Chinese migrants on the Gold fields
Below are resources you may use to help find out what life was like for the Chinese during the Gold Rush. You may use books or the Internet in addition to the information below.
Information
The largest foreign contingent on the goldfields was the 40,000 Chinese20 who made their way to Australia.
In 1861, Chinese immigrants made up 3.3 per cent of the Australian population, the greatest it has ever been. These Chinese were nearly all men (38,337 men and only eleven women!) Between 1852 and 1889, there were 40,721 arrivals and 36,049 departures.
Chinese at the Australian Goldfields
At the time that news about the Australian goldrush reached China in 1853, the country had been suffering from years of war and famine. Chinese migrants had a journey of several months in a cramped ship to reach Australia, leaving behind their family and friends.
The chinese stayed together in large groups and undertook duties like mining, cooking and growing vegetables for the group. The Chinese workers often re-worked claims that had been abandoned and collected gold that had been missed.
They also saw other opportunities to make money, and worked at other jobs around the diggings, such as washing clothes, selling vegetables they'd grown, selling cooked food or herbal medicines and so on.
In an attempt to limit the number of Chinese at the goldfields, a law was passed in 1885 that any Chinese person entering Victoria had to pay a tax to mine and live in the colony.
Reference:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Life on the Australian Goldfields [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au(2000
In 1861, Chinese immigrants made up 3.3 per cent of the Australian population, the greatest it has ever been. These Chinese were nearly all men (38,337 men and only eleven women!) Between 1852 and 1889, there were 40,721 arrivals and 36,049 departures.
Chinese at the Australian Goldfields
At the time that news about the Australian goldrush reached China in 1853, the country had been suffering from years of war and famine. Chinese migrants had a journey of several months in a cramped ship to reach Australia, leaving behind their family and friends.
The chinese stayed together in large groups and undertook duties like mining, cooking and growing vegetables for the group. The Chinese workers often re-worked claims that had been abandoned and collected gold that had been missed.
They also saw other opportunities to make money, and worked at other jobs around the diggings, such as washing clothes, selling vegetables they'd grown, selling cooked food or herbal medicines and so on.
In an attempt to limit the number of Chinese at the goldfields, a law was passed in 1885 that any Chinese person entering Victoria had to pay a tax to mine and live in the colony.
Reference:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Life on the Australian Goldfields [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au(2000
Websites
You will find information about Chinese people and the happenings of Gold Rush by following the below links:
http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/goldrush/
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/marvellous/gold/index.asp
http://www.sbs.com.au/gold/
http://www.upfromaustralia.com/sovhilgolrus.html
http://www.sbs.com.au/gold/story.html?storyid=110
http://www.historyofaustraliaonline.com/Discovery_of_Gold_in_Australia.html
(Timeline about events in the Gold Rush)
http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/goldrush/
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/marvellous/gold/index.asp
http://www.sbs.com.au/gold/
http://www.upfromaustralia.com/sovhilgolrus.html
http://www.sbs.com.au/gold/story.html?storyid=110
http://www.historyofaustraliaonline.com/Discovery_of_Gold_in_Australia.html
(Timeline about events in the Gold Rush)
Images
You will find images of Chinese people during the Gold rush by viewing the below: