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
Sharing Dragons
Unit title:
Sharing Dragons
Year level:
Lower secondary
Key learning areas:
Studies of society and environment
Curriculum emphases:
From: Studies in Asia: A Statement
for Australian Schools:
- World contributions by the people of Asia
- Likely implications of closer Asia-Australia relationships.
Duration:
Two to three 50 minute lessons
Description:
Students investigate the contribution of Chinese people to
celebrations in Australia and explore why they have played
such a prominent role. The Federation Parade in Melbourne
in 1901, the Bendigo Easter Fair and the Centenary of Federation
'Our Nation On Parade' in Melbourne, 2001 are used as case
studies. Students suggest how a group from their local area,
if they had moved to live in another country, would contribute
to their new community.
Student outcomes:
Students will:
- recognise the contribution of Chinese communities to local
civic celebrations, both in the past and the present
- identify elements of their own local culture that they could
share with another community.
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.
- Poster paper, coloured paints, material scraps etc for a
collage.
Procedure: Introduction:
When a group of 'outsiders' join a community, they sometimes
make a big effort to fit in with and be accepted by their
new community. The Chinese in Australia did this in a spectacular
way through participating in processions, often featuring
dragons. Read the material below about Chinese processions.
What was the name of the dragon from Bendigo in the Melbourne
procession in May 1901?
- Click on each dragon on the 'dragons'
section of the Golden Dragon Museum Bendigo website to find
out which one was used in the 1901 procession.
Where does he live now? Why is he so special?
The Federation Procession, May 1901:
Provide students with handout 1: 'Chinese
federation procession held in Melbourne, 1901' extracts
from Age newspaper article from the time.
(This has some difficult language. Teachers will need to provide
guidance.)
Read the description of the procession held in Melbourne
on the 8th May, 1901. Find out the meanings of the words marked
in bold print.
The article refers to Little Bourke Street as "Lillie
Bulke stleet". Why? Would any of the major newspapers
have done this in an article about the Centenary of Federation
Parade in 2001? Why / why not?
From the description in the newspaper article, create a mural
poster of the 1901 procession, using paints, collage or whatever
materials you think suitable for such a spectacular procession.
Divide the class into small groups, with each group constructing
a section of the procession, which will then be joined together
to make the mural.
Dragons in Bendigo:
Read the following:
- handout 2: 'Bendigo
Dragons' extracts from 'Chinese of Bendigo and the power
of procession', a paper by Raphael Beh, Curator of the Golden
Dragon Museum Bendigo.
- 'Dragons'
on the Golden Dragon Museum Bendigo website.
- 'Post-war
Chinese Australians Oral History Project' by Diana Giese
on the National Library of Australia website. Scroll down
the page and only read the short section where Diana Giese
interviews Russell Jack about the Bendigo dragon parade.
Answer the following questions:
- Why did the Chinese in Bendigo decide to join the annual
Easter Fair Procession?
- When did they first participate and what did they do in
the parade?
- When did a dragon first appear in the Easter Parade? Describe
this dragon (name, size, special features.)
- Why did two dragons appear in 1970?
- How did the Chinese community of Bendigo commemorate their
role in the 1901 procession in Melbourne?
- Imagine that you and a group of people from your local area
have moved to live in a far away place, very different from
where you live now. Your new home town is about to hold its
annual festival. What contribution would your group make to
the festival that would enable you to share your culture and
educate your new community about your group?
Other Chinese celebrations.
Find out about festivals, parades or celebrations in or near
your local area, that include a contribution from the Chinese
community.
Download handout 2: 'Bendigo
Dragons' extracts from 'Chinese of Bendigo and the power
of procession', a paper by Raphael Beh, Curator of the Golden
Dragon Museum Bendigo (47kb 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
- Digitised Historic Documents database - docs_home.htm
