Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute

Twilight Talks 2025, Season 1 | Ballarat's Changing Scene - Ballarat's Growth: Infrastructure Pressures
2025-03-12 17:30 - 18:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | BMI – Humffray Room, 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC, 3350, Australia
Twilight Talks is back on again to celebrate the Ballarat

Session 5: This session is now fully booked

Wedneday 24 May | 5.30pm
Ballarat Chinese Library | 200 Sturt Street
Chinese History
“Join us for a unique Twilight Talk when we take the BMI on the road, to the nearby Chinese Library. A more intimate event for no more than 20 people, you’ll hear about local historian Yvonne Horsfield’s fascinating research into the Chinese contribution to life on the goldfields, while sitting among precious Chinese books and artefacts drawn from collections all over Australia. Charles Zhang, will then offer a tour of the library for those who would like to delve a little deeper.”

Charles Zhang Ballarat Chinese LibraryLocated in the heart of Ballarat, the library covers an area of 700 square metres with 16 rooms. Housing over 200,000 Chinese books, the Xin Jin Shan Library (translates to new gold mountain) now has the largest collection of Chinese-language books in Australia. Charles is a committee member of the library and president of the Chinese Australian Cultural Society in Ballarat. The Library is not only the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, but also serves as an education and research centre for Chinese languages and the history of Chinese immigration and settlement in Australia. (source SBS Mandarin)

Haoliang Sun and Charles Zhang are the driving forces behind the Chinese library. (ABC News: Rochelle Kirkham )

Yvonne HorsfieldChinese on the goldfields.Yvonne is a retired teacher who has spent the majority of her teaching career working at Sovereign Hill an as Education Officer, followed by another role in education at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery (now Art Gallery of Ballarat). She first developed an awareness of the significant role the Chinese played in the early Goldfields history of Ballarat when working at Sovereign Hill. She has a family connection with Reverend John Tong Way who became Superintendent Missioner to the Ballarat and district Chinese from 1903 until he retired in 1949. She has recently completed her PhD to further research the history of the Tong Ways and other families of Chinese descent who settled in both Ballarat and Bendigo. Since graduating she has written “Chinese Roots”, a biographical story of the Tong Way family recently published on 25 th March this year by Shawline Publishing in Ballarat.

Yvonne Horsfield

Chinese Roots | Yvonne Horsfield

Oldest Bank Building in Ballarat | ABC Ballarat

Chinese Library | ABC Ballarat

A drawing from 1854 shows Chinese miners walking to the goldfields.(Supplied: State Library of Victoria)

A painting by artist Shen Jiawei is the first thing visitors see when they enter the library. (ABC News: Rochelle Kirkham )

Oldest Bank Building in Ballarat | ABC Ballarat

Charles Zhang and Haoliang Sun have a lot of knowledge to share with visitors. (ABC News: Rochelle Kirkham )

Note: Accessibility This building is not wheelchair accessible. To access the library spaces it is necessary to climb a set of stairs.

Cost & Bookings | $10 flat fee per person, funds will be split 50/50 with the Ballarat Chinese Library

Information on the full series

Full Series

Book places

Book Places

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