A New China : using sport to expose a multi-class race through the 1923 Chinese soccer tour of Australia

Nicholas Guoth

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    Abstract

    In the early 1920s, the perceptions by Australians of the Chinese race was one of a single culture and single class. Chinese Australians continuously attempted to break from the shackles of this monolithic construction. A soccer tour in late 1923 provided the local Chinese with an opportunity to alter these stereotypes. Through the performances both on the field and off, through the persistence of the organisers to promote a ‘different type’ of Chinese and through the development of this alternative image in the Western press, the Australian public were afforded a view of Chinese they had not experienced prior, one which included well-educated, middle-class and athletic individuals. The paper investigates the projection of a multi-class society within China to white Australians as portrayed by the soccer tour and how it challenged the entrenched negative perceptions imposed on Australians through the White Australia Policy.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationAustralia's Asian Sporting Context, 1920s - 30s
    EditorsSean Brawley and Nick Guoth
    Place of PublicationUnited Kingdom
    PublisherRoutledge
    Pages42-58
    Volume1
    Edition1
    ISBN (Print)978-0-415-56049-8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A New China : using sport to expose a multi-class race through the 1923 Chinese soccer tour of Australia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this