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CHINESE CINEMA IN MELBOURNE

By Cameron Hall

he 1850s gold Anna May Wong’s ethnicity
Trush brought worked both for and against
approximately 45,000 her in terms of the roles she
Chinese prospectors to was offered. However,
Victoria between 1854 various summaries of her
and 1858. Little career that I have read all
Bourke Street and the conclude that her career was
laneways linking to constrained rather than
Bourke Street and impelled by her racial
Lonsdale Street have profile, and that is
remained a hub of Chinese community life in Melbourne ever since. unfortunate. Anna May
Wong was born in Los
Melbourne’s Chinatown is proudly proclaimed as the longest continuous Angeles and confirmed that
Chinese settlement in the western world. However, Chinatown has she spoke English far better
experienced good and than Mandarin.
tough times.
Frank Chinn, known
The Immigration affectionately to his many Alice Lim Kee (Image: 1750.358.038,
Restriction Act of 1901, for Chinese acquaintances as Chinese Museum Collection)
example, which curtailed “Uncle Frank”, also
the migration of non-white possessed several photos of Alice Lim Kee. Born in Rutherglen Victoria
persons and the and educated in Melbourne, Alice Lim Kee relocated to Shanghai in 1921
employment of immigrants where she became a film actor, distinguished enough to be photographed
in Australia, was with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in Shanghai, c. 1929.
particularly detrimental to
Chinatown. However, there is a lot more to Alice Lim Kee than a charismatic film
career. It is reported that she was the first female radio announcer in
Thankfully, Chinatown has China. Her melodious tones announced the stock market prices each hour
prevailed. The Chinatown and earned her the endearing soubriquet “Little Miss Shanghai”. She
Historic Precinct Act of wrote for the North China Daily News. Alice narrowly escaped the
1984 is a culmination of the invading Japanese Imperial Army’s capture of Hong Kong in 1941. She
vision of former South toured Australia under her married name; Mrs Fabian Chow, in an
Australian Premier, Don ambassadorial role on behalf of China’s Civilian Relief Fund. Tirelessly
Anna May Wong (Image: 2006.010.006, Dunstan, who became the she raised awareness of the horrendous plight of the Chinese people and
Chinese Museum Collection)
first director of Tourism facilitated aid in response. Her eloquent words and, yes, even cookery
Victoria in 1982. This Act facilitates systemic development of the Below: Tivoli Theatre, Bourke Street.
precinct, but also provides for the conservation of the streetscape and
historic buildings of Chinatown.
In 2016, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated the number of
Chinese born persons, resident in Australia, to be 526,000, the fourth
largest population in Australia based on country of birth.
Not a lot has been documented about Melbourne’s former Empire
Cinema of Bourke Street. It is believed to have been Melbourne’s last
silent film cinema. The Empire Cinema was able to survive until 1933,
in part due to the patronage
of Chinese denizens of the
inner city, many of whom
possessed a limited
understanding of English.
Frank Chinn (1897-1986)
was a prodigious member
of Melbourne’s Chinese
community. He served as
president of the Young
Chinese League for 34
years. Among his many
passions was his extensive
collection of photographs,
one of which is a signed
dedication from Hollywood
actress Anna May Wong
who performed at
Melbourne’s Tivoli
Theatre in 1939.
Empire Theatre, Bourke Street

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