During the gold rush Chinese immigrants made up a quarter of Bendigo's population, but now only one percent trace their ancestry back to these diggers.
The goldfields were a dangerous place in the 19th century particularly for Chinese miners who faced inhibitory discrimination and suffered xenophobic attacks.
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Despite this many made Bendigo their home and helped shape the city it is today. Their legacy can be seen in the annual Chinese Dragon parade, Golden Dragon Museum, and Chinese gardens.
It was classic fear of the unknown. A lot of people on the goldfields had come from backgrounds where they had never seen a Chinese person in their lives.
- Darren Wright - Historian
And some miners still haunt the Chinese section of a local cemetery although many of the bodies were exhumed.
The podcast episode charts the story of Chinese miners on the goldfields as well as their descendants. It explores how a parade of Chinese dragons became the biggest event of the year, and where Bendigo's Chinese ancestors went.
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Laura Carolina Corrigan
Canberra Times producer with a background in news and podcasts.
Canberra Times producer with a background in news and podcasts.
