This interactive map documents the Chinese storekeepers/businesses in Little Bourke St from 1900 to 1920 and 1940. Use it to search for individuals, business and specific economic activity. Discover their locations in Little Bourke St and nearby surrounds.
This resource is based on the work of Sophie Couchman. Tong Yun Gai (Street of the Chinese): Investigating patterns of work and social life in Melbourne’s Chinatown 1900-1920 Master of Arts (Public History), Monash University, 2000
NB. This map is based on data transcribed from the Historic Sands & McDougall directories and inaccuracies exist due to historical address changes. Locations are only an approximation of the actual locations.
“Chinatowns and the people who live and work within them have been subject to some powerful stereotypes and generalisations that obscure the diversity of experience and understanding of these areas. The objective of this thesis is to reveal the diversity of Melbourne’s Chinatown in the 1900 to 1920 period through a detailed examination of the lives and businesses of those who lived in the Swanston to Russell Street block of the eastern end of Little Bourke Street. This approach builds on a trend in recent research towards more detailed regional studies of Chinese communities across Australia. By understanding the minutiae of life in this block in the broader context of Chinese and Australian history it is possible to move beyond generalisations and create new understandings of Melbourne’s Chinatown.
Sands and McDougall Street Directories were used to construct a spatial framework. The database created was part of my commissioned work with the Museum of Chinese Australian History. This spatial framework was overlain with a wide range of other primary sources. The use of electronic databases and a spatial approach for collecting and analysing material assisted overcome the particular difficulties of searching for Chinese names within English language records. Detailed vignettes of the lives of individuals and organisations at different times and locations emerged from this spatial overlay of information. These vignettes are discussed geographically like a walking tour. As the narrative progresses along Little Bourke Street the nature of the people and place emerges.”
Sophie Couchman
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Interactive Map Help
Search for Individual or Business name
1. Type a name into this search box.
2. Press return and the individual /business will display in the search results and show the locations on the map.
Select a Year
1. By default, all years are selected
2. Select the dropdown
3. Deselect the “All” option
4. Select the year or years you wish to view
5. Press return and the year/s will display in the search results and show the locations on the map.
Select an Economic Activity
1. By default, all Economic activity is selected
2. Select the dropdown
3. Deselect the “All” option
4. Enter a search term to find your economic activity
5. A list of possible search term will display
6. Select your chosen terms from the list
7. Press return and the economic activities will display in the search results and show the locations on the map.
Select an Address
1. By default, all addresses are selected
2. Select the drop down to see all selections.
3.Deselect the “All” box
4. Enter the address you are looking for into the search field and a number of possibles choices will display.
5. Select the correct address.
6. A list of businesses will display that were located at that address.
Name/Year/Address Display Results
This window will show the results of your search.
Navigation Panel
The navigation control panel will provide access to a number of tools including
- Zoom in
- Zoom out
- Zoom home
- Zoom area/Pan/Rectangle/Radial/Lasso
Map Display
The map display will show the map locations of any search results.
Hover over a specific dot location to display more information details.
Expand to Fullscreen
Select this icon to expand the map to full screen
Reset Display
Select this icon to reset your map to the original default settings.
