Mei Quong Tart

rdf:langString Mei Quong Tart

rdf:langString Mei Quong Tart

rdf:langString Mei Quong Tart

rdf:langString Ashfield, Sydney, Australia

rdf:langString Méi Guāngdá

rdf:langString 梅光达

rdf:langString Margaret Scarlett

rdf:langString 梅光達

rdf:langString Muìh Gwōngdaaht

rdf:langString Mei Quong Tart was a prominent nineteenth century Sydney merchant from China. He was one of Sydney's most famous and well-loved personalities and made a significant impact on the social and political scene of Sydney at a time of strong anti-Chinese sentiment. In Australia, he is usually referred to by his given name, Quong Tart. Name Anglicization and Dialect Contradiction Born in Duanfen (端芬鎮), “Quong Tart” is a romanization that reflects the local Taishanese dialect (a Yue Chinese dialect, related to Cantonese). In this dialect, his full name 梅光達 would be romanized Moy Quong Tart (cf. Cantonese Jyutping Mui4 Gwong1 Daat6). In Mandarin Chinese the characters are pronounced quite differently and would be written in Hanyu Pinyin as Mei Guangda. During his life, he was referred to by what people assumed was his surname—"Quong Tart" but was in actuality his given name, as a result of others not knowing that the surname goes first in Chinese names: “My lady friends will thus be shocked to hear that for all these years they have been calling the admirable Quong Tart by his Christian name. What should they have called him? That is the question. In full, the appellation by which he would have been known in China appears to be Moy Quong Tart …” Daily Telegraph, 12 May 1888, p.5. The name Mei Quong Tart is thus an Australianism combining two Chinese dialects and romanization styles.