Lyla Lindsey
Chinese immigration to Australia has a long history, with the earliest known Chinese immigrant, Mak Sai Ying, arriving in 1818. Chinese migration to Australia began in earnest in the 1850s as part of the Australian gold rushes, and by 1861, there were around 40,000 Chinese people living in Australia, constituting 3.3% of the total population. The discovery of gold and the subsequent gold rushes in Australia shaped and influenced Australian immigration policies for over a century. Chinese immigration to Australia has continued to the present day, with China being the third major source of permanent migrants to Australia between 2000 and 2006.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of first Chinese migration to Australia | 1818 |
| Name of the first Chinese immigrant | Mak Sai Ying (John Shying) |
| Place of origin of the first Chinese immigrant | Guangzhou, Canton |
| Destination of the first Chinese immigrant | Sydney |
| Year of the first official wave of Chinese migration to Australia | 1840 |
| Number of early Chinese settlers before the first wave | 18 |
| Reason for migration | Gold rush, demand for labour, escape difficult conditions in China, pursuit of economic opportunities |
| Occupations | Miners, shepherds, irrigation experts, furniture makers, shopkeepers, market gardeners |
| Effects of migration on Australia | Shaped immigration policies, influenced culture, contributed to labour force, established Chinatowns and businesses |
| Australian immigration policies towards Chinese | Anti-Chinese immigration laws, Chinese Restriction Act, Chinese Immigration Regulation and Restriction Act, White Australia Policy (until 1973) |
| Recent trends in Chinese immigration to Australia | Increase in skilled migration, less permanent migration, exchange of students and academics |
| Number of people of Chinese ancestry in Australia (2021) | 1,390,637 (5.5% of the population) |
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What You'll Learn
Gold rush in the 1850s
The discovery of gold in Australia in 1851 sparked a gold rush that attracted not just local prospectors but also foreigners, including the Chinese. The Victorian gold rush of the 1850s saw an influx of Chinese migrants to Australia, with most of them coming from southern China, particularly the counties closest to the port of Hong Kong.
The Chinese referred to the Australian gold fields as '"Xin Jin Shan", or New Gold Mountain. The Californian Gold Rush, which was in decline by the 1850s, was known as 'Jiu Jin Shan', or Old Gold Mountain. The average voyage from Canton via Hong Kong to Sydney and Melbourne took about three months. During 1851-1856, there were about 50,000 Chinese people who came to Australia for gold, with the highest number of arrivals in any one year peaking at 12,396 in 1856.
The Chinese migrants were predominantly sojourners, intending to return to China after finding gold. Many of them did go back, but not all. The majority of Chinese immigrants during the gold rush were indentured or contract labourers, and many made the voyage under the credit-ticket system managed by brokers and emigration agents. Only a small minority of Chinese people were able to pay for their voyage and migrate to Australia free of debt.
The Chinese miners often worked in organised groups of 30 to 100 men under the direction of a leader, which resulted in their gold-digging efforts being very successful. This success, however, also led to conflict with European miners, who resented the Chinese miners and questioned their presence in the colony. There was a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment among the European miners, which resulted in anti-Chinese riots during the gold rush period.
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Labour shortage
The transportation of convicts to New South Wales ceased in 1840, causing a labour shortage. As a result, British and Chinese agents shipped indentured labourers from China to Australia. Most of these immigrants came from the densely populated southern provinces of Guangdong (Kwangtung) and Fujian (Fukien). Conditions in China were difficult due to overpopulation and poverty, foreign invasions, rebellions, severe floods, and famines between 1849 and 1887.
In Australia, Chinese labourers were assigned various jobs that helped expand the growing settlements. They cleared the bush, dug wells and irrigation ditches, worked as shepherds, and started market gardens. Many Chinese immigrants also worked as miners during the gold rush in the 1850s, with numbers peaking at around 40,000. By 1857, Chinese miners outnumbered European miners by at least 3 to 1 in Victoria, leading to anti-Chinese agitation and violent clashes.
The pursuit of cheap labour by employers sparked public protests and racist opposition towards Chinese immigrants. This resulted in the passing of the Chinese Immigration Regulation and Restriction Act in 1861 to curb Chinese migration. Despite this, Chinatowns sprang up across Australia, particularly in areas like the goldfields, and Chinese immigrants became the main suppliers of services and products like tea, furniture, silk, and food for the colonies.
The largest influx of Chinese immigrants during the 19th century significantly changed the demographics of early Australia. By the 1900s, the Chinese constituted a major proportion of the population, and their contribution to Australia's social, economic, and cultural development is significant.
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Anti-Chinese immigration laws
The discovery of gold in Australia in 1851 sparked a gold rush that attracted large numbers of Chinese migrants. This influx of Chinese migrants into the Colony of Victoria caused alarm among politicians and gold seekers alike, who framed the presence of Chinese people as a security risk. However, the primary concern was the fear of competition on the goldfields.
As a result, the Victorian parliament passed the Chinese Restriction Act in 1855, also known as the Chinese Immigration Act, which restricted the entry of Chinese people into the colony and limited the number of Chinese passengers per tonnage of shipping. A £10 poll tax was also levied specifically on Chinese immigrants. These restrictions caused a reduction in ship owners' profitability, leading to an increase in already high fares. While the Act did limit the number of Chinese arrivals in Victorian ports, many Chinese immigrants landed in South Australia and travelled by land to the goldfields.
The enactment of these laws was followed by similar legislation in New South Wales after a major race riot in Lambing Flat in 1860-61. Despite these restrictions, the 1850s and 1860s witnessed the largest pre-federation Chinese migration to Australia, with numbers peaking at around 40,000, constituting 3.3% of the total population.
Towards the end of the 19th century, labour unions pushed to exclude Chinese immigrants from working in the furniture and market garden industries. The government of Victoria passed a Factories and Shops Act that targeted Chinese workers in the furniture industry, while some laws were passed regarding the labelling of Chinese-made furniture in Victoria and Western Australia.
Between 1875 and 1888, all Australian colonies enacted legislation to exclude further Chinese immigration, with the exception of New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania, who did not support these bills due to a treaty with Japan. In the 20th century, Australia's Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 imposed a dictation test in any European language for non-European migrants, effectively granting immigration officers the power to restrict the entry of any individual.
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Chinese success in the furniture industry
Chinese migration to Australia began in the 19th century, with the first official wave of Chinese migration to the country starting in 1840. The discovery of gold in Australia in 1851 sparked the largest pre-federation Chinese migration to the country, with numbers peaking at around 40,000 in the 1850s and 1860s. Many Chinese migrants worked in the gold industry, but some also migrated to Australia as woodworkers, with China having a proud tradition of making fine furniture.
The Chinese success in the furniture industry in Australia is an interesting chapter in the history of Chinese migration to the country. The first Chinese furniture makers in Australia were noted as early as 1827 in Sydney, and by the late 1840s, more than half of the furniture manufactured in Sydney was made by Chinese labourers. During the gold rushes, some Chinese migrants also produced strong boxes for the transportation of gold.
As the gold industry declined, many Chinese miners stayed in Australia and became involved in other activities such as land-clearing, shearing, market gardening, carpentry, and wooden boat building. By the late 1870s, a Chinese furniture-making industry began to emerge, with Chinese migrants moving into the industry during the building boom of the 1880s. The Chinese captured the cheaper end of the market, but some Chinese workshops also made finer furniture, with a number of Chinese exhibiting award-winning furniture in the 1860s.
However, the success of Chinese furniture makers also led to pushback from furniture makers of European descent, who petitioned the government saying that Chinese furniture makers were hurting their livelihoods. This led to the passing of the Factories and Shops Act by the government of Victoria in 1896, which required all Chinese-made furniture to be stamped with the words 'Chinese labour'. The legislation also included discriminatory definitions of a factory, with one Chinese person legally considered a factory, while a minimum of four Europeans were needed to constitute a factory. Despite these challenges, some Chinese furniture makers continued to be successful for several decades into the 20th century.
Today, Chinese migration to Australia continues, and young Chinese migrants are once again making furniture in Australia, blending Chinese traditions with Australian materials to create unique designs.
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Skilled and family migration
Chinese immigration to Australia has a long history, with the first official wave of migration starting in 1840. However, about 18 early Chinese settlers had immigrated to Australia before 1848. The earliest known Chinese immigrant was Mak Sai Ying (John Shying) from Guangzhou, Canton, who arrived in Sydney in 1818 as a free settler. He purchased land at Parramatta and was granted a licence for a public house in 1829. His descendants became cabinet-makers and undertakers in Sydney.
The discovery of gold in Australia in 1851 and the subsequent gold rushes were a significant factor in the migration of Chinese people to Australia. The news of the gold discovery spread quickly to southern China, and many Chinese people migrated to Australia in search of gold and a better life for themselves and their families. This period, from the 1850s to 1860s, witnessed the largest pre-federation Chinese migration to Australia, with numbers peaking at around 40,000, constituting 3.3% of the total population.
However, the increasing number of Chinese gold seekers caused alarm among Victorian politicians and gold seekers. In 1855, the Victorian parliament passed the Chinese Restriction Act to limit Chinese immigration. Despite these restrictions, Chinese immigrants continued to play a significant role in the economic development of Australia, particularly in industries such as furniture making, market gardening, and the banana trade.
In the 1970s, a new wave of Chinese immigration began with the arrival of ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia. This was followed by economic migrants from Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s, whose families often settled in Sydney while the breadwinners returned to Hong Kong to work. After the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, the Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, allowed students from mainland China residing in Australia to settle permanently. Since then, immigration from mainland China and Taiwan has increased.
Chinese immigration to Australia has had a significant impact on the country's social, economic, and cultural development. Chinatowns sprang up across Australia, particularly in major areas such as the goldfields and cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Today, Australia is home to over 1.3 million people of Chinese ancestry, accounting for 5.5% of the total population. Migration patterns have also changed, with students and academics constituting a significant portion of Chinese immigrants to Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
Chinese migration to Australia was largely driven by the discovery of gold and the subsequent gold rushes in the 1850s. This migration influenced Australian immigration policies for over a century.
The first official wave of Chinese migration to Australia started in 1840, although there were about 18 early Chinese settlers who immigrated before this. The earliest known Chinese immigrant was Mak Sai Ying (John Shying) from Guangzhou, Canton, who arrived in Sydney in 1818.
Chinese migrants faced significant challenges in Australia due to racist opposition and restrictive immigration policies. The Victorian parliament passed the Chinese Restriction Act in 1855 to limit Chinese immigration, and similar laws were enacted in New South Wales in 1861.
The Chinese migrants played a significant role in various industries, including mining, agriculture, and furniture making. They also established vibrant Chinatowns, particularly in Melbourne, which became hubs for businesses, accommodation, and cultural exchange.
Chinese immigration to Australia has continued to grow since the 1990s, and people from China are now the third-largest group among immigrants. Migration patterns have become less permanent, with students and academics representing a significant portion of temporary migrants.
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