Golden
Dragon Museum
Chinese
heritage is an integral part of Bendigo. From the gold rush
to present day, the Bendigo Chinese community has influenced the proud
history of Bendigo - from its tradition of charitable works for local
hospitals to its spectacular displays in the Bendigo Easter Fair.
The Golden Dragon Museum is a living history of the Chinese
people of Bendigo from the gold rush of the 1850's to present
day.
Having
become the hub of the Chinese cultural activity in Australia,
the museum allows visitors to experience first-hand Chinese arts and
crafts with visiting artisans and trades people.
Central to the permanent display is Sun Loong, the
longest imperial dragon in the world (over 100 meters), and Loong,
the oldest imperial dragon in the world, previously only viewed by
visitors to Bendigo's Easter Fair, but now available to the public
all year round.
One of the many highlights of the Golden Dragon Museum is
the brightly colored Tea Room, situated next to the gift shop with
plenty of seating catering for tours and large groups of people.
The gift shop at the Golden Dragon Museum has a fine range
of different gifts that you can purchase some of them include: Chop
Sticks, Cane Umbrellas ,T/Shirts ,Dragon Heads , Fans , Statues ,Postcards
and many other wonderful items...
Based on the Imperial Palace in Beijing, the architecture
and construction of the gardens is authentic in every way.
Within the walls of this garden, there are a magnificent group of
statues. They are known as the Eight Immortals - Ba Xian, always featured
as a group for good luck they represent the eight conditions of life
- poverty, wealth, plebeianism, aristocracy, age, youth, masculinity
and femininity.
Built to
resemble the imperial gardens in Bejing, the Yi Yuan (Garden
of Joy) is an oriental oasis created to capture the essence of chinese
culture and life.
A chinese garden is an intimate place of rest and
contemplation, inspired by nature, a garden is man-made to complement
the essence and beauty of nature herself. A garden is a living exhibit.
The
Bendigo Guan Yin Temple is the very first temple built to
honour the Goddess of Mercy in Australia. The official consecrations
of this temple took place on 30th November 1996, following the customs
and traditions of the Bendigo Chinese.
Guan Yin's birthday is on the 19th of March each
year, this is celebrated in Bendigo and thoughout Asia, particularly
in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
Visit their website:
www.goldendragonmuseum.org
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