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
Stories of individuals in the Chinese community:
A comparative approach
Unit title:
Stories of individuals in the Chinese community: A comparative
approach
Year level:
Middle secondary
Key learning areas:
Studies of society and environment
Curriculum emphases:
from Studies of Asia: A Statement for Australian Schools:
- developing concepts of Asia.
- challenging stereotypes
Duration:
Three 50 minute lessons
Description:
Students focus on stories describing the experiences of several
individuals in the Chinese community and compare them with
the experiences of Chinese immigrants in the late 20th century.
Student outcomes:
Students will:
- compare and analyse primary sources
- develop an awareness of the range of experiences of members
of the Chinese community in late 19th and early 20th century
Australia.
- develop an understanding of some of the conflicts in colonial
and early federation society
- consider experiences of later Chinese immigrants with an
opportunity to consider to what extent and why stories are
different
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:
Ask students if they know any people of Chinese ancestry living
now in Australia. Follow this with a short class discussion
of student perceptions of differences in values, expectations
and achievements. Briefly discuss the different environments
that existed in the late 19th and early 20th century that
had an impact on the experience of Chinese immigrants. These
could include an examination of policies of exclusion and
discrimination such as the White Australia Policy and more
recent policies of inclusion and equal opportunity.
2. Explain the task to students
Read about the experiences of earlier Chinese immigrants to
Australia. Divide the class into groups and allocate the resources
listed below.
- Handout: 'Taam
Sze Pui'
- 'The
Guo Brothers and the Yong An Company' story on the Chinese
Heritage of Australian Federation website
- 'Kwong
Sue Duk and His Family' story on the Chinese Heritage
of Australian Federation website
- 'Leong
Har: Successful Banana Merchant' story on the Chinese
Heritage of Australian Federation website
- 'Wing
Hing Long: From Store to Museum' story on the Golden Threads
Project website which includes information about Jack Joe
Lowe.
- 'Louey
Ah Mouy' background article on the Chinese Heritage of
Australian Federation website.
- 'Mei
Quong Tart' information on the Harvest of Endurance Scroll
website or 'Mei
Quong Tart' background article on the Chinese Heritage
of Australian Federation website.
In a group or class discuss the following:
- What are the common factors in their experiences?
- Where are significant differences?
- What might be the possible reasons for these similarities
and differences?
3. Comparison of experiences
Students examine the stories of selected Chinese immigrants
in the late 20th century.
These could include such individuals such as:
- the late Victor Chang (many entries appear on the internet
eg. 'Victor
Chang AC (1936-1991)' on the The Victor Chang Cardiac
Research Institute website
- Chinese immigrants in the local community
- 'Stories'
on the NSW Migration Heritage Centre website
- Poems by David Poon in Voices From In Between (edited
by Geoff Baker), particularly 'Efforts to enter Australia',
'Hard working years in Australia' and 'Turning heads'. David
Poon, who was born in Canton in 1939 and arrived in Australia
in 1952.
4. What do these experiences show about Australian settlers
in Australia and their experiences?
Students write a short essay addressing these issues:
- Why do people immigrate and what challenges do immigrants
of any period of time face?
- What particular challenges have Chinese immigrants to Australia
faced?
- Stories of immigrants of the late 19th - early 20th centuries
and the various challenges, experiences and outcomes for these
people
- Stories of immigrants of the late 20th century and their
various challenges, experiences and outcomes.
- How do the two groups of immigrants compare in terms of
their stories?
- Which of the two groups has faced fewer obstacles?
- How can students account for these differences?
Extension activities: 1. Further discussion
The following issues can also be discussed using the reading
above:
- Taam Sze Pui's account is a short autobiography. What potential
problems are there with an account of this nature?
- Mei Quong Tart and Taam Sze Pui were both businessmen. Do
they have anything else in common?
- These stories tend to focus on successful businessmen. How
were they able to create or use an opportunity to head in
this direction?
Acknowledgements: Terry Buggy & John Cates (eds), Race Relations
in Colonial Australia: An Enquiry Approach, Nelson, Melbourne,
1982
Author:
Brendon Meehan
Handout:
Download 'Taam Sze
Pui' handout (44kb word document).
Summary of websites used in this lesson:
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website - http - Brief History of the Chinese in Australia
- education/history.htm
- Historical backgrounds - education/about.htm
- Stories - stories.htm
