SAILING ON RED BOATS

The exhibits and collections at the Guangdong Overseas Chinese Museum tell visitors about the history of many overseas Chinese who trace their roots to South China's Guangdong province.

The museum that now has more than 28,000 sets of items in its collection is the only provincial-level museum in the country to display the history, culture, work and lives of the large number of overseas Chinese in different countries.

The museum, which provides valuable objects, documents and related material for research on overseas Chinese, has now become a must-visit tourist destination in the province for those who want to know more about the history, culture and relevant affairs of overseas Chinese.

Guangdong, known as the southern gateway of the country and Southeast Asian nations, had maritime transportation links dating to ancient times in China such as during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and merchant ships from Guangzhou could reach Sumatra in Indonesia during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The province, known as the window of China's reform and opening-up since the late 1970s, now has more than 20 million overseas Chinese who are living in more than 160 nations and regions, with the majority settled in North America and Southeast Asia.

Entering the main hall of the museum, the first exhibit visitors see is the model of a boat with its top painted in red. The item in the middle of the hall is "the treasure" of the museum that attracts plenty of visitors from home and abroad annually.

Cantonese people had to take boats to leave their hometowns to earn a living abroad because of poverty in China back then.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), emperor Qianlong promulgated rules stipulating that ships in different provinces must be painted in different colors at the bows to strengthen the management of ships. And boats in Guangdong were painted red, because the province is located in a hot area of the country, and red symbolizes "fire".

Red has been associated with Guangdong boats since then. Guangdong's maritime trade and the overseas journey of Chinese across the sea depended on boats in the color at the time.

Other major exhibits at the museum include the now-defunct Chinese-language newspaper Chinese Times, ceramic money, ornaments of overseas Chinese people, lion drums, remittance letters, statues, historical pictures, documents and other valuable material.

Founded on July 15, 1924, Chinese Times was one of the earliest Chinese-language newspapers in the United States. The newspaper, which mainly published articles and photos about the lives and work of overseas Chinese and developments in the Chinese community in the US, provided valuable material for the study of the history of overseas Chinese. The paper shut down due to financial problems on Jan. 13, 2006.

Ceramic money, also known as "piglet money" among overseas Chinese, was used by owners of mines and plantations in Southeast Asian nations to pay wages to Chinese workers from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century.

According to the museum, the money has become an important evidence to show that owners of plantations and mines oppressed and exploited Chinese workers at that time, as it could not be used in local societies but only in shops, opium and gambling dens and brothels operated by such owners.

The lion drums were purchased by overseas Chinese in Guangzhou and shipped to the US and Canada in the early 20th century. The drums, made from cowhide, wood and bamboo were used by overseas Chinese while they were performing lion dance shows during festivals such as the Lunar New Year to promote Chinese culture.

The ornaments used by overseas Chinese, including those of people born abroad－necklaces, bracelets and waistbands－demonstrate a mixture of Chinese and other cultures.

Situated on Ersha island in the Yuexiu district of Guangzhou, the Guangdong Overseas Chinese Museum has three exhibition floors covering more than 6,000 square meters, and it opened to the public in November 2009. The Guangdong Museum of Art and the Xinghai Concert Hall are located nearby.

Many special exhibitions have been organized by the overseas Chinese museum in the previous decade to show visitors and tourists the lives and work of overseas Chinese and their contribution to China's economic development after the country launched its reform and opening-up drive in the late 1970s.