Adrienne Shaw, a descendant of a couple who lived at the Lawrence Chinese Camp, raised about $45,000 to restore Sam Chew Lain’s 122-year-old tomb in 2021, as it was a "unique symbol" of the integration of the area’s Chinese and European communities.
Yesterday, Ms Shaw said she was delighted to receive formal notification of a Category 1 heritage listing for the tomb.
"This is the cherry on top for this project, which has been about five years in the completion. We also secured funding support for the Heritage NZ plaque from a Clyde business recently so, once that’s ready to go, we’ll install that so people can find out more about the tomb online."
The tomb was the only Gothic edifice worldwide housing a Chinese and European husband and wife side-by-side.
"Sam was a tall, industrious, imposing man, and worked hard to bring the Chinese and European sides of the community together.
"He ran the Chinese Empire Hotel, and left an estate of £3000, some of which was used to build the Gothic tomb we see today, for him and his wife.
"I believe he’d say ‘Good job, well done’."
Heritage NZ’s listing for the site said the tomb was a "rare symbol of the integration of the Chinese and European communities living in Otago at the time" and "has outstanding historic, aesthetic, architectural, cultural, and social value as well as significant community support".
