Patrick Grayson – författare

For three hundred years the Chinese have influenced Australia – in a million ways… and it continues to today. It is a fascinating story of a race transference and heritage from China to Australia.

The book covers the following;

Ø  Early migration to Australia of Chinese people, including their life and hardships on the goldfields.

Ø  Chinese-Australians who influenced the growth of Australia, such as; Mei Quong Tart, born in China’s Canton province in 1850, who, when he died in Sydney, was mourned by thousands, both Chinese and Westerners. It also documents other interesting characters like, Sam Poo, a Chinese born bushranger, who in 1865 went to the gallows for murdering a police officer, and highway robbery. Follow the life of young Chinese man, Wang Cai, who came to Australia in the 1850s, leaving his family farm in the Shandong Province, up to his death in Australia, some seventy years later. There are many such tales.

Ø  Interviews with current day Chinese-Australians from all vocations and societal levels, discussing what they like and don’t like about Australia.

The work is populated with literally hundreds of interesting historical facts, and is a celebration of Chinese-Australian relationships, is easy reading, entertaining, and informative. It has filled an important role in Australian/Chinese history in terms of China’s biggest, and certainly their most important export – her people.