Abstracts of the Research Notes in Chinese = 研究筆記中文提要

Abstract

With the stimulation of gold rushes after 1851, Chinese migrants swarmed to Australia in unprecedented numbers. The Chinese diggers transplanted and transformed agricultural skills from their homeland of the Pearl River Delta to the goldfields, while they also quickly learned mining methods from European miners. However, there was a stereotype that asserted the ©fossicking© Chinese miners wasted and polluted water holes. This was simply a racial bias, because fossicking was to a great extent the result of both white racism against Chinese immigrants and the efficiency of indigenous Chinese skills. In contrast to the stereotype, Chinese diggers greatly improved the water supply in certain alluvial mining fields by connecting bamboo pipes to introduce water. Uncovering the techniques of the Chinese miners and their influence, one could specifically re-examine the discourse of ©White Australia©. Show more