Highlights
- The Xin Jin Shan Chinese library houses over 200,000 Chinese books, rendering it as one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The library will become a multifunctional centre for Chinese history, culture and art.
- It is recognised as a new opportunity for the Chinese community to re-visit history and give back to society.
With the opening of Xin Jin Shan Chinese Library in Ballarat, Victoria now hosts one of the largest Chinese libraries in the Southern Hemisphere.
Located in the heart of Ballarat, the library covers an area of 700 square metres with 16 rooms. Housing over 200,000 Chinese books, the Xin Jin Shan Library now has the largest collection of Chinese-language books in Australia.
From the gold rush: Re-evaluating the history of Chinese Australians
Xin Jin Shan, which translates as the “new gold mountain”, is fast becoming a new multi-functional centre for local communities.
Charles Zhang, committee member of the library and president of the Chinese Australian Cultural Society in Ballarat, said the library was initially set up in a garage.
He told SBS Mandarin that the newly opened library was not only the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, but also served as an education and research centre for Chinese languages and the history of Chinese immigration and settlement in Australia.
“It's also a centre for studying Chinese culture and customs and will be a multicultural community centre in Ballarat,” Mr Zhang said.
The interior of the library. Source: Supplied
The library was also open to the public free of charge, he added.
Dating back to the 1850s, an influx of Chinese people came to Ballarat in the hope of seeking gold. When we talk about the influence and contribution of Chinese immigrants in Australia, this is where we started.
During the gold rush era, the Chinese population accounted for around a quarter of people living in and around Ballarat, according to Mr Zhang. Besides miners, among them were craftsmen, bookkeepers, cooks, and doctors, who brought technology and culture from the east to the “new gold mountain”, the goldfields, he said.
The popularity of traditional Chinese medicine in Australia also emanated from this period as Chinese workers brought Chinese medicine to the minefields, introducing a relatively cheap and accessible medical technology to locals, Mr Zhang said.
The exterior of the Xin Jin Shan Chinese library. Source: Supplied
“In the early days, the Chinese not only came to Ballarat seeking fortune but also to contribute to society. Now, the Chinese library has returned to Ballarat. We see this as a new way for the Chinese community to give back to society,” he said.
“Chinese Australians’ history started from here. Now that we have the resources and the capacity, it is our turn to share those resources with the whole Australian community.”
Mr Zhang said the library also presented an opportunity to re-evaluate the history of the Chinese community in Australia.
The Chinese were indeed subjected to injustice and discrimination at the time of the gold rush, but it is also essential that Australian society recognise the contribution of Chinese immigrants.
The preparation of the library. Source: Charles Zhang
“More importantly, we came here with the Australians. The Chinese have become part of Australian society,” Mr Zhang said.
"Over the past 160 years, we have made our contribution. For these new immigrants, we also hope that they can integrate into society in a similar way and make their contribution."
The largest Chinese book collection in Australia
In addition to the more than 200,000 books already on the library’s shelves, Mr Zhang told SBS Mandarin that a further 40,000 books were yet to be catalogued.
Most books have been donated by universities and the community, while others were purchased globally.
According to Mr Zhang, the library’s most treasured object is a set of Chinese language research compilations donated by the University of Melbourne. It was compiled from major research outcomes from universities around the world about the Chinese language from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Charles Zhang served as the Australian Chinese history, culture and customs consultant for New Golden Mountain. Source: SBS/Aaron Wan
“The University of Melbourne kept a digital version and donated the original book to the library. It’s very rare, probably one of only a few copies in the world,” he said.
"We also have a whole series of books about the 5000-year history of China, including many Chinese classics, such as the Compendium of Materia Medica."
The library also houses paintings and other works by Chinese artists.
At the entrance to the library, hangs a painting called Silent Dialogue, by Chinese-Australian artist Jiawei Shen.
The interior of the library. Source: Supplied
This painting depicts the prominent land rights activist and First Nations’ leader Gubbo Ted Thomas, who worked with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to document culturally significant sites along the coast of New South Wales, making outstanding contributions to the preservation of Indigenous culture.
What is less well known is that Gubbo Ted Thomas’s mother, Mary Gwendoline "Linno" Ahoy, was a woman of Chinese heritage.
"His mother is in the upper left corner of the painting," Mr Zhang said. Through such kinds of works, Mr Zhang said he hoped that the bond between Chinese people and traditional landowners could be highlighted.
Silent Dialogue by Chinese-Australian artist Jiawei Shen. Source: Charles Zhang
