Film - Sophie Boord, 'Bendigo Easter Parade: The Chinese section', 2011, Golden Dragon Museum

[Customs, Traditions & Regalia]

[Three men preparing the dragon]

[ANITA JACK]

The traditions that we have here, for example, Wong Loong and the Awakening of the Dragon, they've been here since the 1800s and all based around the regalia because it's all about the dragon and the costumes that come out at Easter.

[Beginning of the parade]

[ANITA JACK]

So it's very important for us to ensure that the way that the procession was run during the 1800s is still the same today.

[Gansu Loong]

[Old black-and-white sketches of the parade]

[ANITA JACK]

If you look at old sketches in newspapers from the 1850s and '60s and you compare those drawings with the order of the procession today, they match up, and that's probably one of the core features of the procession, is that if you are Chinese and you study processions and you understand that those traditions and the cultural aspect has been carried through from not only generation to generation but from century to century.

[Dennis O'Hoy, Member - Bendigo Chinese Association]

[DENNIS O'HOY]

And a lot of the younger Chinese, particularly overseas Chinese, whether they're from China itself or from Malaysia or such, they are amazed to see that the old Chinese traditions are still kept here and it's almost anachronistic - we're in the 21st century but there's this wonderful love of understanding our past and our heritage.

[The Procession & Costumes]

[Chinese Section of the parade]

[ANITA JACK]

At the very beginning of the procession, we have the lead section. In that, we have the gongs and we have the open road banner, but the sound of the gong and the open road banner really announce the Chinese section in the procession. The costumes that we use today in the procession are replicas of the original costumes that we had for the General and the Princess.

[Black-and-white photographs of the General and the Princess]

[ANITA JACK]

The General always walked in front of Loong when he came over here in 1892 and he was, like, the protector of the dragon.

[Neil Crowle, Former General - Bendigo Easter Parade]

[NEIL CROWLE]

Most of the time, the General has been on horseback but it's been a little bit more difficult lately so, generally, the General walks in front of the throne and protects it that way. The costume is a red suit of armour with the message flags in the back that the old Chinese generals used to have to send directions to a different part of the battlefield.

[Detailed replica of the General's costume]

[NEIL CROWLE]

It has a number of lions and things like that on it so, obviously, representing strength and ferocity if needed. There are also, I think, some coins for good luck and some bats.

[Black-and-white photograph of three persons in costumes]

[ANITA JACK]

The costumes were all based on opera costumes, so, therefore, they're quite theatrical. You'd never go into battle with flags and this elaborate headpiece on your head with jewels and gold leaf...

[Felicity Brennan-Tong, Princess - Bendigo Easter Parade 2011]

[Felicity Brennan-Tong]

The garment is amazing. So intricate. Like, you need to have someone help you put it on.

[Shelene Laiu, Former Princess - Bendigo Easter Parade]

[Shelene Laiu]

There's a lot of padding involved because she's got flags sticking out of her back.

[Princess dressed in pink and blue]

[ANITA JACK]

We have a yellow version and we also have a pink and blue version. This year, we had the pink and blue version and that one hasn't been out for about ten years.

[Shelene Laiu]

You actually do feel a lot like a princess.

[Princess waving at the crowd]

[The Dragons & Lions]

[Black-and-white image of dragon, courtesy State Library of Victoria]

[Eugene Law, Lion Team Leader - Bendigo Chinese Association]

[Eugene Law]

The lions are actually a mythical creature and, to the Chinese, they're believed to scare away any evil spirits, so they bless events and they're a real crowd-pleaser as well.

[Choi Loong]

[Eugene Law]

They're the protectors of the dragons, so whenever a dragon does come out, there are always lions with them.

[Sun Loong]

[ANITA JACK]

The spirit of the dragon is that it doesn't come alive until it has its eyes dotted and then it's fed and you bless the entire dragon. The way the story is told is that he must sleep all year long and only come out once and perform, so, obviously, after a long sleep, he has to be fed, and that's why the papalo leaves will go into his mouth and his whole body is blessed so that he can actually come out and perform.

[Men blessing the dragon]

[Kim Jack, Member - Bendigo Chinese Association]

[KIM JACK]

Part of that ceremony is to, I guess, recognise the local history that the Chinese brought with them. It's a very specific setup. It comes from Taishan. They did the ceremony a particular way and part of honouring the heritage of the Bendigo Chinese is to continue that way of doing it.

[David Hui Tong, Elder - Bendigo Chinese Association]

[David Hui Tong]

You know, really, you can't take the dragon out without having it blessed. It is the most important part, I believe.

[Loong c1880s, The World's Oldest Imperial Dragon]

[ANITA JACK]

Loong came out here in the 1890s and it was obviously quite a momentous occasion to have him here and being a five-clawed dragon, an Imperial Dragon, during this time, was very special to the Chinese.

[Black-and-white photograph of the parade]

[DENNIS O'HOY]

And unlike a lot of towns that did actually have dragons - Ballarat, for instance - Bendigo kept their own and it became very integral with Bendigo society and Loong paraded in Bendigo from 1892 up until 1970. 'Black-and-white photograph of Loong parading:

[ANITA JACK]

The Chinese actually used to pay to carry him because it was considered such an honour.

[Russell Jack, President - Bendigo Chinese Association. Director - Golden Dragon Museum]

[Russell Jack]

In our heritage in Victoria, I think he's so important, you know, in Australia's history, they've protected him for life.

[Sun Loong, 1970. The World's Longest Imperial Dragon]

[Keenan Jack, Member - Bendigo Chinese Association]

[Keenan Jack]

I can remember when Sun Loong came in to replace Loong and I can remember going to Melbourne with my parents and my uncles and part of the lion team to welcome Sun Loong into Australia.

[Black-and-white image of dragons on the tarmac with a plane in the background]

[Keenan Jack]

So we were actually on the tarmac as he was unloaded off the plane. So I'll never forget that day. That was very exciting for me as a child.

[Close-ups of Sun Loong]

[ANITA JACK]

So Sun Loong was purchased and built in 1969 and came over here in 1970, and for the first time, the two dragons met and they weaved their way around the Bendigo fountain, Alexandra Fountain.

[Black-and-white images of the parade around the Alexandra Fountain]

[DENNIS O'HOY]

I remember it very well. I was given the pleasure and privilege of carrying Loong - the old one - for its last run, then when we got around the fountain, I was given the privilege of carrying the new Sun Loong, but I didn't realise how big and how heavy it was, and just as it was handed to me, a gust of wind came and I nearly dropped it. That was the last time I carried Sun Loong!

[Yar Loong c1930s. Bendigo's four clawed Night Dragon]

[ANITA JACK]

The Night Dragon... his history is a little bit harder to define.

[Night Dragon parading]

[ANITA JACK]

Now, there are records of him being here in 1939 and parading. During this time, candles were put underneath the dragon to help him illuminate at night because the torchlight procession became part of the Bendigo Easter Fair Festival. Unfortunately, though, he got quite burnt and damaged during his parading with candles, so he literally got put back into boxes and wasn't seen again for about another 60 years. He was then restored and his head's been completely rebuilt on the original frame and it was his first time out in about a decade and it was to celebrate the 20th birthday of the museum.

[Night Dragon parading amidst the crowd]

[WOMAN]

Oh, wow! Wow, look at that, Scarlett!

[GIRL]

Pretty dragon!

[CHILDREN]

Whoa!

[Russell Jack]

There's dragons everywhere. If you were to go to Melbourne, even, you say to anybody down there, 'Has Melbourne got a dragon?' They'll say, 'Yes, Melbourne's got a dragon.' But you ask anybody in Bendigo, you know what they'll say? 'We have a dragon. We have several dragons.' Bendigo has always been known as the No.1 dragon city outside of China.

[Dragon parading]

[GIRL]

They're scary at times.

[KIDS]

Yes, they are. Yeah.

[WOMAN]

What's scary about them?

[Plum Blossom Dancers, Bendigo Easter Parade 2011]

[GIRL1]

Um, the noise.

[GIRL2]

They're big. They're big.

[GIRL1]

The fireworks and the drums. They're really noisy.

[GIRL2]

They're big.

[GIRL3]

And their red eyes.

[GIRL4]

They're kind of cool as well because they're, like, Chinese.

[WOMAN]

Do you like how they're Chinese?

[GIRL4]

Yeah. They're really colourful and they're really cool.

[RUSSELL JACK]

In Bendigo, for the Chinese, it's different from anywhere else in the world. Everywhere else in the world, Chinese New Year is the most important day. In Bendigo, it's Easter.

Film - Sophie Boord, 'Dai Gum San: Big gold mountain', 2011, Golden Dragon Museum

[Dennis O'Hoy, Member - Bendigo Chinese Association]

[DENNIS O'HOY]

The name for Bendigo in Chinese is Dai Gum San - the Big Gold Mountain. That's why they all came here, to make their fortune. Some did, of course, but a lot didn't. When you think about a big gold mountain, what attraction it must be to people in the villages of Guangdong Province.

[Neil Crowle, Former Chinese General - Bendigo Easter Parade]

[Neil Crowle]

Of course, we've got the Irish, the Cornish, the Germans, the Italians and all sorts of people came here for the mining.

[Anita Jack, Treasurer - Bendigo Chinese Association, General Manager - Golden Dragon Museum]

[Anita Jack]

During the peak of the Gold Rush, about one out of every four to five people were Chinese, so there was a very large settlement here.

[Sepia photograph of Chinese inhabitants]

[Neil Crowle]

It was a fairly harmonious existence, most of the time. No real mass riots or anything as happened on some of the other goldfields.

[Anita Jack]

Then, of course, after the Gold Rush, people leave Bendigo and central Victoria.

[Photograph of snowy Victorian town]

[Anita Jack]

Because it became a lot quieter, the organisers of the city decided to have a fair, a festival, and this was called the Bendigo Easter Fair and it was used to be a fundraiser.

[Russell Jack, President - Bendigo Chinese Association, Director - Golden Dragon Museum]

[Russell Jack]

To raise money for the Bendigo Base Hospital and what was known then as the Benevolent Asylum, and because the Chinese had colourful ceremonies in their camp, they said, 'What about joining with us?' Which they did! They were only too grateful to do that.

[Anita Jack]

They put on a performance and it was really well received and some of the papers actually wrote up that it was the highlight of the Bendigo Easter Festival.

[Close-up on newspaper article]

[Anita Jack]

So from that time onwards, the Chinese were always invited to participate and this was a great way for them to show their culture and show their traditions in the public arena and, really, it was the first introduction of Chinese culture to Australia.

[Black-and-white photograph of Chinese family]

[Russell Jack]

The Chinese community in 1882 decided that if they're going to raise money for charity, then they should do it on a grand scale.

[Anita Jack]

And there was actually an advert in the local paper and it was asking for any groups in the Bendigo region to help promote and make the Easter Festival parade bigger and better.

[Black-and-white photograph of Easter parade]

[Russell Jack]

So the leaders of the Chinese community of the day placed a levy on every Chinese in Bendigo and surrounding districts, they raised over £750, an enormous amount of money.

[Close-up on the Subscription List]

[Anita Jack]

They sent that to Canton and they actually bought over 100 crates of textiles, costumes.

[Costumes displayed in museum]

[Anita Jack]

There is still a large amount of that collection that remains here at the museum.

[Russell Jack]

The costumes were silk, gold bullion thread, they're now priceless and regarded as the best collection in the world.

[Dennis O'Hoy]

It's interesting - the regalia was once kept in the Chinese camp, what was called Emu Point, that's North Bendigo where the Joss House is and, back in 1913, there was a major fire there. The first thing that the Chinese community did was to go into the building and retrieve all the objects. The rest of the camp burnt down but, luckily, everything from the 1890 period was preserved.

[Various objects displayed in museum]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

They didn't worry about their own belongings - they had to preserve all this regalia.

[Black-and-white photograph of dragon parading, Image courtesy State Library of Victoria]

[Anita Jack]

The costumes were really important because what it allowed was an integration into society. It's really quite amazing when you look back at the photographic collection and you see these Europeans and they're in their Sunday best and they're there to watch the Awakening of the Dragon.

[Black-and-white photograph of young boys watching the parade, Image courtesy State Library of Victoria]

[Anita Jack]

They're quite frightened, they're here in Chinatown and it's always been considered, during that time, a scary part of town because, you know, they spoke a different language and they ate different things and it smelt a little bit unusual with the incense burning... You see them in their Sunday best and they're sitting there smiling and they're enjoying the entertainment.

[Black-and-white photographs of the crowd watching the parade, Image courtesy State Library of Victoria]

Anita Jack: It shows that they obviously respected it, they admired it and they turned up in their hundreds and now, they turn up in their thousands, tens of thousands, to actually see the Chinese culture here in Bendigo.

[Images of the Bendigo Easter Parade today]

Film - Sophie Boord, 'Uniting the People', 2011, Golden Dragon Museum

[Anita Jack]

Bendigo is quite different to what else was happening around Australia at that time.

There's interaction, participation and also camaraderie and a partnership is happening between the Chinese and the Europeans.

[Black-and-white photograph of bannermen parading]

[Anita Jack]

You see photographs of these bannermen and generals and you're looking at the faces and there's Chinese-Chinese and what looks maybe half-Chinese, and then you see completely European men carrying these banners and it shows that there was not just admiration for the costumes in regards to a spectacle, but there's also the support and the assistance of the Europeans here in Bendigo to make sure that regalia got out and was paraded every Easter.

[Anita Jack, Treasurer: Bendigo Chinese Association, General Manager: Golden Dragon Museum]

[Anita Jack]

So it's quite unlike what the Government is telling them in regards to the anti-Chinese legislation, and then in 1901, when you started to see the White Australia policy and yet we see more Europeans probably helping then than ever before.

[Black-and-white photograph of people posing with banners]

[Anita Jack]

It seems to be something that's really united the town, it's really united the people.

[Dennis O'Hoy, Member: Bendigo Chinese Association]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

For instance, one of my uncles had gone to China and married a Chinese-American lady and he wanted to bring the two children to Bendigo for their education.

[Black-and-white photograph of two children]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

He was born and raised here. He was an Australian citizen and the Australian Government of the day said, 'No.'

[Newspaper: article on White Australia Policy]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

And it was wonderful - you had the Bendigo Advertiser writing articles in support of my uncle Kim Lan O'Hoy and the heading was 'This policy of discrimination is unfair and unjust.'

[Black-and-white photograph of a young Chinese man]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

So you had the media in Bendigo advocating that the O'Hoy family were respected and they should be able to bring their children out here for an education. This was in 1913.

[Black-and-white photograph of Easter parade]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

The whole idea of the procession really was to raise money but there was the benefit that the people realised the Chinese community was contributing to the culture and the charities of Bendigo.

[Poster of 'Bendigo Easter Fair April 1919' with the letter to the Chinese residents]

[Dennis O'Hoy]

I wouldn't say the Chinese deliberately did it as a political... but it grew that way, that people appreciated it.