Mr. Sun Yat-sen has never been to Australia, but since the establishment of the Tongmenghui in 1905, Sun Yat-sen has had extensive contacts with Australian Cantonese overseas Chinese. He once sent special envoys to visit Australia to spread his revolutionary ideas. Like overseas Chinese in various countries, the overseas Chinese in Xiangshan in Australia enthusiastically supported the revolutionary movement led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen at the beginning of this century and made great contributions.

Unlike Southeast Asian countries with a long history of immigration, the overseas Chinese society in Australia was formed in the mid-1850s.

Before 1850, there were few records about the Zhongshan people in Australian history. In 1850, gold mines were discovered in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia, setting off a gold rush and attracting many people from Xiangshan. By 1901, there were 29,627 overseas Chinese in Australia. In Victoria, the majority of people are from Siyi, Guangdong. According to Mr. Zheng Jiale, an old overseas Chinese, he has seen several tombstones of Zhongshan people in the Chinese cemetery in Balal, Dajinshan. It can be seen that there are people from Zhongshan among them, but they are only a minority. But in New South Wales, Xiangshan people account for 40%. Xiangshan immigrants are mainly located in Sydney and Brisbane.

In 1869, after Victoria and New South Wales, gold mines were discovered in Queensland. When the Chinese heard about it, they rushed there to make a living.

From 1873 to 1880, there were more than 10,000 Chinese in Palmar Goldfield (PALMAR GOLDFIFLD) near Kensport in northern Queensland. In its heyday, the number reached 17,000 in 1877. At that time, there were only 1,000 Chinese in Queensland. There are 25,000 Chinese people, and on average, there is 1 Chinese for every 7 residents. Among the Chinese in Kensibu, Zhongshan people accounted for the largest number, and a small number were Siyang people. At one time, Zhongshan people accounted for 83.3% of all Chinese, and Siyi people accounted for 10.7%. Among the Zhongshan people, Longdu people account for the majority. Therefore, Longdu dialect is very popular in Kenbu. Around 1900, three-quarters of the shops on both sides of Chinatown in the district were opened by Zhongshan people, while only one-quarter were opened by Siyi people. Around 1890, Zhongshan people had established the Xiangshan Guild Hall and a Xiangshan Temple in the area.

In the early days, due to the lack of labor, Australia welcomed Chinese immigrants. However, due to racial discrimination, economic competition, cultural background differences and other reasons, Australian states successively formulated Chinese exclusion policies in 1855. Vessels are limited to one person per 10 tons of carrying capacity. Otherwise, once discovered, both the immigrants and the ship owner will be punished. Entrants must pay a head tax of more than 10 pounds, as well as residence tax, protection tax, etc. From 1881, Victoria and New South Wales stipulated that the carrying capacity of ships was increased to one person per 100 tons, and the entry head tax was 10 pounds. In Queensland, the 50-tonne carriage is limited to one person and the head tax is 30 pounds. In 1888, the Second Interstate Conference of Oceania stipulated that the carrying capacity of 500 tons was limited to one person, the head tax varied from state to state, and the free movement of overseas Chinese was prohibited. In 1901, Australia also stipulated that those applying for immigration must first pass a test of writing more than 50 words in European scripts (changed to designated scripts in 1905) before they can enter the country. At the same time, various states have also formulated various economic regulations, prohibiting overseas Chinese from engaging in certain occupations, restricting overseas Chinese from opening factories, etc., causing various anti-Chinese incidents to continue to occur and escalate. For example, on July 4, 1857, during an anti-Chinese riot at the Buckland gold mine in Victoria, more than 2,000 Chinese were robbed, 75 tents, 30 shops and many properties were burned, and three Chinese were killed. Dozens of people were injured, and Chinese property damage amounted to 50,000 pounds. By 1901, the anti-Chinese trend in Australia reached its peak. In September 1901, the Australian Federal Parliament passed the "Immigration Restriction Regulations" based on South Africa's "Natal Act", which discriminated against people of color in the name of "language testing". The fact of entering Australia basically eliminates the possibility of Chinese people entering Australia. The situation of the Chinese in Australia was extremely difficult and they could not protect themselves. The number of Chinese continued to decline. In 1901, the total population of Australia was 370,000, and the number of Chinese (including the second generation) was only more than 30,000, accounting for a very small proportion. All this resulted in the Chinese in Australia being weaker than the Chinese in other parts of the world. In the 1880s, the entire Australia was shrouded in an atmosphere of racial discrimination, and the overseas Chinese lived in fear and anxiety.

Overseas Chinese in Australia continued to appeal to the Qing court, requesting to negotiate and protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese. The Qing court sometimes protested, but the Australian government paid no heed to the corrupt and incompetent Qing court and continued to persecute overseas Chinese. This enabled more and more overseas Chinese to see the true nature of the Qing government and hope to overthrow this feudal dynasty. Build a prosperous and strong Republic of China and make the motherland a powerful supporter for overseas Chinese. Therefore, when Dr. Sun Yat-sen called for the overthrow of the feudal monarchy and the establishment of the Republic of China, the overseas Chinese responded and enthusiastically supported it.

However, because Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, who advocated constitutional monarchy, had long attached importance to carrying out work among overseas Chinese in Australia and won the support of overseas Chinese, they achieved certain results. Although Kang Youwei was unable to reach Australia due to the obstruction of the Australian government, he wrote to overseas Chinese leaders in Australia, urging them to establish a Royalist Association. The Royalist Association established in Sydney in 1900 had 249 members. From November 1900 to May 1901, Liang Qichao visited Australia and stayed for half a year. Under his instigation, 10 royalist associations were established across Australia.

On June 29, 1898, Donghua News was published in Sydney, which later became the mouthpiece of the Loyalist Society, which confused the minds of many overseas Chinese.

With the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898 in 1898, the revolution led by Sun Yat-sen prompted the awakening of overseas Chinese in Australia. They established various associations, founded newspapers, donated money and materials, and used various forms to support the revolutionary movement led by Sun Yat-sen. .

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