Diary of Zu Den Han

Diary of Zu den Han

The news of gold spread like wildfire through the villages that have known nothing but war and famine for far too long. Our Chinese sailors returned from Hong Kong with news of a land where hills shine with gold. Australia, but we call it Hsin Chin Shan our New Gold Mountain. In a time when my home Canton grinds with poverty, lawlessness and oppression, I am going to go for my family. I'm determined to make my riches in Australia. Through a ticket credit system I have loaned money from the local trader in our town to buy my passage and agreed to make regular repayments for a year from New Gold Mountain. After this any takings will go back to my family. I wish I could take my family, but our village would have lost too many workers if every man took his wife and children. Tomorrow I set sail.

The trader is sending me and six other men from Canton to the goldfields at Ballarat in Victoria. In the dark of the night we bid our goodbyes to our families to begin our journey. As I waited to board I thought of my family. I wonder what little Mei Lui will look like when I return. Will she be okay without her father, would she understand why I had to go away. My adored wife, I am afraid to leave for her alone.

We six men were lost in a crowd of what I was later to learn were 264 Chinese migrants on board this overcrowded junk ship bound for Hong Kong. Within minutes we were pushed into the holds onboard this Scotland ship "Land of Cakes". Some men are lucky enough to have family in Hong Kong who can house. I am confined to the temporary shelters, run by the same man who loaned me the money for my long journey. The shelter has provided little or nothing in the way of comfort, food is scarce and they are extremely overcrowded. Nevertheless, I know soon, I will be on my way to New Gold Mountain.

To reach Ballarat will take several months. The ship's men are the first exchange I have had