Arrowtown Chinese Settlement, Relive the resilience of Chinese gold miners

Historic Arrowtown Chinese Settlement, Buckingham Street, Arrowtown 9302, New Zealand

The places where Chinese people resided during the past gold rush era

Introduction

This is a settlement of Chinese workers in Arrowtown, New Zealand, in the 19th century, located in the South Island. Arrowtown rose to fame in 1862 when William Rees, a European, discovered gold on the banks of the Arrow River, attracting a large number of gold panners. From 1866, many Chinese laborers also came here to participate in gold panning, and they established their own community with shops, houses, and gathering places. Chinese workers often found themselves alone, but they supported each other through their ethnic and regional ties, forming a self-sufficient small society. In the 1870s, it was estimated that more than 5,000 Chinese workers were living in the Otago region in the southern part of New Zealand. As the gold resources dried up, the buildings in the Chinese settlement were gradually abandoned after the 1920s. In 1983, under the guidance of the archaeology department of the University of Otago, the New Zealand government rebuilt the Chinese settlement in its original form at the original location, recreating over 100 years ago the life of Chinese miners with the construction of 21 Chinese buildings, including shops and dormitories.