The Legacy of the June 4 Incident on the Sydney Chinese Community: A study of the short-term and long-term impacts of the June 4 Incident on the Chinese community of Sydney

Abstract

This thesis examines the legacy of the June 4 Incident on the Sydney Chinese community in the immediate aftermath of the event, and in the years that followed. By making the focus of the thesis primary accounts from members of the Sydney Chinese Community themselves, in addition to primary sources from the period, this thesis can be said to be an examination of the impact of the June 4 Incident on the community, and how the variations that exist in regards to the impact demonstrate the variation of existing opinions within the community. Based on the findings, in addition to comparisons and examinations with other studies conducted about the impact of the June 4 Incident on other Chinese communities, this thesis concluded that whilst there was a strong legacy in the immediate aftermath, one of unification and strengthening of pre-existing relationships within the community, this legacy failed to sustain itself in the years following the incident. Furthermore, an examination of the pre-existing relationships and bonds proved that they played a large role in helping to sustain legacies and the values and traditions within them, and that it was no different in the case of the June 4 Incident, at least in the short-term. In a way, this thesis is an attempt to establish a legacy of sorts in itself, whilst contributing to the research surrounding the history of migrant communities in Australia, by conducting the first study on the impact of the June 4 Incident on the Sydney Chinese community.