Century-plus of Chinese merchant history

By Patrick Craddock

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark may be surprised to learn that she could be one of the

originators of a splendid book on New Zealand Chinese Merchants, 1860-1970s. 

It was during her watch that the government gave $5 million for the establishment of a Chinese

Poll Tax Heritage Fund to the NZ Chinese community. 

This was to compensate for a blatant racist policy that had demanded Chinse pay a poll tax and for many years denied citizenship to Chinese migrants. Part of that money funded this intriguing book by Phoebe H. Li on Chinese merchants in New Zealand.

Ms Li has amassed a staggering amount of detail, including gems of information showing that as early as 1881 the Chinese in Auckland were running restaurants and also employing European waiters. 

There is a story of the first Labour Prime Minister Peter Fraser during a visit to Dunedin stopping his car and visiting a Chinese fruit shop owner, a friend. 

Some parts of the book read like a family diary, others like entries in an encyclopaedia. There is William, also called Wang, who practiced Chinese medicine and hypnotism in his shop and a delightful double page photograph of children dancing along with traditional group photographs, weddings and a splendid picture showing the front of the Te Aro Seed shop in Wellington. 

Local people will be interested in Moon Ting who arrived in 1886 and had stores in both Carterton and Pahiatua.

A glossary lays out the names of the participants in English, Chinese script and Pinyin, a writing system that uses the Latin alphabet to transcribe Mandarin Chinese sounds.

Notes at the back of the volume record dates for the numerous interviews conducted by Phoebe H. Li. This is a remarkable book recording the individual stories of Chinese merchants.

Golden Enterprise – New Zealand Chinese Merchants 1860-1970s is a worthwhile addition to the personal library of any New Zealander with Chinese origins or a reader who wants to know more about the Chinese shops and restaurants that are clearly part of our heritage.

It is published by Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust.

More: goldenenterprisenz@gmail.com  www.goldenenterprise.nz

Caption: Te Aro Seed Shop frontage _ with free delivery!