid and airtight, and the coffin is closed and sealed. It is then placed., in front of the family altar. This altar is hung with richly embroidered draperies and decorated with flowers, vases, and josses. The period of mourning begins at once, especially among the women of the deceased's household. They start a daily lamentation over their loss, and are joined in their occupation of wailing by relatives and friends. The male members of the family are busy digging the grave, while the womenfolk, assisted by the professional mourners, do the* wailing.
The grave is half under and half above the ground, and is enclosed by a crescent-shaped wall about two feet high. Another thing to be prepared for. the dead is a miniature house, which is provided with miniature furniture- This idea is to provide the deceased with all the comforts of a home in the regions where he is going. An image of the deceased, together with drinkables and eatables and money, is placed on the coffin the day of the funeral. The image is not buried, but is burned in the presence of the mourners, who, during the process, shriek and make the most frightful noises. This is to drive out the evil spirit with which the dead man is supposed to be possessed.
When the funeral services are over the mourning banners are taken home and used as ornaments on the bare whitewashed walls' of the rooms. The more the banners the greater the honor paid to the dead. The miniature house procedes the mourners to the grave. Then follows the elaborate hearse, draped with rich dark blue velvet, with silver fringes, borne by the natives. The mourners, too, are supposed to assist in carrying it, which they do by holding on to the "white cords attached to the hearse. Refreshments are served at the burial-ground, and at the end of the services the friends and relatives partake of the food to show their appreciation. Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette , 22 November 1911, Page 3
As soon as a Chinaman dies his relatives embalm him. Dressed in the richest garments, he is placed in a teakwood coffin, solid and airtight, and the coffin is closed and sealed. It is then placed., in front of the family altar. This altar is hung with richly embroidered draperies and decorated with flowers, vases, and josses. The period of mourning begins at once, especially among the women of the deceased's household. They start a daily lamentation over their loss, and are joined in their occupation of wailing by relatives and friends. The male members of the family are busy digging the grave, while the womenfolk, assisted by the professional mourners, do the* wailing.
The grave is half under and half above the ground, and is enclosed by a crescent-shaped wall about two feet high. Another thing to be prepared for. the dead is a miniature house, which is provided with miniature furniture- This idea is to provide the deceased with all the comforts of a home in the regions where he is going. An image of the deceased, together with drinkables and eatables and money, is placed on the coffin the day of the funeral. The image is not buried, but is burned in the presence of the mourners, who, during the process, shriek and make the most frightful noises. This is to drive out the evil spirit with which the dead man is supposed to be possessed.
When the funeral services are over the mourning banners are taken home and used as ornaments on the bare whitewashed walls' of the rooms. The more the banners the greater the honor paid to the dead. The miniature house procedes the mourners to the grave. Then follows the elaborate hearse, draped with rich dark blue velvet, with silver fringes, borne by the natives. The mourners, too, are supposed to assist in carrying it, which they do by holding on to the "white cords attached to the hearse. Refreshments are served at the burial-ground, and at the end of the services the friends and relatives partake of the food to show their appreciation. Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette , 22 November 1911, Page 3
WHAT COOLIES CAN DO.
"A Chinese coolie," said a missionary, will carry 1071b. forty miles a day over difficult and mountainous roads. His pay will be 3d. per day, and on this he will live well enough; eggs, for example, costing only Id. a dozen in inland China.
'There is no porter on earth equal to the Chinese coolie. The coolie who carry Szechuen tea into Tibet travel over snow-choked mountain passes 7000 ft. above the sea, with loads of 4321b. of compressed tea on their patient backs.
"Salt, coal, calico, copper, and tea are carried by coolies thousands of miles. The express coolie, with his light load of 1071b9., 3wings along at the rate of forty miles a day. The accommodation coolie, with, 1601b., does thirty miles. The various freight coolies, loaded respectively with 2001b., 3001b., and 400 lb., do twenty, fifteen, and ten miles.
"Every one of these coolies smokes opium. I hate to go against tradition, but opium smoking does very little harm in China. Ctertainly the harm it does is infinitesimal in comparison with the harm that strong drink does to us." Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette , 29 May 1912, Page 3
'There is no porter on earth equal to the Chinese coolie. The coolie who carry Szechuen tea into Tibet travel over snow-choked mountain passes 7000 ft. above the sea, with loads of 4321b. of compressed tea on their patient backs.
"Salt, coal, calico, copper, and tea are carried by coolies thousands of miles. The express coolie, with his light load of 1071b9., 3wings along at the rate of forty miles a day. The accommodation coolie, with, 1601b., does thirty miles. The various freight coolies, loaded respectively with 2001b., 3001b., and 400 lb., do twenty, fifteen, and ten miles.
"Every one of these coolies smokes opium. I hate to go against tradition, but opium smoking does very little harm in China. Ctertainly the harm it does is infinitesimal in comparison with the harm that strong drink does to us." Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette , 29 May 1912, Page 3
The Chinese give their boy babies a name
The Chinese give their boy babies a name in addition to their surnames, and they must call themselves by these names until they are twenty years old.1 At that age the father gives the son a new name. The Chinese care so little for their girl babies that they do not give them a name, but just call them; No. 1; No 2 No 3, No. 4, and so on according to their birth. Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette , 8 October 1913, Page 3
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A Chinese Wedding
A Chinese Wedding. The American correspondent of the Morning Herald lias the following; One of the objections to Chinese immigration is the fact that it does not involve families. But very few women come over, and these, alas nearly all lead impure lives. Still, some of the Chinese merchants have wives and children, and occasionally a. marriage takes place. Recently in .San Francisco were married Mr Le Young and Miss Ah Chung. The services were peculiar. The presents to the bride were from her female friends only. On the second day after the marriage the newly-made husband gave a banquet to 500 guests. It was a strange feast, and included sw&llows' nests, stewed sharks' fins with chopped chicken, roast Chinese goose with ginger and cucumbers, ducks wrapped in dry orange peel stewed, and, of course, tea without stint. While the feast was under weigh a roar of firecrackers announced the coming of the bride. She entered the room with a fan before her face, and it was with difficulty the guests caught a glimpse of her featvnes. The feasting was kept up three days, and then the bride entertained her female friends. The groom was not permitted to be with his bride until the third day, when he was sent for, and took her away from her father's to his own house." Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9512, 4 October 1881, Page 2
bridegroom was Qui Lee
A Chinese wedding took place recently in Wellington. The bridegroom was Qui Lee, a fruiterer in Majoribanks street, the bride being a young woman of his own race, who arrived from the Flowery Land last week. Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 84, 5 October 1895, Page 2
MARRIAGES-OLD AND NEW.
Mr Joe Thompson, a well-known Palmerstonian who has been for some time connected with the China Inland Mission, in a letter to his parents arrives some interesting particulars ot the change that is taking the cus-oms of the Celestial Empire through the promulgation or Uhristian beliefs. Describing Chinese marriages, he says: The one I attended very quiet affair, and both were Christians. A Chinese wedding is a religious ceremony. The betrothal, which usually takes place any time after the girl is 13, is the lega func- I tion, and is managed entirely by the I parents. It is a'common practice anion* the poorer classes to take a baby girl and rear her with a view to making her the wife of one of the sons. The reason for this is economy, as a bride generally costs from £8 to £12 Part of this money is used tor the'bridal ou'fit, but the parents expect to make a profit! The pitiable thing about such weddings in China is that neither of the parties most interested have any say in the master. There is no escape, as breaking a betrothal is considered almost as bad as divorce. The natural result o* this system is that there is no love m the home, and the women mostly are stunid and spiritless. How can it be otherwise when, in many cases, the husband and wife never see each other until their wedding day! To cro back to the wedding which I attended. lam glad to say that in this case a happier condition prevailed. Boh bride and bridegroom ivere bright young Christians, who had known each other for years. The wedding was as usual managed by the parents, but it was very evident the youn~ couple were fond of each other. The o-irl was 17 and the young man 22. The arrival of each guest was j greeted with the clash of cymbals and j the beating of drums. The ceremony was very short. Two chairs were placed side by side covered with a rug. The bride and bridegroom, took their seats, and the service com- j menced in Chinese, with the hymn, 1 'The voice that breathed o'er Eden. Then a prayer and reading of two short addresses, after which both knelt facing the pastor and promised by a nod of the head to love, honour and cherish, and in the case of the wife to obey. After this another hymn and the ceremony is over. The oride then retires to her room to spend the rest of the day there, and the groom mingles with the guests. I eaiinpt attempt to describe the bride' 6 dress, enough to say thpt it was yellow and scarlet, and she wore a wonderful head-dress! Then follows the feast of fat things, which I must confess I did not enjoy at all. The number of guests was between 40 and .50 persons. Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2403, 24 July 1914, Page 4
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