Asia

Brochures from various years of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne on a black surface

Ephemera from the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, collected in 2024

Collecting your stories: Indian Diaspora in Australia

We're seeking ephemera, such as pamphlets, posters, badges and programs, from the Australian-Indian community.

News article

Hanho Times newspapers spread over a table, with focus on the 3-year anniversary issue

Now online: South Korean community newspaper the Hanho Times

See some of the stories contained in the Hanho Times Korean community newsletter.

Blog

Wang Collection

A vast repository of over 4,000 books, primarily in Chinese, covering history, culture, politics, and religion. Collected between 1950 and 2000, it includes rare texts from Taiwan and China, reflecting the richness of Chinese scholarship. Founded by Sing-wu Wang, this collection remains a cornerstone of the National Library of Australia, offering invaluable insights into East Asia’s past and present.

Collection guide

Yves Coffin, Coffin collection of photographs of Bali, Cham, Javanese, Khmer and Thai art, architecture and sculpture, (196?), nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140366892

Coffin Collection

Featuring over 4,700 photographs of ancient art and architecture across Southeast Asia is the Coffin Collection. Captured between 1955 and 1972 by Yves Coffin, this collection highlights Khmer monuments at Angkor, Cham sculptures, and Thai temples, alongside the art of Java and Bali. A valuable visual record of Southeast Asia's rich cultural heritage.

Collection guide

Tokyo and environs road map, 1953, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1584417804

Williams Collection

About 3200 books, pamphlets, serials, maps, newspapers and ephemera mainly related to Japan plus some works on China and Korea.

Collection guide

Australian Buddhist Library

Tripitakas, books and audio recordings dealing with Buddhist history, biography, literature, doctrines, philosophy and way of life and Buddhist folk tales.

Collection guide

Dr Tets Kimura smiling and sitting at a table in the Special Collections Reading Room with material relating to Japanese fashion spread out in front of him

2023 National Library of Australia Fellow, Dr Tets Kimura

Japanese fashion: History, evolution, influences and meaning

Hear from Dr Tets Kimura about his research, his time at the Library and what he’s doing next.

Blog

A sample of an emigration pass. It says 'Colonial Emigration Form, Man's Emigration Pass' with signatures and handwritten information.

Indian emigration passes to Fiji 1879 - 1916

Find out how to access over 60,000 passes issued to Indian people who came to Fiji as indentured labourers.

Research guide

An old black and white map of the Sunda Strait decorated with pictures of navigational symbols, landmarks and ships

Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer, Afconterfeytinge van die strate oft engde van Sunda, tusschen Sumatra en Iava in Oost Indien, als oock die baye oft rede voor Bantam die hooft-stadt van Iava, tesamen met alle hare eylanden, clippen, ondiepten en sanden, alles nae t' leven net afgetogen, c.1602, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3444422116

Rare 1602 map of the Sunda Strait

A very rare chart of the Sunda Strait – located between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java – from 1602 has recently been added to our collection.

News article

Hand-drawn historical map of a coastal city with detailed streets, waterways, and buildings. Various ships are shown in the harbor, including sailing ships with multiple masts. The map contains handwritten labels in an East Asian script, with buildings and city layout depicted in a bird's-eye view.

Shinsen Nagasaki no zu, 1801, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230571001

London Missionary Society Collection

722 books, pamphlets, leaflets, manuscripts, newspapers and maps, mostly written in Chinese. Mainly Christian works, plus works on the Chinese language, reprints of classical writings and works relating to the Taiping Rebellion of 1850-64.

Collection guide