Oversea Chinese Museum
The Overseas Chinese Museum was established by Tan Kah Kee in 1956, a famous overseas Chinese leader. It is the only Chinese museum to be established by an overseas Chinese. The museum displays over 7000 cultural relics and is divided into six different sections.
It includes the overseas Chinese story, the friendship between the overseas Chinese and host country people, the tragedies of the overseas Chinese prior to the liberation, review of the overseas Chinese policies, the present and the past of the overseas Chinese community, and the contribution done by overseas Chinese to China.
Highlights of the Overseas Chinese Museum
Overseas Chinese Museum is spread over an area of 3000 sq meters and is home to over 7000 exhibits. This museum is founded and presided by a popular overseas Chinese leader, Tan Kah Kee, along with countrymen living abroad or returning from overseas.
The History of the Museum
The museum was established in 1956 and was opened to the general public in May 1959. It is a comprehensive museum that highlights and showcases the overseas Chinese museum. It aims at educating visitors about the lifestyles and customs of departed locals. The museum also tries to loosen the stereotypes attached to the Chinese living abroad.
The Exhibition Halls
A lot of artifacts seen in the museum are funded or donated by very rich, elite Chinese tycoons that have moved to foreign countries in the last few years. The Overseas Chinese Museum’s exhibition halls have displays of bronzes, pottery, painting, and exploration of Chinese overseas, demonstrating the lifestyle of the Chinese located abroad. Several exhibits, particularly the photograph exhibitions, concentrate on the emigrants from Fuji.
The Display
The museum has been divided into six main segments to make it easy for visitors to explore all the artifacts and understand more about the collection. It displays several cultural specimens, handicrafts, and relics that have been invested in or donated by several of the Chinese living abroad. This embodies the guiding thought of the founder Tan Kah Kee stating that people must show respect for cultural and scientific information, making good use of the social consequences.
Items On Display
The entire museum has an exhibition space of around 2400 sq meters spread over three halls. The museum displays over 1200 pieces of documentation and pictures of all kinds, over 1000 specimen pieces of aquatic products, beasts, and rare birds, and over 2000 rare relics. Some of the special exhibitions in the museum include the Ancient Achievements of Chinese Agriculture, the Tri-colored Tang glazed pottery or Luoyang Tang San Cai, the Folk Relics of Inner Mongolian, and the Xinjiang Unearthed Mummies.
The Six Segments
The six sections into which the museum has been divided. It includes the overseas Chinese story, the friendship between the overseas Chinese and host country people, the tragedies of the overseas Chinese prior to the liberation, review of the overseas Chinese policies, the present and the past of the overseas Chinese community, and the contribution done by overseas Chinese to China.
The Halls
The Hall of History is one of the exhibition halls in the museum and it displays various items which reflect the life, production, and history of the Chinese emigrating overseas prior to as well as after the Liberation. The Relics of Motherland History Hall is another exhibition hall that showcases a huge range of artwork and unearthed relics collected by the founder of the museum and the last exhibition hall is the Nature Hall which showcases specimens of aquatic products, birds, and animals.
Other than the museum itself, there are a lot of other scenic areas to explore in the tourist area of South Putuo Temple such as the Ring Island Road, Jinshan Pine Stone, the Xiamen University, and the Five Gentlemen Peak.
- Location: No. 493, Siming Nanlu in Xiamen’s Siming District.
- How to Get There? Take bus No. 48, 45, 22, 21, 18, 17, 15, 2, 1.
- Ticket Price: Free
- Opening Hours: 9:30 to 16:30. The museum is closed on Mondays.