Explore a compelling part of West Coast history – Shantytown’s recreated Chinatown. This area tells the enduring story of the Chinese gold miners who arrived in New Zealand from 1867, playing a significant yet often challenging role in the region’s development.
Almost all of the Chinese who came to the New Zealand goldfields originated from the Pearl River delta, located in south-east China’s Guangdong (Canton) province. They began arriving on the West Coast from 1867, initially coming from the goldfields of Otago or Australia, and later directly from China.
Many came from poor farming families and were driven by significant hardships in their homeland during the 1800s, including overpopulation, poverty, and the destructive effects of British Imperialism and the opium trade. For many rural poor, the solution was to send sons and brothers overseas, hoping the money they sent back would be the difference between life and death for their families. There was also a belief they would return to their village as rich men, enhancing their family’s position. While many went to California and Australia, some found their way to New Zealand.
Not all Chinese immigrants came solely as miners; there were also storekeepers, cooks, gardeners, and at least one Chinese doctor.
The arrival of Chinese miners was generally not met with enthusiasm by the predominantly European mining community. Early arrivals sometimes faced hostility:
Europeans often viewed Chinese miners as different due to their appearance (darker skin, baggy clothes, long pigtails), different religious beliefs (they even worked on Sundays!), and the perception that they were not useful immigrants as they didn’t intend to stay permanently. The overall reaction was often one of suspicion and dislike, particularly during economic declines when there was fear of losing jobs to the Chinese.
However, after initial intimidation, conditions often settled down. Warden Fitzgerald reported in April 1874 that “the good feeling…existing between the Europeans and the Chinese still continues”.
Chinese miners looked for ground that would provide a steady income and where they could work in peace. They were known for their systematic approach and willingness to work long hours. They often re-worked ground already tried by Europeans, using traditional methods like wing damming and water wheels.
Their engineering skills were highly regarded, with one newspaper noting their “skilful engineer[ing]” and “ingeniously-contrived dummy sluice entrances”. Wardens praised their industrious, peaceable, and well-conducted nature, even noting how their efforts in re-opening abandoned tail races benefited the entire mining area.
Huts were typically simple, with a chimney near the door, few windows, and sparse furnishings. They might have a sleeping platform, food storage boxes, and wash buckets. Inscriptions on red paper, often greeting visitors or wishing for wealth and a return home, were common inside and on exterior doors.
Despite the crude conditions (earth floors, no lining), their living spaces were often noted for their cleanliness and hospitality.
Chinese miners adhered to a complex mix of beliefs and customs from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Ancestor worship was very important, and they believed in evil spirits, using rituals to ward them off and invite good fortune. The five Chinese virtues are humanity, integrity, courtesy, wisdom, and truth.
They extended the concept of family to include those from the same county or clan, often working and living in communal groups. While some Christian churches sought to convert them, very few Chinese became Christians, largely due to their strong faith in traditional religions and concerns about spirits.
Few Chinese women came to the goldfields; in 1878, there were only 9 Chinese women in New Zealand, increasing to only 89 by 1900. Most miners could not afford to bring their wives, especially after the £100 poll tax was introduced in 1896. The women who did come were usually wives of wealthy merchants or missionaries.
Occasionally, a successful miner, market gardener, or cook might marry a local woman, though this was rare. Such events, like Chat Shing’s marriage to Charlotte Grey in 1888, often caused great curiosity and local celebration.
When not working long hours, Chinese miners enjoyed gambling games like fantan, pakapoo, and later dice, which provided excitement and a chance to relax with friends. Tobacco smoking was common, and while alcohol consumption was accepted, very few cases of Chinese drunkenness were reported.
Opium addiction, prevalent in their home province, was also brought to New Zealand by many, or taken up as an escape from hardship and loneliness. It’s estimated about 10% of the Chinese mining population was addicted, with perhaps 60% smoking occasionally. Opium was inhaled from heated resin using specific pipes.
Chinese miners likely ate staples of rice and vegetables, flavored with available meat, sauces, and spices. Many grew small gardens for vegetables, selling surpluses to others.
Until the turn of the century, Chinese stores were prominent in towns like Greymouth, Hokitika, and Reefton. These storekeepers imported rice, tea, preserved vegetables, condiments, alcohol, fireworks, and herbal medicines. They were important community hubs, acting as meeting places and often interpreters and letter writers due to their bilingual skills.
Market gardening was another significant occupation, with Chinese gardeners cultivating land with “great vigour” across the West Coast. They were known for their industriousness and ability to carry surprising weights of produce in baskets on poles.
Many Chinese miners successfully earned enough money to return home as “rich men”. However, as new arrivals dwindled, those who remained often had experienced bad luck, or were less frugal, or simply chose not to return to China.
By the 1920s and 1930s, only a small number of Chinese remained on the West Coast. While some wealthy storekeepers remained, those reliant on manual labor increasingly depended on charitable aid. New Zealand’s Old Age Pension, introduced in 1898, specifically excluded Chinese until its repeal in 1936.
Ancestor worship was paramount, making it important to return to China for burial so descendants could worship their site. If return during life wasn’t possible, bodies might be sent back after death as ‘Sin Yan’ (former men). Exhumations occurred in 1900-1901, with at least 100 West Coast bodies part of a shipment of 499 bodies sent home on the ‘Ventnor’. Tragically, the ‘Ventnor’ sank off the New Zealand coast in October 1902 with no survivors.
Chinese funerals were often observed by Europeans, featuring elaborate rites like distributing shillings to attendees, firing crackers, offering food on the grave, and burning white crepe.
Within Shantytown Heritage Park, our Chinatown area provides a poignant and respectful glimpse into the lives of these resilient pioneers. Here, you can:
The story of Chinese gold miners is an integral part of the West Coast’s rich history. Continue your journey of discovery at Shantytown by exploring:
We are proud to present this important chapter of New Zealand’s past through our exhibition on the history of the Chinese on the West Coast.
Open Hours: 9 am – 4 pm
Closed: Christmas Day
Morning Train Times: 11am
Afternoon Train Times: 12.30 pm & 2.00pm
