What information is available

Portrait of Maud Nomchong of Braidwood, N.S.W , 18--, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136763161

Many of the core family history resources used within Australia will be applicable to Chinese-Australian family histories. Consult Australian records and resources on:

• birth, death and marriage records
• naturalisation and citizenship records
• gravestones
• immigration, settlement and registration records
• chinese newspapers

Getting started

To successfully track your family back to China, you will likely need to identify your ancestors’ names in Chinese characters (not just the romanisation, which was not standardised prior to the 20th century), as well as their village and district origin.

You can use these resources to get started:

• Journeys into Chinese Australian Family History: an excellent foundation work which includes detailed case studies as wells as advice on researching and working with Chinese language when you don’t speak Chinese, and other general family history research strategies.
• Chinese Cemeteries in Australia Volumes 1-14: This series by Dr Kok Hu Jin is a detailed guide describing and translating the gravestones of Chinese-Australians interned in cemeteries across Australia. They also provide excellent background and context for the family historian, tracing surname groups, districts of origin, language groups and more. They are out of print but you can find copies of these volumes in a library near you in Trove.

Understanding naming conventions

Traditionally Chinese names are comprised of two or three characters: a surname character at the front followed by one or two given name characters. For example:

It is common for parents to give a child a name and a 小名 xiǎomíng (nickname or“little name”), with the latter usually used in early childhood.

When a child enrols in school, they are given a “school name”.

If you want to trace your ancestor before they arrived in Australia, you will need to know their proper Chinese name (in characters) and their home district.

In Australian records, Chinese people’s names were often written down in different ways or may use have recorded little names or school names. It is worth keeping a list of spelling variations and name variations that you find for your ancestor.

Family Genealogies 家族 (jiapu) or 族譜 (zupu) and ‘Generational Poems’ 字輩詞

A Chinese genealogy book traditionally recorded the males' names of the family in Chinese. The surnames of wives were also listed followed by the character 氏 shì, which means surname.

Some Chinese families use a ‘generational poem’ to record the lineage of a generation. Siblings and cousins of the same generation would share a generation name (字辈 zìbèi or 班次 bāncì) which was usually the middle character of the name.

• Jia Pu (Chinese Genealogical Record): a more in-depth introduction by the Singapore-based group Chinese Roots
• Use Jiapu to Grow Your Chinese Family Tree: a blog by FamilySearch.

Naturalisation and land ownership

Before the 1880’s very few immigrants from China obtained certificates of naturalisation and hence would not appear on electoral rolls. Most of those who did were born under British rule in the Crown Colonies of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malacca and Penang.

The requirements for naturalisation broadly included evidence of ownership of a business or possession of assets such as shops, houses or land. were such that many immigrants from China were precluded from obtaining a naturalisation certification under Section 16 of the “Influx of Chinese restriction Act of 1881”, which stated:

“No Chinese arriving in this Colony after the passing of this Act shall be competent to acquire or to hold real estate in the said Colony any law to the contrary notwithstanding unless such Chinese be British subject either by birth or naturalisation.”

As a consequence, most buildings constructed by Chinese communities, such as temples, were constructed on leased or crown lands. So early land and property records are less likely to be applicable.

Key sources

You can find applications for naturalisation, including those that were rejected, cancelled or confiscated, in state archives and at the National Archives of Australia (NAA).

For those whose ancestors were in New South Wales, you can try La Trobe University's Chinese Naturalisation Database, NSW 1857-1887.

Immigration and travel records

There are an abundance of records relating to entry, departure, ‘alien’ registration, student records and other travel documentation that was issued to Chinese Australians during the Colonial period through to the 20th century. These can be highly useful as they might contain Chinese and English names, as well as birthplace or district of origin.

Key sources

Prior to Federation, the New South Wales colonial government was responsibility for its own immigration laws and related administration. These records are predominantly held by State Archives and Records New South Wales.

• Chinese migration & settlement guide (1826 to 1929)

For (mostly) post-Federation records, the National Archives of Australia (NAA) has published guides. These detailed guides focus on records that would be of most interest to family historians and researchers of Chinese–Australian history.

• Chinese–Australian journeys: records on travel, migration, and settlement (1860 to 1975)
• Chinese immigrants and Chinese Australians in New South Wales

You can also find records by searching the NAA's RecordSearch. Use key phrases like ‘Chinese student’ or ‘student passport for records for on Chinese students in Australia. Files often contain a photograph and details in both Chinese and English.

Chinese-Australian ANZACs

There is strong record of Australians of Chinese ancestry have been serving in the defence forces, even prior, during and after the First World War (WWI) when Australian-born children of Chinese settlers faced significant racial intolerance, persecution and social exclusion. In the 19th century it was not unusual for soldiers to enlist under their mother’s maiden name if it was of European origin, or to use an Anglicised alias.

By WWI thousands of Chinese Australians had enlisted and served, arguable receiving a higher rate of individual awards for bravery than might have been statistically expected. In addition to those who joined the armed forces, many served in the Chinese Labour Corps who worked under the British and French on the Western Front.

Books

• Morag Loh & Judith Winternitz & Australia. Office of Multicultural Affairs, Dinky-di: the contributions of Chinese immigrants and Australians of Chinese descent to Australia's defence forces and war efforts 1899-1988, 1988
• Govt. Pub. Service. [Also available in Chinese under the title Aozhou Hua yi can jun shi lue /澳洲華裔参軍史略]
• Diana Giese & Courage and Service Project, Courage and service :Chinese Australians and World War II, 1999
• Edmond Chiu & Adil Soh-Lim & Museum of Chinese Australian History, For honour and country: Victorian Chinese Australians in World War II 荣誉与国家: 纪念二战衷心服役的维多利亚州澳洲华裔 (text in English and Chinese), 2021
• Will Davies & Albert Yue Ling Wong & Brendan Nelson, The forgotten: the Chinese Labour Corps and the Chinese ANZACS in the Great War, 2020

Chinese Australian newspapers

Twelve Chinese newspapers are known to have been published in Australia between the 1850s and 1950s.

Key sources

• The first national paper, the Chinese Australian Herald 廣益華報 (Guang yi hua bao), 1894–1923.
• Tung Wah News 東華新報 (Donghua xinbao), 1898–1902 and Tung Wah Times 東華報 (Donghua bao) 1902-1940 with an English-language index to the newspapers.
• Chinese Times (美利賓埠愛國報 Meilibin bu ai guo bao (1902-03), 愛國報 Aiguo bao (1902–07); 警東新報 Jing Dong xinbao (1907–15); 平報 Pingbao (1917); 民報 Minbao (1919-1922)).
• Chinese Weekly Press (1923–27)
• Chinese Mail (1923)
• Chinese Republic News (Minguo bao) (1914–40)
• Chinese World’s News (Gong Bao or The Bulletin) (1921–42 and 1947–51)
• Sino–Australian Times (1930)
• Eastern Commercial News (1931– ?)
• The Chinese Advertiser (1856)
• The English and Chinese Advertiser (1856–58)
• Australia-China Times (1955–57)

Unlike many traditional western newspapers, these titles were unlikely to publish family notices. However, they included much information on small (including family) businesses and community news. Some of these titles are digitised and available in Trove.

Other sources

• The Chinese press in Australia
• Chinese-language Australian newspapers
• The Chinese-Australian Historical Images in Australia

Get help with your research

Our specialist staff can help you with your research, to locate resources and to use our microform and scanning equipment but they cannot undertake extensive or ongoing genealogical, historical or other research on your behalf.

Find out more in our Information and Research Policy.

If we are not able to help, you can also try:

• Chinese-Australian Family Historians of Victoria
• Australian Chinese Community Association of New South Wales
• Chinese-Australian Historical Society
• Chinese Heritage in Northern Australia

Ask a Librarian