Artifact of the Week: Chinese Dinnerware

Archaeologists recovered these Chinese condiment dishes and soup spoon from Downtown San Diego. The site housed a working class population during the late Victorian period (c.1880-1915).

The site included two Chinese laundries and a drying yard. In addition to the dishes and spoon, archaeologists also found Chinese brownware jugs, liquor bottles, and medicine bottles. These artifacts show that these immigrants incorporated traditions of their own culture into their new lives, and they maintained ties to their homeland.

Date: Post-Contact Period (300 ya – present)
Material Class: Ceramic

Want to learn more? Visit the exhibit Block 112: The Untold Story of San Diego’s Working Class in the 1800s currently on view at the Center.