About 50 people, including representatives of the Beaumont and Chinese communities, assembled at the Beaumont Cemetery on Saturday for a brief ceremony. A headstone commemorating the life of miner Ah Tie was unveiled.
It was made from a rock from the nearby Clutha River.
Ah Tie is thought to be the only Chinese person buried at the cemetery, with about 25 other locals.
Ah Tie arrived in the Lawrence-Beaumont area in 1871.
He chose to stay on after the Otago gold rush ended.
He formed a special connection with the Wood family, whose descendants still live in the Beaumont area.
It was the Wood family who insisted Ah Tie be interred at the cemetery when he died in June 1921.
Many Chinese are thought to be buried outside the cemetery perimeter, according to Beaumont woman Margaret Healy, who conducted extensive research into Ah Tie and his connections with the Beaumont area.
The Beaumont Rural Women New Zealand group decided to raise funds for a headstone to formally recognise Ah Tie's efforts over the 50 years he spent in the area.
The Chinese Poll Tax Trust contributed $1000 towards the headstone.
Trust chairman Dr Jim Ng said Ah Tie was just an ordinary miner who did not strike it rich.
"I'm thrilled he has been brought back to the light again, three generations after his death," Dr Ng said.
The ceremony ended with the lighting of five candles - one each for Ah Tie's soul, the Woods family, the rural women's group, the Beaumont community and one for a group of guests from Shanghai who attended the event.
