The strength of traditions

• Home
• Explore the scroll
  • Before the gold rush
  • Chinese workers
  • Australian gold rush
  • Chinese miners
  • Anti-Chinese violence
  • Lambing flat riots
  • A safe haven
  • Isolated and homesick
  • Rise of merchants
  • Market gardens and musicians
  • Vendors and cooks
  • Laundries and factories
  • The general store
  • Trouble in the homeland
  • Opium
  • Revolution in China
  • Republican victory
  • Healing the sick
  • The strength of traditions
  • Religion
  • Developing the north
  • Riverboat trade
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Politics and racism
  • Invasion
  • The support effort
  • The Second World War
  • The war effort
  • The People's Republic of China
  • Melbourne Olympics
  • Colombo Plan
  • Multiculturalism
  • Professions
  • Rising to the top
  • Australia's Bicentenary
  • Towards the future
  • Final inscription
• How to read the scroll
• Creating the scroll
• The people
• Acknowledgements and bibliography

The strength of traditions

These people are involved in traditional Chinese pastimes, including watching a folk opera (upper right), and playing Chinese chess (centre).

Strong loyalties

Many Chinese immigrants had strong loyalties to their Chinese counties. People from the same counties often formed social clubs or hui-kuans. These clubs offered friendship, helped the sick and aged and offered mutual protection. Many raised money to send the remains of the deceased back to China for burial and to assist those affected by natural disasters in China.

Despite intermarriage and the adoption by some of Christianity, strong cultural elements survived and were very evident at Chinese festival times. Chinese communities worked hard to maintain Chinese culture and traditions. Many wealthier families sent their sons back to China for their primary education, thus ensuring fluency in both oral and written Chinese language skills and an understanding of Chinese religious practices and culture.