Farewell Guangdong Book / Publication / Landmark Writing

Written by historian Lily Lee, whose mother and older sister are among the refugees featured in the book, Farewell Guangdong outlines the history of how displaced Chinese women and children from the Guangdong province came to settle in New Zealand following the 1937 Japanese invasion of China during the Sino-Japanese war. Prior to 1939, wives and children of Chinese men who were already living in New Zealand were not permitted to live in the country as they were seen as a threat to racial purity. Following the Sino-Japanese invasion, the men appealed to the government, resulting in the 1939 concession, which approved two-year temporary permits for 256 wives and 244 children to come to New Zealand. In 1947, these women and children were granted permanent residence, which Lee describes as “a watershed moment” for the Chinese community today as it allowed families to build lives together in New Zealand.

Commissioned by the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, the book is a collection of oral histories, art, poems and letters and is illustrated with photos from Archives New Zealand and family collections. It took Lee and her voluntary team of researchers four years to track down the families due to scant archival records.

Lee writes in the preface that a central theme in the book is family (gar 家) and shares how the women demonstrated resilience, perseverance and hope in the face of adversity:

It is important to have our own written record of recollections of this early period to pass on to our children and mokopuna. It is my hope that the new generations of Chinese-New Zealanders will use this book as a starting point to learn about their own history. It is also my hope that all New Zealanders will have a greater understanding of our refugee story by reading this book.

In 2025, Farewell Guangdong was adapted into a documentary series on RNZ featuring interviews with women who descend from seven wives from the publication. Its director, Lynda Chanwai-Earle, described the book as “a taonga to our country”. 

Stuff NZ – Farewell Guangdong: A history book told by its own people

Farewell Guangdong: A history book told by its own people — Palmerston North City Library