Back to search results
Immigrant's trunk

Image Immigrant's trunk

TLF ID R1782

This is a small (67 cm x 70 cm x 50 cm) lacquered wooden trunk, which has a ripped hessian cloth cover bound with rope. The words 'WONG TOW' are written on the lid. These refer to the owner of the trunk, Wong Tow of Sunwai village, near Canton in China, who brought this trunk to New Zealand when he came in about 1900. The trunk has semi-circular metal handles on either side and there is Chinese script on both the cover and a paper label inside the lid.

View resource


Educational details

Educational value
  • This asset indicates that people of Chinese origin have been coming to live in New Zealand for many years - the majority of Chinese immigrants in the 1800s and early 1900s came to work on New Zealand gold fields.
  • It suggests that Chinese immigrants would have brought with them traditional Chinese objects and clothing - the trunk contained three silk jackets of different traditional Chinese styles brought to New Zealand by Wong Tow.
  • It shows that luggage was constructed to withstand the sea voyage to New Zealand - although the outer cover is torn, the trunk itself is intact.
Topics Migration Furniture

Other details

Contributors
  • Contributor
  • Name: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Organization: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Description: Content provider
  • URL: http://www.tepapa.govt.nz
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Organization: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • Publisher
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Colour independence
  • Device independence
  • Hearing independence
Learning Resource Type
  • Image
Rights
  • © Education Services Australia Ltd and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2013, except where indicated under Acknowledgements