Hark Ching Association Membership Register
A special donation on view at Fenix
In 1911, the first Chinatown on the European mainland emerged on Katendrecht. Here, Chinese immigrants establish associations to meet one another. The Hark Ching Association, located at Tolhuisstraat 16, is one of them. This membership register was recently donated to Fenix after someone discovered it by chance at a flea market.
Browse the register
The original membership register of the Hark Ching Association is on display in the All Directions exhibition. Since it cannot be consulted there, we have digitized all the pages. This way, you can browse the entire register online.
579 names
The membership register lists the details of 579 members: their name, place of origin, postal address, and sometimes the address of their family in China. At the back of the book, it even notes what the association owned in 1923, from beds and chairs to teapots and a lion dance costume.
Appeal for information
We still know very little about the Hark Ching Association and its members. That’s why we are putting out an appeal: do you recognise anyone from the membership register, or do you know more about the Hark Ching Association? If so, please get in touch with Fenix via the form below.
Get in touch
Translation
We are currently working on a Dutch translation of the register. We expect to publish it on this page soon.