Immigration What was life like for Chinese immigrants in Melbourne during the 1900s? - Jessica Huang

Why did the Chinese come to Australia? Chinese people began immigrating to Australia in large numbers during the Gold Rush. They established themselves around Little Bourke Street, which became known as Chinatown. After the Gold Rush subsided, many Chinese chose to stay in Australia. Since then, many Chinese have decided to migrate to Australia.

Occupations After moving away from the mining industry, many Chinese moved into factory work or became merchants. Many merchants set up their businesses in Chinatown. Among these were restaurants, grocers and other businesses.

Culture Little Bourke Street quickly became the centre of Chinese culture and activity in the 1850s, when Chinese began to settle in the area. It became known as Chinatown very quickly, and has remained an area heavily populated by Chinese and Asian businesses ever since.

The ‘White Australia’ Policy The ‘White Australia’ policy was officially known as the ‘Immigration Restriction Act’. Not only limited to the Chinese, the ‘White Australia’ policy heavily limited immigration from all non- British countries during 1901 to During these years, most immigrants were from Britain and Ireland, as quota systems were put in place to regulate the number of immigrants from other countries.

Discrimination One of the ways in which the Government concealed their racial discrimination was the ‘dictation test’. Admission was refused to those who failed a test in a foreign language. If an applicant passed the test, it could be conducted in other languages until they failed. Those with physical and mental diseases, convicted criminals, prostitutes and those reliant on charity were refused entry as well.

Fighting Back The Chinese community protested actively against the ‘White Australia’ policy. Large merchants and a Christian missionary jointly published The Chinese Question in Australia – a booklet protesting against the policy. Chinese migration agents lobbied governments to remove the restrictions, pointing out the Chinese community’s social and economic contributions.

Conclusion Chinese immigrants in Melbourne were generally successful, their success in trade and services allowing them to live comfortably for the time. Their creation of Chinatown allowed them to connect with the western city of Melbourne whilst maintaining their customs and way of life. Chinese immigrants found themselves fighting a government that saw itself as racially superior with the ‘White Australia’ Policy. However, the Chinese fought back against the discrimination in order to protect their home in Melbourne, creating a life for themselves in Australia.