Double Vision: Asian Accounts of Australia

by Broinowski, Alison (ed.) (2004), 161pp., ISBN 1 74076 049 2.
AUD$31.78 (Including GST: AUD$34.96) (softcover )

Chinese, Japanese, and Australians have shared in an intense curiosity about each other. Settlers from Europe brought preconceptions about China and Japan, some fanciful, some factual. Some of the convicts, believing they had been transported almost to China itself, hoped that by escaping from the East Coast of Australia and walking north they would reach China. What is less widely known is that their curiosity was matched by early Chinese and Japanese investigations of Australia, which some Chinese claim began in the fifteenth century. The process of mutual exploration continues into the 21st century.

The distinguished contributors to this book use their knowledge of Chinese and Japanese accounts of Australia and use them to discuss how Australia is perceived among Chinese and Japanese. They explore topics such as: settlement and invasion, exoticism and tourism, culture, education, politics and regional participation, racism and multiculturalism, the Republican movement, and the impact of the Sydney Olympic Games.

To investigate how Australia appears from other points of view, and particularly those of people in two such significant societies, is to challenge Australian self-perceptions. Double Vision proves that such perceptions are powerful in the way societies respond to each other. Long-established images may be in need of change, but when they change, it may not necessarily improve Australia’s reputation.