Deconstructing the dumpling: Australia, China, lived connections

Trading routes between China and Australia that pre-date European settlement, such as the trepang trade between Indigenous northern Australians and Macassan traders and the interactions between people along the way, symbolised by the Chinese God of Longevity figurine unearthed in Darwin in 1897, are being redrawn in the context of contemporary ideas. Aboriginal author Alexis Wright's novel Carpentaria is one example, published in Chinese translation by Li Yao in 2012. Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's connection to Australia is another. As Australia seeks to position itself in the Asia-Pacific region, learning from China through the continuing history of lived connections between the two countries offers a new perspective. © 2013 International Australian Studies Association.Nicholas Jos