Chinese immigrants first came to Victoria in large numbers during the goldrushes of the 1850s and Melbourne's Chinatown began as a staging post for the many thousands of Chinese passing through Melbourne on their way to the goldfields. The overwhelming majority came from small farming villages in the Sze-Yap (meaning Four Districts) area of
Kwangtung, China's southernmost province. Since the late eighteenth century, young men from this region had been accustomed to migrate temporarily to other countries. They sent back money to increase the prestige of their clans and hoped eventually to return home themselves.
Melbourne's Chinatown is the oldest in Australia.
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