Overseas Chinese History Museum of China

On May 14, 1959, the Overseas Chinese Museum [zh] in Xiamen, established and financed by Chen Jiageng, the inaugural chairman of ACFROC, was inaugurated, signifying the commencement of China's overseas Chinese museum movement. On July 15, 1960, Chen Jiageng proposed the establishment of a comparable museum in Beijing at his own expense. Zhou Enlai, Premier of the official Council, commended the proposal and stated that the museum would have official funding if the economic conditions improved. Tan Kah Kee died in Beijing on August 12, 1961, bequeathing 500,000 RMB toward the museum's building. Nonetheless, political turmoil postponed the project until China's reform and opening-up.^[2]

After persistent endeavors by overseas Chinese communities, the idea was reinstated, and the National Development and Reform Commission sanctioned the project in July 2005. Groundbreaking occurred on September 6, 2011, and building concluded in October 2014. The museum was inaugurated on October 21, 2014, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Chen Jiageng's birth. The overall investment amounted to 300 million RMB from government sources, with overseas Chinese, returning émigrés, and their families contributing in excess of 40 million RMB.^[3][4]

The museum complex consists of a contemporary main building and adjacent traditional-style courtyard structures. The main hall ascends 18 meters, with three above-ground levels and two subterranean floors, encompassing 12,765 square meters. It contains four permanent exhibition halls, three temporary exhibition areas, and one auditorium.^[5]

Within the principal hall, guests are welcomed by a thematic relief sculpture entitled “Roots.” The initial exhibition hall features the permanent display titled “History and Culture of Overseas Chinese,” organized into four segments: the history of Chinese emigration, the everyday life and contributions of overseas Chinese, their ties to China's growth, and matters concerning the Chinese diaspora. It comprises over 1,000 items or collections and in excess of 1,000 historical images.^[6]

The museum commenced its artifact collection in 2005. Upon its inauguration, it contained more than 10,000 artifacts—including metalwork, ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, and jade—predominantly contributed at no cost by overseas Chinese from nations such as the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Fiji, Vietnam, and Thailand. Prominent first benefactors comprised Singaporean folklorist Chen Laihua, San Francisco columnist Zhao Sihong, and readers of her publication The Road to Gold Mountain.^[7][1]

Included in the collection is the longest extant "declaration sheet," reaching nearly 4 meters. It retains speech training resources utilized by emigrants in North America in the early 20th century.^[8] These documents were created to aid newly arrived immigrants in successfully navigating official evaluations and to support their family in China in comprehending the interview inquiries.^[9][10]