1. Nick Shying  
Nick’s family only recently found out about their Chinese ancestry  

 

Nick and his grandfather Barry Shying in China in 2018 for the 200th anniversary dinner of Chinese migration to Australia (Photo supplied by Nick Shying) 

Our first Chinese Australian (yes, you read that right) is Nick Shying. Nick is a Senior Policy Adviser at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria. He is a 6th generation Australian, the descendant of the very first recorded Chinese migrant settler to Australia.  

2. Jieh-Yung Lo  
Jieh -Yung is a strong proponent of increasing representation of Chinese Australians in leadership  

 

(Photo supplied by Jieh-Yung Lo) 

Jieh-Yung was born in Australia in 1985 in Melbourne. His parents came to Australia in 1978 as ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam. Currently, Jieh-Yung serves as the inaugural Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the ANU.  

3. Tammy Wong Hulbert  

 

Tammy is currently a Lecturer of Curating Contemporary Art, Masters of Arts Management, School of Art at RMIT University (Photo supplied by Tammy Wong Hulbert) 

Tammy is an artist, curator and academic born in Sydney, Australia. Her great-grandfather was the first in her family to arrive to Australia in 1901. Tammy’s curatorial and art practices address issues of migration & belonging and are influenced by her family’s migration connection to Australia.  

4. Jasmine DeBono  
Jasmine is the Head of Cultural Marketing at Victoria Racing Club  

Skiing in Mount Buller (Photo supplied by Jasmine) 

Jasmine was born in Singapore, but her grandparents came from China, which makes her a second-generation Singaporean. She moved to Australia in 2013, so she is also the first generation in her family to move to Australia.  

5. Philip Le Liu 
One of the reasons Phillip got into politics is to represent the local Chinese community in Melbourne 

(Photo supplied by Philip Le Liu) 

Philip Le Liu, a first generation Chinese Australian, was elected Councillor in November 2020 after having previously been elected in 2016. During his 2016 term as a councillor, he focused on advocating for international students, many of whom come from Asia.  

6. Dario Zhang  

 

Dario first started to play the violin in China (Photo supplied by Dario Zhang) 

Dario certainly seems like the odd one out of the bunch. Whilst travelling all over the world, he saved up to come to Australia and acquire a Master’s degree. As a street performer, he pursues his true passion – playing the violin.  

7. Grace Feng  
Grace draws on her experience as an interpreter in creating her YouTube video series - Girl, Interpreted  

 

Shooting scene of Girl, Interpreted (Photo supplied by Grace Fang) 

Fangjuan Feng, or Grace to her Australian friends, is a writer and an independent filmmaker. Grace came to Australia in 2006 to study cinematography. Around 2011, she started working in the media industry and she currently works at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).  

8. Isabel Zhang  

Isabel is also the Head of the Cross-Cultural Insights Department at Bastion Insights (Photo supplied by Isabel Zhang) 

Isabel was born in China, but her career and education lead her all around South-East Asia before coming to Australia seven years ago. She is currently on the Executive Committee of the Australia China business Council (ACBC). 

 

As you can see, our 8 Chinese Australians come from all walks of life. They are truly a diverse bunch!