Asian Studies Program
La Trobe University
Victoria 3086
AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 3 9479 1315 Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 Email:cha@latrobe.edu.au
Asian Studies Program
Chinese Australia
The Changing Face of Little Bourke Street (Junior)
Unit title:
The changing face of Little Bourke Street (Junior)
Year level:
Junior secondary
Key learning areas:
Studies of society and environment
Curriculum emphases:
From: Studies in Asia: A Statement for Australian Schools:
- Developing concepts of Asia
- World contributions by the peoples of Asia
Duration:
One to two 50-minute lessons (dependant on task chosen)
Description:
Chinatowns have developed in many countries around the world,
including Australia in cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and
Brisbane. Some of these Chinatowns have histories that go
back to the goldrush era, others have disappeared as the Chinese
population shifted and declined. Students use the 'Melbourne
Chinatown Streets Database 1900-1920' to complete an empathy
exercise reflecting on the changing face of a small section
of Little Bourke Street. As an extension activity students
consider some of the important events which shaped the lives
of the Chinese people living and working in Melbourne during
the early 20th century.
Student outcomes:
Students will:
- be able to search a database
- compare and analyse primary sources
- extend empathetic skills relating to Chinese people in the
early 20th century
- develop writing/reporting skills
- develop an understanding of the events which shaped the
lives of Chinese individuals in Australia
Materials required:
- Computer/s with access to the internet. Alternatively could
use a cached version of the site, paste the database information
into a spreadsheet program such as Excel or print relevant
pages and copy onto overheads or handouts.
Procedure: 1. Introduction
Engage a short discussion about Chinatowns including comment
from those students who have been there. Ask students to imagine
how this street has changed over the years and to make some
guesses about what the street looked like, what work took
place, what types of shops and people were there etc.
2. Explain the task to students
Students will be using a database to gather evidence on what
type of street Little Bourke Street was at the turn of the
century and they will use this information to write an historically
based story/script. Students could complete this task individually
or in a group of between 2 - 3 people using 'The
changing face of Little Bourke Street' handout.
4. First students select 'Browse database' so they can view
the type of information included in the database. Ask them
to look at a section of the database and at random, select
a street number.
5. With the street number in mind, use the 'back' button
to return to the main database page. Select 'Search database'.
6. Using the search items, have students type in the street
number (first box), then type 'Little Bourke Street' in the
street name (next box) and finally 'sort by' year and click
'search' button. View the results of a search for '220
Little Bourke Street'.
A further search is done using one of the people or businesses
found in the street search. In this case 'Hung Fong' is entered
in the 'Individual Business name' box and then sorted by year.
View the results of a search for 'Hung
Fong'.
When students locate a street number where a person or business
is listed for at least 10 years, this can be the prime focus
of their story. Then select another number and search. For
example, 222
Little Bourke Street sorted by year.
As students experiment with the database they may find that
businesses in the street moved to a different address over
the period or that the spelling of the business or person's
name varied. Encourage students to speculate why this occurred.
Many smaller businesses moved as larger businesses in the
'bigger' adjacent street expanded. Some may also have moved
for financial reasons. Finally the Little Bourke Street area
was a run down district neglected by landlords, businesses
and residents may have moved to improved premises. For a discussion
on why Chinese names may vary see 'Why
a Chinese person may have more than one name' on the Chinese
Heritage of Australian Federation website.
6. With the results of their searches, students can then
begin their story, imagining they are either the shop-keeper,
child of the shop-keeper or worker at this shop and they write
of the comings and goings in the street, the changes of business,
the new owners and their families, the anguish at the loss
of a friend who leaves the shop, the new shops and their unusual/interesting
wares, etc.
The writing could be in the form of:
- a diary with an irregular writer who only writes when a
main event occurs,
- a script,
- a newspaper/magazine feature article,
- a collection of documents found in the building in 2020
OR students could perform a play and conduct the initial
research in a group of two or three.
Extension activities: 1. Debate:
Read document
1251 in the Digitised Historic Documents database on the
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website and outline
the arguments Cheok Hong Cheong presents in his letter to
the editor. Using the related links found when the 'Background'
button on the document is clicked conduct a debate where the
arguments about this legislation are discussed.
2. Excursion:
Organise an excursion to Chinatown and the Chinese Museum.
Summary of websites used in this lesson:
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website - http - Brief History of the Chinese in Australia
- education/history.htm
- Why a Chinese person may have more than one name - education/names.htm
- Stories - stories.htm
- Melbourne Chinatown Streets Database 1900-1920 - chinatown.htm
- Digitised Historic Documents database - docs_home.htm
