Where Chinese people lived during the gold rushes and the jobs they had
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in the 1860's to 1940's,water was used for gold mining, growing fruit and
vegetables, and washing clothes. Water was expensive so people gave money/gold
to use it. Some people had their own water supplies but didn't use them
much. Some people wasted their money/gold on water. In this way people made
great amounts of money/gold selling water. Most jobs needed water, for example,
gold mining needed water pressure to get at the hard gold. Easy gold
is gold found in water, hard gold was found in the rocks.
During the goldrushes the Chinese people usually lived in huts made of rock. Most of the huts were found in damp and cold places. Some Chinese people built their huts in groups to make small villages. Others lived in the mountains by themselves. The houses were not very sturdy. The huts were small and very uncomfortable so the Chinese had a hard life. |
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| When
Chinese newcomers came they weren't offered many jobs so mostly the Chinese
newcomers who didn't go goldmining did laundry or market gardening for a
job. A few of the Chinese newcomers started growing fruit and vegies
and sold them.
During 1901to 1947 Chinese newcomers started working in restaurants, takeaways and shops (it wasn't just newcomers, it was also Chinese people who had been in New Zealand for years). Some gold miners would save gold and then buy shops. Chinese people who owned restaurants and takeaway shops hired Chinese newcomers to come and work for them. That is why sometimes you see Chinese people in shops, restaurants and takeaways. Nowadays the Chinese people are offered more jobs than they were offered when they first came. For example, doctors, lawyers and dentists. Every day they are getting better at their jobs. |
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