Chinatowns in Oceania
This article discusses
Chinatowns in Oceania.
Given its proximity to the
Asian continent,
Australia has had, and continues to witness, a massive immigration of
Chinese and other
Asians. As with Canada, the majority of ethnic Chinese immigrants to Australia are from
Hong Kong. Chinese from various places of
mainland China,
Macao,
Taiwan,
Korea,
Southeast Asia—especially
Vietnam,
Laos,
Cambodia,
Philippines, and
Indonesia—and
Latin America also settled Australia.
Many early Chinese from the
Guangdong and
Fujian provinces of China immigrated to Australia during the gold rush era. They were mainly Chinese of
Taishan,
Cantonese,
Zhongshan,
Hokkien, and
Hakka origin. As in North America, the Chinese faced massive institutionalized discrimination, and Asian immigration was restricted by the
White Australia Policy in the late
1880s. It was repealed by the
1970s under
multiculturalist policies, which in turn ushered in a new wave of Asian immigration, particularly from Hong Kong and the
People's Republic of China, and giving rise to several Australian Chinatown communities.
Australia has numerous historic frontier and rural Chinatowns, such as in
Atherton, Queensland and
Brocks Creek, Northern Territory. These early Chinatowns are now preserved heritage sites.
Contemporary Chinatowns are found in the Australian cities of
Sydney,
Melbourne, Victoria,
Perth, Western Australia,
Brisbane, Queensland, and
Adelaide, South Australia. There is a Chinatown in
Broome, Western Australia, nearly 2,000 kilometres north from
Perth. Like their Chinese North American counterparts,
Chinese Australians tend to live in many different suburbs.
Sydney
Main article: Chinatown, Sydney
Sydney's Chinatown is the third area to bear that name. Originally in
The Rocks area of Sydney, it later moved to the area near Market Street at
Darling Harbour and finally to its current location in
Haymarket, around Dixon Street. In the Sydney area, working-class Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants have settled in the suburban Chinatown of
Cabramatta. Other suburban Chinatowns have cropped up over the years in the suburbs of
Ashfield,
Burwood,
Chatswood,
Eastwood,
Parramatta, and
Hurstville.
Adelaide
Main article: Chinatown, Adelaide
Adelaide's China Town is located in the Adelaide Central Markets precinct, on Moonta Street, between Grote and Gouger streets. Two impressive
Paifang mark the entrances at either end. Adelaide China Town consists mainly of oriental restaurants, grocery stores and markets.
Perth
Perth does not have a distinct
Chinatown. Historically many Chinese (usually of Malaysian, Singaporean or Indonesian background) settled in
Northbridge alongside other immigrant groups. The city's low density population and comparatively cheap property encourages migrants to move to the expanding suburbs. Asian students often chose to live in suburbs near universities, such as
Bentley,
Murdoch and
Nedlands.
Melbourne
Melbourne's Chinatown is around Lonsdale Street, Little Bourke Street, and Russell Street. A suburban Chinese community is in
Doncaster, with a large Hong Kong and Taiwanese expatriate population, and in
Box Hill with a large Chinese and Vietnamese communities.The vietnamese community is in 4 suburb Footscray,Richmond,Springvale and St Albans. Melbourne's Chinatown boasts some world famous cuisine, Flower Drum for example was voted as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the world by the New York Times. Gift shops and souvernir shops also make up a large proportion of businesses. This started when Chinatown Duty Free opened, a popular store selling Australian produce to overseas Chinese. It is said that Melbourne Chinatown also houses the world's longest dragon in the Melbourne Chinatown Museum.
Brisbane
The Chinatown of Brisbane is located in the suburb of
Fortitude Valley, complete with its own Chinese gateway. Located near the Story Bridge, Chinatown is very popular for Australians too.
Darwin
A new synthetic Chinatown of Darwin, Northern Territory is in development and it is to be finished in 2010 at a cost of AU $90 million. [
1]
The Chinatown, called
Quartier Chinois, in
French Polynesia is located in
Papeete on
Tahiti island. Its
overseas Chinese also migrated to France. Starting in 1865, early Chinese migrants of the Hakka variety arrived in French Polynesia to work on the island cotton plantations. Many of these migrants were exploited. The ethnic Chinese population has been declining in French Polynesia. [
2]
Hagåtña (Agaña) has a unique Chinatown in
Guam, a
United States territory. The first Chinese immigrated during the
Spanish territorial period, and their first descendants can speak
Spanish. The Japanese, Koreans, Thais, Vietnamese, Filipinos,
Chamorros, and other
Pacific Islanders also settled the place, making it a multi-Asian district. These Asians also migrated to
Hawaii or mainland United States.
The only
Nauruan Chinatown is located at the
Aiue Boulevard in the
District of Aiwo.
Noumea has the only Chinatown, or
Quartier Chinois, in
New Caledonia. It has been settled by ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese Vietnamese, and
Chinese Indonesian refugees. These Chinese also settled in
France.
 |
Dancers celebrate the start of the Year of the Rooster in Dunedin, New Zealand, February 2005 |
Unlike Australia, there has been little ethnic Chinese immigration to
New Zealand, although there is an overall strong Southeast Asian presence in many of the country's urban areas. Many Taiwanese and Cantonese settlers from Hong Kong also live permanently in New Zealand, and in recent years New Zealand universities have been attractive to overseas students from Southeast Asia. Chinatowns existed on Greys Avenue in
Auckland and Haining Street in
Wellington, and there is a growing community in both
Christchurch and
Dunedin.
The first early Chinese immigrants to New Zealand are Cantonese from
Guangdong Province, and they went here for the
Central Otago goldrush of
1861. The former Chinese gold-mining settlement near the present town of
Lawrence is being restored as an open-air museum. Because of this influx of Cantonese during the 1860s, there is a strong Chinese presence in
Dunedin, whose
current mayor,
Peter Chin, is of Chinese descent. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the area between Rattray Street and Stafford Street at the southern end of the city's CBD had the highest concentration of Chinese businesses in the country, notably Choie (Charles) Sew Hoy's importing company. A traditional Chinese garden is also currently under construction in the city.
Though Dunedin has no focussed Chinatown area
per se, a large proportion of the businesses in northern
George Street cater specifically for the large Eastern and Southeast Asian community centred around this part of the city.
Many Taiwanese and Cantonese settlers from
Hong Kong also live permanently in New Zealand, and in recent years New Zealand universities have been attractive to overseas students from Southeast Asia. Other groups of Chinese travelled from
South Korea, South Africa, Australia, Latin America, and other Pacific Islands. Chinese and other Asians such as Thais, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Filipinos reside together in New Zealand's Chinatowns, making them multi-Asian places.
In
2002, the New Zealand Government recently made a public apology to the Chinese for the poll tax that had been levied on their forefathers a century ago. [
3]
Saipan, in the
Northern Mariana Islands has a residential district known as "Chinatown". Unfortunately, very few Chinese actually live there and most of the small groceries in the area are actually run by
Koreans.
Several old Chinatowns dot the landscape of
Papua New Guinea. The Chinatown of
Rabaul is among the oldest in the nation. There is also a Chinatown in the capital city of
Port Moresby. Many ethnic Chinese have migrated to Australia.
There is an active Chinatown in the city of
Honiara on the
Solomon Islands. It was badly damaged in rioting in
April 2006, following the election of
Snyder Rini as
Prime Minister.
Vanuatu has a small Chinatown (
Quartier Chinois) on
Rue Carnot in
Port Vila. Its population includes ethnic
Vietnamese and ethnic
Chinese residents.
*
Guide to Chinatown, Sydney, Australia*
Eastern promise spread to the suburbs -
The Sydney Morning Herald article on the rise of suburban Chinatowns in Australia.
*
Melbourne Chinatown*
Tracking the Dragon - A guide for finding and assessing Chinese Australian heritage places
*
"The Chinese in New Zealand" - a website for and about the Chinese in New Zealand
