Scattered Legacy 澳華僑海集珍 is a national digital project preserving and connecting Chinese-Australian history through objects, places, and stories.

The objectives of the Scattered Legacy project are not to function as a museum in the conventional sense, although it can certainly be used as one. Rather, its purpose is to use objects — which Scattered Legacy refers to as Treasures — in the broadest possible way. These Treasures allow everyday lives, movements, and connections to be recovered in ways that formal archives often cannot. Treasures may include physical objects, documents, photographs, images, landscapes, and any other material that can be connected to Chinese-Australian history. A Treasure might be a shop sign from a remote town, a migration document, a temple photograph, or a family letter. Each treasure is described and its history provided where known. In addition, each Treasure is linked to its historical context through at least one short Thematic Essay, which provide background, interpretation, and broader meaning.

To search the Treasures by map click on the magnifying glass icon 🔍

Historical Persons are also represented, as are Practitioners (local researchers, historians, archaeologists, descendants, etc) and Organisations (from the local to the National). Place and Region play a major role in this process, allowing Scattered Legacy to recover local histories that are often forgotten, misremembered, or overlooked, from Broome to the Gulf Country, from Tasmania across to Perth, as well as throughout the more frequently discussed eastern states of Australia.

Chinese translations are another major feature of the project. Wherever Chinese writing appears, translations are provided, linked, and searchable independently through the Chinese Text section. This ensures access for both English and Chinese readers and allows the original language sources to be explored in their own right.

The guiding principle of Scattered Legacy is a national overview built from many local points. It is therefore necessarily a thin network stretching not only across Australia but also back to China, and in some cases across the Pacific. It is thin rather than deep at present, but depth will continue to grow as more treasures and thematic essays are added. In every case, references to further, more detailed research are provided wherever possible.

Contributions are central to the project’s future. Please do not hesitate to add any treasure related to Chinese-Australian history that you encounter. Suggestions can be made through the Submissions on the Scattered Legacy website menu.

For more information please write to: scattered.legacy@gmail.com