Between 1796 and 1912, culture and society in China faced with violence, land shortage and famine. Many were forced to leave China in order to settle permanently in another country such as Malaya.

New method, idea and product increased rapidly (such as in print, painting, calligraphy, fashion, ceramic, and glass) during a century in which China’s art, literature, crafts and technology faced with something never known before to western influences. For those who settled in Malaya, the Chinese immigrants were greatly exposure to British influences.    

1796 – the official end of the reign of the Qianlong emperor – is viewed as the close of the ‘high Qing’ and the start of a period of protracted crisis, in 1912, the last emperor, Xuantong, abdicated after the revolution of 1911, bringing to an end some 2000 years of dynastic rule and making way for the republic.

Until recently, the 19th century in China has been stated as an era lacked of activity and growth and failure. From the research of the Ho’s family collection from 1796 to 1912, this gallery creates new understandings of an era that forms an important bridge to Chinese immigration to Malaya (and also to other part of the world such as England and USA). It creates a detailed visual account of history, technology, immigration and external influences, The spoken or written account of the Chinese immigration stories are brought to life through pictures and materials that highlight the experiences that make up this fascinating, turbulent period in Chinese migration history to British Malaya.