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
Chinese newspapers
Unit title:
Chinese newspapers
Year level:
Middle secondary
Key learning areas:
Studies of society and environment
Curriculum emphasis:
From Studies in Asia: A Statement
for Australian Schools:
- Likely implications of closer Asia-Australia relationships
- World contributions by the peoples of Asia
Duration:
Two to three 50 minute lessons
Description:
Students investigate the role of Chinese newspapers in the
Australian Chinese community, both in the early 20th century
and today. They also consider the role of ethnic newspapers
in general.
Teacher background material:
The following links provide an introduction and overview of
the topics covered in this unit:
- Brief
History of the Chinese in Australia on the Chinese Heritage
of Australian Federation website.
- 'Chinese
Newspapers in Australia from the Turn of the Century'
an article on the Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation
website describing the history of Chinese newspapers in Australia.
- 'Boxer
Uprising' on the MSN Encarta describes the causes and
effects of the Boxer Rebellion.
- 'Boer
War' on the MSN Encarta describes the causes and effects
of the Boer War.
Student outcomes:
Students will:
- identify some reasons that ethnic communities produce their
own newspapers in Australia and understand the functions served
by these newspapers
- name some sources of news available in Australia in languages
other than English.
Materials required:
- Computer/s with internet access. Alternatively could use
a cached version of the site or print the relevant pages and
copy onto overheads or handouts.
- A hard copy of a newspaper or magazine in Chinese (or another
language other than English). See Onlinenewspapers
website for information on Australian newspapers available
on the web. Ask your local newsagent what foreign language
newspapers, produced in Australia are available in your area.
Your newsagent should have a booklet called 'National Title
Tracker' which lists newspapers and other publications available.
Check the main dailies in your state/town to see if they have
any other language versions available online (The
Age in Melbourne has a Chinese
edition online).
Procedure:
1.Introduction:
In an introductory discussion raise the following questions:
- What is the role of newspapers in our community?
- Why do people read them?
- Do students know that newspapers are produced in Australia
for particular ethnic groups in their own language?
- Have any of the students (or their parents, grandparents
etc) from a non-English speaking background (NESB) ever read
an Australian-produced newspaper in their own language? If
so, why? (eg: unable to read English, get news from old country,
get different point of view on events etc)
2. Tung Wah Times in the early twentieth century:
Read the introductory text to the 'Tung
Wah Index' on the Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation
website.
- Why is the Tung Wah Times considered to be 'probably the
most important publication in the history of Australia's Chinese
communities'?
Read the handout containing extracts from 'Chinese Newspapers
in Australia from the Turn of the Century' (full text available
on the Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website). - Why did the Melbourne Patriotic News argue that
the Chinese should become actively involved in local Australian
political activities?
- What two reasons are given to explain why Chinese newspapers
should have run into difficulties in the early 1920s?
Search the 'Tung
Wah Times database' to find out if the Chinese community
was interested or involved in the Federation of the Australian
colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
Try entering 'commonwealth', then 'federation' in the 'Find'
box. Clear the 'Find' box, then go down to the 'Advanced Search'
box. Select 2nd January, 1901, then click on 'Start search'.
What other world events were of interest to the Chinese community
in Australia at this time? (Boxer Rebellion, Boer War)
3. Community language newspapers in your local area today:
List the community languages in which newspapers are likely
to be available in your local area.
Visit or contact local newsagents to see if they stock papers
in these languages.
- Do they stock any newspapers in languages other than those
on your list?
If possible, get a copy of an Australian-produced newspaper
in a community language and a copy of one of the main daily
newspapers from your state/town for the same day. Look at
the English language paper and list some of the main news
stories, articles, sections.
- Which of these would you expect to also see in the community
language paper?
- Which would you not expect to see?
With the help of the pictures to give you clues, or someone
who reads that community language, try to compare the content
of the two papers. Present your findings in the form of a
table. What conclusions can you draw from this?
Extension activities: 1. Argumentative essay or debate
Write an argumentative essay or hold a debate on the topic:
'Community language newspapers isolate these groups and discourage
involvement with the rest of the Australian community'.
2. PMI (Plus/Minus/Interesting) table
Do a 'PMI table' on the concept of community language newspapers
(Plus/Minus/Interesting, is a lateral and creative thinking
strategy used in de Bono's CoRT Thinking program. See 'PMI'
information on the English Learning Area website developed
by Tasmanian Educational Leaders’ Institute). Would you
like to be able to read an English language newspaper including
Australian news if you were living in another country for
an extended period?
Summary of websites used in this lesson:
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website - http - Brief History of the Chinese in Australia
- education/history.htm
- 'Chinese Newspapers in Australia from the Turn of the Century'
by Liu Weiping (translated by Sang Yichuan and John Fitzgerald)
- chinese_newspapers.htm
- Tung Wah Times newspaper index - tungwah.htm
