For over three hundred years, people of Chinese heritage have influenced Australia - quietly, profoundly, and in countless ways. That influence continues today.
Chinese Down-Under tells the compelling story of Chinese migration to Australia and the enduring legacy created by those who arrived, settled, struggled, and contributed to a developing nation.
The book explores:
- Early Chinese migration, including life on the goldfields, the hardships endured, and the resilience required to survive in a foreign land
- Remarkable Chinese-Australians who helped shape the nation, including Mei Quong Tart, born in China's Canton Province in 1850 and later mourned by thousands in Sydney - Chinese and European alike
- Extraordinary and lesser-known figures, such as Sam Poo, a Chinese-born bushranger executed in 1865, and Wang Cai, who left his family farm in Shandong Province in the 1850s and lived out his life in Australia over seventy years
- Contemporary voices, featuring interviews with modern Chinese-Australians from diverse backgrounds, sharing what they value - and challenge - about life in Australia today
Rich with hundreds of historical facts and personal stories, Chinese Down-Under is both informative and accessible, celebrating one of Australia's most significant - and often under-recognised - influences.
This work fills an important gap in Australian history by acknowledging what has arguably been China's greatest and most enduring export to Australia: its people.
(Rights have been sold in China)
