Chinese History
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 temple is one of the oldest surviving constructions of its kind in Australia and was built from locally handmade bricks. It was painted red - in Chinese tradition this represents
strength and vitality.
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. The Joss House is located in Finn Street, for more information visit the Bendigo Trust.
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. In the early 1870s, after 20 years of hard work on the Bendigo goldfields, the Chinese were aging with little means of support, as any gold found was sent back to their families in China. 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 Bendigo from China 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.
