Journal of American-East Asian Relations 18 (2011) 248–273 brill.nl/jaer A Comparative Analysis of Nineteenth-Century Californian and New Zealand Newspaper Representations of Chinese Gold Miners Grant Hannis Massey University Email:
[email protected] Abstract During the nineteenth-century gold rush era, Chinese gold miners arrived spontaneously in California and, later, were invited in to work the Otago goldfi elds in New Zealand. Th is article considers how the initial arrival of Chinese in those areas was represented in two major newspapers of the time, the Daily Alta California and the Otago Witness . Both newspapers initially favored Chinese immigration, due to the economic benefi ts that accrued and the generally tolerant outlook of the newspapers’ editors. Th e structure of the papers’ coverage diff ered, however, refl ecting the diff ering historical circumstances of California and Otago. Both papers gave little space to reporting Chinese in their own voices. Th e newspapers editors played the crucial role in shaping each newspaper’s coverage over time. Th e editor of the Witness remained at the helm of his newspaper throughout the survey period and his newspaper consequently did not waver in its support of the Chinese. Th e editor of the Alta , by contrast, died toward the end of the survey period and his newspaper subsequently descended into racist, anti-Chinese rhetoric. Keywords Gold Rush , Chinese gold miners , Daily Alta California , Otago Witness , content analysis , Chinese in California , Chinese in New Zealand A dramatic change in the ethnic mix of the white-dominated western United States occurred in the middle of the nineteenth century, with the sudden infl ux of thousands of Chinese gold miners.