The inscription on this plaque is a list of 155 names. The matching design of this plaque, which we have called Names Plaque Dated 1866, indicates that it forms a pair with Donation Plaque Dated 1866. LOCATION Inverell Pioneer Village Name plaque dated 1866 (IMG_6881, 16.4.21) Because Names Plaque Dated 1866 likely forms a pair with Donation Plaque Dated 1866, the names on Names Plaque Dated 1866 are therefore probably those of the “followers” and members of the “Yeung Fook Tong” society named in Donation Plaque Dated 1866’s inscription, who are given to have collectively donated one or more door-like screens and entrance adornments, including the “Yeung Fook Tong” Entrance Adornment. Both plaques are believed to have been purchased by Inverell Pioneer Village from an auction of temple items in Tingha in 1978. As Tingha was not established until 1872, the date of these plaques of 1866 indicates that they come from a Rocky River temple dated 1866, for which...Read More

This bell, bearing the date of 1883–84, is a typical temple bell. It would be struck to call the attention of the deity (or deities) in the temple. LOCATION McCrossin’s Mill Museum, Uralla Temple bell 1883-4 (IMG_4518, 15.7.19) Temple bell 1883-4 (IMG_4519, 15.7.19) Temple bell 1883-4 (IMG_4520, 15.7.19) Temple bell 1883-4 (IMG_4514, 15.7.19) Bearing the date of 1883–84, the bell is likely to have been used in the 1883 Howell Road temple in Tingha. This is the only temple in New England which is known to have opened in 1883–84. TEXT ON BELL The deity 大王宮 House of the Great King The large-character inscription on the bell, “House of the Great King”, indicates dedication to either 洪聖大王 “Great King Hung Shing”, who is the god of the Southern Ocean, or a deity known as 大王爺 “Tai Wong Ye”. The word “House” in the inscription would usually be understood as a reference to a temple, but in this case it may refer instead to a room,...Read More

觀音 “Kwun Yam”, the Chinese goddess of mercy, is a Buddhist deity. But, on account of its syncretic nature, s/he (he originally, she later, in China) is also venerated in Chinese folk religion. LOCATION Wing Hing Long Museum, Tingha “Kwun Yam Den” altar censer – at Wing Hing Long Museum (IMG_4126, 14.7.19) TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION 觀音殿 Hall of Avalokitasvara. WHERE WAS THIS OBJECT USED? A 1928 newspaper article, which contains a description of Tingha’s two joss houses, indicates that the larger temple (presumably Amethyst Street’s mystery Tiengha Joss House or its masonic lodge, which might have been one and the same) comprised two rooms, while the smaller (presumably the Let Sun Den temple) comprised only one room.  However, over its history there may have been four buildings in Tingha referred to either consistently or from time to time as “joss houses”: (1) a building at the northern end of Amethyst Street, adjacent to a wooden bridge over Cope’s Creek; (2) a building on the high...Read More

The Emmaville temple features prominently in Chinese-language Australian newspapers. This is a sample of these articles, summarized in English. LOCATION Digitised newspapers available on the National Library of Australia Trove search engine Article 1 Excerpt from 1895 ‘洋電報雜爼’, Guang yi hua bao = The Chinese Australian Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1894 – 1923), 27 September, p. 6. , viewed 09 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166859486 Article 2 1895 ‘Advertising’, Guang yi hua bao = The Chinese Australian Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1894 – 1923), 11 October, p. 6. , viewed 09 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166858610 Article 3 Excerpt from 1897 ‘Advertising’, Guang yi hua bao = The Chinese Australian Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1894 – 1923), 13 August, p. 8., viewed 18 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169050998 Article 4 Excerpt from 1899 ‘來信照登’, Tung Wah News (Sydney, NSW : 1898 – 1902), 16 August, p. 3., viewed 18 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227918636 Article 5 Excerpt from 1901 ‘Advertising’, Tung Wah Times (Sydney, NSW : 1901 – 1936), 8 June, p. 3., viewed 18 Feb 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247429153 Article 6 Excerpt...Read More

Originally believed to be from the 1866 Rocky River temple, this table was likely moved to the 1883 Howell Road Temple at Tingha. In recent years, prior to being donated to the Wing Hing Long Museum, the original table was cut down and rearranged to make a cabinet, which is the current form of the table. LOCATION Wing Hing Long Museum, Tingha Current cabinet Altar table dated 1866 – at Wing Hing Long Museum (IMG_6386, 13.4.21) Photograph from 1901 Main altar in the “Joss House, Tingha”, printed in The Sydney Mail, 3 August 1901 Photomontage reconstruction of the original altar table from which the current cabinet is formed Diagram showing how the altar table facade, which is in the 1901 photograph of the Howell Rd temple in Tingha, was cut down and rearranged to make the doors of the cabinet now in the Wing Hing Long collection. Photographs of panels that bear inscriptions IMG_4153 IMG_4154 TRANSCRIPTIONS AND TRANSLATIONS 1. Decorative...Read More

This entrance adornment—or 彩門 “choy-moon”—is likely the one referenced by the Donation plaque dated 1866, and so would have hung either just inside, or just outside, the entrance of the 1866 Rocky River temple. LOCATION Wing Hing Long Museum, Tingha “Yeung Fook Tong” entrance adornment – at Wing Hing Long Museum (IMG_6342, 13.4.21) Detail from the top of the entrance adornment, showing the words “Yeung Fook Tong” (IMG_4145, 14.7.19) TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION 仰福堂 Yeung Fook Tong NOTES This would appear to be the very early entrance adornment—or 彩門 “choy-moon”—referenced by the Donation plaque dated 1866 and associated with the list of what are presumably donor names on the Names plaque dated 1866. For commentary on the significance of the characters “Yeung Fook Tong”, and on this and other “choy-moon” or “entrance adornments”, see the relevant notes in the post for the Donation Plaque dated 1866. This is a continually evolving website, and more information about this object will be published as further research is...Read More