Hua Song Museum brings alive the stories of Chinese communities around the world. Our mission is to help Chinese overseas find their cultural roots and share the story of Chinese migration with non-Chinese.It showcases the dreams, sacrifices, successes and achievements of the Chinese who faced adversities in their search of fortune overseas, enabling Chinese today to embrace their cultural roots and origins. Their stories are of international and cross-cultural relevance and appeal today.
The migrant story begins with the ‘The Long Road’ from village to dock. This exhibit welcomes visitors with a brief history of the origins of Chinese migrants.
With the model of a Chinese junk bordering the area to depict the ‘Floating Hell’ which thousands of Chinese migrants had to endure when sailing the rough seas to their new lands, the archival area is reminiscent of a traditional and nostalgic gallery.
The ‘China to Chinatown’ section tells the stories of how migrants and their descendants assimilated into their new adopted lands.
A sampling of Chinese movies and songs from the 1950s and 1960s depicting Chinese popular culture are featured in the ‘Pop Culture Hall’.
While the stories in the archival area are mostly about men, ‘The Survivors’ section pays tribute to the women who migrated overseas and played a pivotal role in the development of Chinese overseas communities. The women’s stories are told through an engaging display of mannequins comprising a little girl, possibly sold to be a slave at an auction, the Samsui woman, and the Ma Jie.
'En En's Kitchen’ is a replica of a typical traditional Chinese kitchen allowing visitors to interact with various cooking utensils, touch, as well as smell the common ingredients used in cooking Chinese cuisine.
The interesting stories and facts about Chinese food are presented in the ‘Grand Food Hall’.
The stories of clans and associations form the closing chapter of the Chinese immigrants’ journey. The ‘Clan Hall’ features articles and objects that belonged to various overseas and local clans and associations.