Global InformationChinatowns in Australia information
| Chinatown | |||||||
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 Melbourne Chinatown | |||||||
| Chinese | 唐人街 | ||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國城 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国城 | ||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 華埠 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 华埠 | ||||||
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| Chinatowns |
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Chinatowns in Australia is a term used to describe major Chinese ethnic enclaves in Australia, especially those that claim to retain a strong Chinese cultural identity and a strong relationship with China. Chinatowns exist in most Australian states and territories, especially in the highly-populous and cosmopolitan capital cities but also in rural areas. Many large present-day Chinatowns in Australia have developed out of smaller historical Chinese settlements in Australia dating back to the 19th century. Chinese people first immigrated to Australia in large waves in the midst of the Australian gold rushes (beginning during the 1850s). Many of these people subsequently chose to return to China or were forcefully deported from Australia. The first known Chinese Australian was John Shying, who immigrated to Australia in 1818.
Australia has seen significant waves of Chinese and Overseas Chinese immigration for several decades since the 1970s, which was roughly when the White Australia policy (a white nationalist Australian ethnic policy that heavily restricted Asian immigration from 1901 until 1973) was completely dismantled. Australia is a popular destination for Chinese emigrants because of its high standards of living and relatively close geographic proximity to China, as well as because the Chinese Australian community is already well-established. The Chinese government, Chinese companies, and Chinese organisations also have strong interests in Australia and can provide an extensive support network for Chinese immigrants to Australia.
Because China restricted emigration up until 1983, prior to this year, most Chinese people came to Australia from Hong Kong (then a British colony, now a Chinese SAR), either as native Hongkongers or as Mainland Chinese passing through Hong Kong. Up until 1983, the largest Mainland Chinese immigrant community in Australia has consistently been the Cantonese Australian community, originating from Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province; both Guangzhou and Guangdong are commonly known as "Canton" in the English language. Most people in Hong Kong are descended from Guangzhou City (whether recently or distantly) and identify as Cantonese. Cantonese people living overseas are most easily recognisable by their usage of the Cantonese language, which belongs to the Chinese (Sinitic) language family.
In the present day, the collective Chinese Australian community consists of Chinese people originating from a variety of countries. The largest community of Chinese people in Australia is the Mainland Chinese, largely due to the fact that many Mainland Chinese have been temporarily living in Australia throughout the past few decades in order to attend Australian universities. In Australian censuses, Hong Kong-born, Macau-born, and Taiwan-born people are recorded separately; Hong Kongese and Taiwanese people constitute some significant ethnic Chinese communities in Australia. There are also many Overseas Chinese people in Australia, mostly from Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.