Chinese Mortuary Chapel, Joss House, Eme…

Scarce colonial engraving of the interior of the Chinese Temple at South Melbourne.

The Chinese temple in South Melbourne (then called Emerald Hill) was built in 1856 by the See Yup Society. In 1866 it was rebuilt and enlarged. The temple cost over four thousand pounds to construct and was funded by compulsory donations from Society members. The names of more than a thousand donors are inscribed on two stone tablets at the Temple. As the Society is legally a non-entity the six titles covering the temple land are held in the names of six individual trustees. The remainder of the donated money was invested in two properties in Little Bourke Street. There was opposition to its establishment, with comments such as these;

“May I draw your attention to the fact that the Chinese are about to erect a Joss House at Emerald Hill for worship of their idols. Ought this be allowed?     … Would it not be the best check we could put on the Chinese immigration to require at all who come shall forego their idolatrous practices and conform to Christian worship  ?     ..that we shall not allow the worship of any but the true and living God. “

Still standing today, it was built as a meeting place for members but also includes two altars for worship and three memorial halls. The memorial halls hold over 13,000 tablets in commemoration of members who died and are buried somewhere in Victoria between 1850 to the present day. The Society held at least eight major religious services with offerings each year and the temple was open for all to visit or worship at all times.

From the original edition of the Australasian Sketcher.