Summary

Bowl which is part of a Chinese dinner set in use from the early 1950s in Melbourne by Samuel Louey Gung and his family.

Samuel Louey Gung, the son of Sydney Louey Gung, was born in Carlton in 1920 and died in Melbourne in 1993. He was educated in China and married Mary Mak in 1941. They migrated with two children in 1947 and had a further five children in Melbourne. Samuel worked with his father in the Geraldton Fruit Company.

Physical Description

Porcelain bowl 163 millimeters in diameter. Plain white on the inside and pink on the outside with a dragon pattern. The underside of the bowl has Chinese characters on it.

Significance

The Gung family collection provides an invaluable representation of Chinese migration and settlement experiences in the Museum's migration collections. The family narrrative spans two generations, enabling the exploration of key themes such as the establishment and gradual dillution of the White Australia policy, Chinese businesses and the labour market, and family life. Many of the documents in the collection reflect the gradual easing of the restrictions on Asian immigration which occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, policy shifts which contributed to the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975. The objects compliment the photographs and documents and tell the story of a family's desire to continue their cultural practices and remember their cultural heritage while living in Australia from the 1920s to the 1960s.

More Information