Chinese Prospectors at the Gold fields
The Gold Rush (1851 – 1914) sparked a huge influx of miners onto the goldfields from Australia and from overseas. The gold rush brought a variety of different races, one of which was the Chinese. 7000 Chinese miners arrived at the NSW gold fields in 1852. (Sydney Living Museum). Most Chinese who joined the Australian gold rush left their families and home behind. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Anti-Chinese Racism). This was difficult for the Chinese as they came from a traditional culture that focused heavily on family and religion. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Anti-Chinese Racism). Unfortunately for the Chinese they were heavily discriminated against and were also racially abused because of their …show more content…
The Chinese miners had their own unique ways to mine. For example the European miners constructed rectangular and square shafts and the Chinese miners constructed round shafts. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Chinese Mining Methods). The Chinese miners round shafts had better structural integrity than the square shafts the Europeans used. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Chinese Mining Methods). Methods like these made the Chinese miners mine much more efficient than the Europeans. The Chinese miners often worked in organised groups usually consisting of 30 – 100 men, they were under the direction of an elder. (Sydney Living Museum). The Chinese miners worked longer hours for cheaper wages. (Racism in the Goldfields). All these factors resulted in a successful gold digging campaign. (Sydney Living Museum). The Chinese success caused European jealously which led to discrimination and racism towards the Chinese. The Chinese people were usually regarded as pagans and an inferior race, and were often unfairly blamed for many things not of their doing. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Chinese Communities). This anti-Chinese sentiment (racism) was widespread and existed even without the Gold …show more content…
Some of the discrimination aimed at the Chinese was that they were forced to pay an immigration tax of 1000 pounds when they landed at Port Phillip Bay. (Racism in the Goldfields). To circumvent the tax the Chinese landed at South Australia and walked overland to the fields in Victoria. When they arrived in Victoria they came at place called Sovereign hill and were living quarters at the bottom of the hill, where when it rained all of the human waste washed down the hill towards them. (Racism in the Goldfields). This didn’t bother the Chinese as they found use for the rain water and used it to irrigate their crops which resulted in them saving money as they became self-sufficient. William Howitt a miner that lived in Sovereign Hill said “Here were ten or a dozen of these Chinamen, all apparently of recent arrival. They were chiefly dressed in loose blue blouses, or shirts, with a belt round the waist, short, wide blue trousers and light boots. On their heads they had those flat straw hats …They were in fact more like umbrellas, with the Chinamen for handles, than anything else.
… One man had at the end of his pole a working cradle, and at the other end a puddling tub. This must have weighed at least a hundredweight.” William
The Gold Rush (1851 – 1914) sparked a huge influx of miners onto the goldfields from Australia and from overseas. The gold rush brought a variety of different races, one of which was the Chinese. 7000 Chinese miners arrived at the NSW gold fields in 1852. (Sydney Living Museum). Most Chinese who joined the Australian gold rush left their families and home behind. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Anti-Chinese Racism). This was difficult for the Chinese as they came from a traditional culture that focused heavily on family and religion. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Anti-Chinese Racism). Unfortunately for the Chinese they were heavily discriminated against and were also racially abused because of their …show more content…
The Chinese miners had their own unique ways to mine. For example the European miners constructed rectangular and square shafts and the Chinese miners constructed round shafts. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Chinese Mining Methods). The Chinese miners round shafts had better structural integrity than the square shafts the Europeans used. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Chinese Mining Methods). Methods like these made the Chinese miners mine much more efficient than the Europeans. The Chinese miners often worked in organised groups usually consisting of 30 – 100 men, they were under the direction of an elder. (Sydney Living Museum). The Chinese miners worked longer hours for cheaper wages. (Racism in the Goldfields). All these factors resulted in a successful gold digging campaign. (Sydney Living Museum). The Chinese success caused European jealously which led to discrimination and racism towards the Chinese. The Chinese people were usually regarded as pagans and an inferior race, and were often unfairly blamed for many things not of their doing. (The Original Gold Rush Colony: Chinese Communities). This anti-Chinese sentiment (racism) was widespread and existed even without the Gold …show more content…
Some of the discrimination aimed at the Chinese was that they were forced to pay an immigration tax of 1000 pounds when they landed at Port Phillip Bay. (Racism in the Goldfields). To circumvent the tax the Chinese landed at South Australia and walked overland to the fields in Victoria. When they arrived in Victoria they came at place called Sovereign hill and were living quarters at the bottom of the hill, where when it rained all of the human waste washed down the hill towards them. (Racism in the Goldfields). This didn’t bother the Chinese as they found use for the rain water and used it to irrigate their crops which resulted in them saving money as they became self-sufficient. William Howitt a miner that lived in Sovereign Hill said “Here were ten or a dozen of these Chinamen, all apparently of recent arrival. They were chiefly dressed in loose blue blouses, or shirts, with a belt round the waist, short, wide blue trousers and light boots. On their heads they had those flat straw hats …They were in fact more like umbrellas, with the Chinamen for handles, than anything else.
… One man had at the end of his pole a working cradle, and at the other end a puddling tub. This must have weighed at least a hundredweight.” William