"The Most Beautiful Joss House": Chinese Temples in Emmaville and Tingha

Abstract

The histories and place of the Chinese temples that served the northern New South Wales tin mining towns of Emmaville and Tingha provide insights into the role of temples as an integral part of Chinese diasporic communities: they tell of items, beliefs, practices and rituals brought from China, and they hint at support networks and organisations. They also indicate the complex and changing place of the temples and, implicitly, the Chinese as integral parts of their local Australian communities - as exotic, as exciting, as sometimes threatening and also as familiar. This article identifies the variety of sources that have emerged to document these histories and, drawing on the insights offered through recent work on the history and heritage of the Chinese in Australia, adds to our understanding of the complexities of the history of the Chinese in Australia. By focusing on historic sites in regional New South Wales it also honours the significant work done by Barry McGowan.