Past Conferences

Since 1986 there have been more than 25 conferences, workshops and symposia held around Australia and New Zealand on various aspects of overseas Chinese history and heritage in Australasia.

The Dragon Tails conference series continues this tradition, and provides a regular biennial forum where all who are interested in this field can meet, and find out about the latest research.

The first Dragon Tails conference, Re-interpreting Chinese-Australian Heritage, ran at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria, in October 2009. It was convened by Keir Reeves, Tseen Khoo, Liam Connell, Anna Kyi and Warwick Frost. The conference explored how the histories of Chinese in Australia and New Zealand fit into the wider narratives of Australasian history. Download 2009 conference program

In November 2011, the second Dragon Tails conference, Sources, Language, Approaches, was held at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne, Victoria, and was convened by Sophie Couchman and Kate Bagnall. Its aim was to explore the diverse range of sources for Chinese Australian history, including Chinese-language materials, and highlight the fresh approaches being used to interrogate them. Download 2011 conference program

The third Dragon Tails conference, Tradition and Modernity amongst Overseas Chinese, was held at University of Wollongong in New South Wales in July 2013, and was convened by Julia Martinez, Paul Macgregor and Jason Lim. The conference explored the twin forces of tradition and modernity, examining the histories of cultural maintenance and evolution amongst overseas Chinese. Download 2013 conference program

In July 2015, the fourth Dragon Tails conference, Jade Dragon in the Tropics, was held in Cairns, Queensland, in partnership with CHINA Inc (Chinese Heritage in Northern Australia Inc.), at the Cairns Sheridan Hotel. The conference was convened by Paul Macgregor, Sandi Robb and Jan Wegner, and explored the historical experiences and heritage of Chinese in the tropics, both in Australasia and globally. Download 2015 conference program

In November 2017, the fifth Dragon Tails conference, Hopes, Dreams and Realities, was held at the Golden Dragon Museum, Bendigo, Victoria. The conference was convened by Grace Gassin, Nadia Rhook and Leigh McKinnon, and explored not only the role of imagination in shaping actions of Chinese Australasians, but also the realities and challenges that Chinese-Australasians have encountered in pursuing their hopes and dreams. Download 2017 conference program

In November 2019, the sixth Dragon Tails conference, Translation and Transformation, was hosted by Wai-te-ata Press at the Victoria Univeristy of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. The conference was convened by Grace Gassin and Karen Schamberger, and highlighted the processes of translation and transformation that have been central to the histories of the Chinese diaspora around the world. Download 2019 conference program