Visiting card / 名帖 (Quong Tart)
Date Published
: merchants / businesspeople
: Sydney
: Sydney
: c.1900
A visiting card (名帖) - 梅光達 / Mei Guangda / Moi Quong Tart
Quong Tart visiting card
It was common for Chinese people when visiting each other to present their names written personally on red slips of paper. This one of Quong Tarts was presented to Ernest Morrison, whose collection of numerous red visiting papers is now in the State Library of NSW.
Many of our readers will have observed that during the last few days Chinese friends, on meeting in the street or elsewhere, join each one his hands and perform a not ungraceful bow. On such occasions they, by the words Kung hoa, express their joyful , congratulations, and exchange cards, that are represented by strips of red paper, on which the name of the individual presenting is written, with the addition of the word pi, "pays-respects." These cards are much valued, and are pasted up either in the store or house, and kept during the year as evidences of the large circle of friends the recipient has.