In 1997, Jackie Chan starred in Mr Nice Guy, an action comedy filmed in Melbourne, where he played a celebrity chef caught between criminal gangs. Many scenes were shot around the city’s iconic Chinatown, one of the oldest continuously inhabited Chinese settlements in the Western world. This vibrant district traces its roots back over 160 years to the Australian gold rush of the 1850s, when news of gold discoveries in Victoria drew thousands of Chinese men, particularly from southern China, to what they called “New Gold Mountain.”
While some left after the gold rush ended, many remained, setting up businesses and forming a lasting community. This community faced setbacks, especially after the introduction of the “White Australia” policy in 1901, which restricted non-British immigration. However, waves of Chinese migrants returned from places like Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and mainland China between the late 1940s and 1970s, reinvigorating the area.
Chinatown is centered along Little Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD and is now a dynamic mix of heritage and modern culture. Notable landmarks include the district’s five iconic arches, recently restored and updated with red neon lights, and the Sum Kum Lee building, a stately 1888 brick structure built for merchant and community leader Lowe Kong Meng. The Chinese Museum, established in 1989, celebrates Chinese-Australian heritage across five floors, with a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen standing outside as a tribute to modern China’s founding father.
The serene Tianjin Garden, named after Melbourne’s sister city in China, offers a peaceful escape with its water features, traditional stone lions, and symbolic design. Food remains a cornerstone of Chinatown’s identity. Long-standing fine-dining restaurant Flower Drum, opened in 1975, serves classic dishes like Peking duck and baked crab. For dumpling lovers, popular spots like Fortune Dumpling and Hutong Dumpling Bar offer xiaolongbao and seafood specialties, while Crystal Jade impresses with its foie gras snow crab and Secret Kitchen delights with creative dim sum, including piggy-shaped buns.
The area comes alive during festivals such as Lunar New Year, featuring the world’s largest processional dragon, the Millennium Dai Loong. Beyond the CBD, suburbs like Box Hill are becoming vibrant Chinese cultural hubs, bolstered by major investments aiming to create a new generation of Chinatowns for Melbourne’s growing Asian-Australian communities.
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