Objects in the Museums

A dictionary, Chinese medical book and comic books were amongst the commonly found objects in the museums’ archive on Chinese artefacts. Some objects that relate to drug taking, drinking and gambling are significant. An opium pipe & bottle, Chinese lotto ticket and wine bottle, for example. While they reflect certain entertaining lifestyles of the early Chinese settlers, they also proffer a mainstream and ideological bias.

This paired-up photograph of objects from Cromwell Museum and Central Stories Museum and Gallery is like a ‘chop suey dish’ [雜碎菜] that once was the stereotype of Chinese food in Western society. 

King Tong HO

2015

博物馆的收藏品

在众多与华裔有关的博物馆收藏品中, 常见的有字典、中文医书和漫画书, 更不乏与吸食鸦片、饮酒和赌博的物品, 例如鸦片烟枪与盛载的瓶子、博彩票和酒罇等, 这反映出早期的华裔移民的生活方式和娱乐, 也做成主流社会对他们的误解。

这配成对的照片, 内里物件收藏 在Cromwell Museum 和Central Stories Museum and Gallery，摆放成「杂碎菜」的样子，就像西方社会对中式食品的偏见。

何经棠

2015

博物館的收藏品

在眾多與華裔有關的博物館收藏品中，常見的有字典、中文醫書和漫畫書，更不乏與吸食鴉片、飲酒和賭博的物品，例如鴉片煙槍與盛載的瓶子、博彩票和酒罇等，這反影出早期的華裔移民的生活方式和娛樂，也做成主流社會對他們的誤解。

這配成對的照片, 內裏物件收藏在 Cromwell Museum 和Central Stories Museum and Gallery，擺放成「雜碎菜」的樣子，就像西方社會對中式食品的偏見。

何經棠

2015