Hong Kong, Gold Mountain and Chinese Migrants in California

Description

Guided by scholar Sonia Ng, the exhibition tour of Sojourning in Gold Mountain at the Hong Kong Museum of History highlights the city’s pivotal role as the main port for millions of Chinese migrants travelling to California between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. Serving as a bustling entrepôt, Hong Kong connected people, goods and cultures across the Pacific during the California Gold Rush and beyond. Between 1850 and 1939, over 6.3 million Chinese emigrated through Hong Kong to foreign destinations, while 7.7 million returned via the city. The event also explores the challenges of the overseas Chinese, offering insights into resilience and heritage preservation in a foreign land.

Ng is a leading scholar of Chinese and Chinese-American history with over 20 years of research experience. As a historian for the China Alley Preservation Society of Hanford and a researcher for the Hong Kong Museum of History, she has contributed extensively to preserving Chinese historical documents and artefacts in different institutions such as the Chew Kee Museum of Fiddletown and Joss House of Auburn.

Guided Exhibition: Sojourning in Gold Mountain, Hong Kong Museum of History, 16:30 – 17:30