ABSTRACT
In 1990, Chinese-born Australian Joe Mah 1 recalled working in the wholesale section of Sincere and Co., Hong Kong, during the 1920s. His uncle had arranged the job, and his uncle organized for his emigration to Australia in 1928. In Australia he joined the staff of another uncle’s store in northern New South Wales. 2 Joe Mah was following the network of family and business connections, which had its origins in Zhongshan (Xiangshan), and in Sydney, and which extended to northern New South Wales. The proprietors of stores like Sincere and Co. were originally from Zhongshan, and the money and ideas behind the establishment of those stores came, at least partly, from Chinese-Australian savings and from Chinese-Australian exposure to department stores in Sydney. The links between China and Australia were then maintained through continued investments, employment in stores, visits, and marriages.
