John Shying

Chinese migration and settlement in New South Wales has a long history. Records show that about 18 Chinese settlers had immigrated to Australia before 1848. The earliest known Chinese immigrant to arrive in Sydney in 1818 is reported to have been Mak Sai Ying or Mak O’Pong. He arrived at Port Jackson on the ship “Laurel” a vessel built in India, possibly a part of East India Company fleet. In 1817, Laurel sailed from Calcutta to Canton and reached in Australia on 27 February 1818.

 Born in Guangzhou (Canton) in 1798, he arrived as a free settler in New South Wales in 1818 and purchased land at Parramatta. In 1829 Mak Sai Ying or as he became known, John Shying, was granted the licence for The Golden Lion Hotel, a public house at Parramatta. John was working as a carpenter with John Blaxland, before establishing his business in Parramatta. John married twice and fathered four sons.  He returned to China in 1832, but was back in Sydney five years later. Some of his children became furniture makers, and his descendants became cabinet-makers and undertakers in Sydney.

Mak Sai Ying (1798 -1880) was born in Guangzhou (Canton) and is one of the first recorded Chinese born to settle in Australia. He arrived as a free settler in 1818. He purchased land in Parramatta and established his business. He was granted the licence for The Golden Lion Hotel, a public house in Church Street Parramatta. He was known by many names:

• John Pong Shying
• Mak Sai Pang
• Mai Shi Ying
• Mak O’Pong
• John Sheen (Possibly)

John Shying worked as a carpenter on John Blaxland’s Newington Estate receiving £2 a week; the same rate was given to other craftsmen working at the site. After three years he worked at Elizabeth Farm for Elizabeth Macarthur. John Blaxland wrote a reference for Mak Sai Ying calling him in the letter “Shying” stating: Shying lived with me as a carpenter for three years and was an honest, respectable character.

 

He may have returned to China after the death of his second wife in the 1840s, or there is also the possibility that he married for a third time and died under the name John Sheen in 1880.

 

It was a common occurrence for Chinese males to be called John in the colonies. While working for Macarthur’s John Shying made a linen press for Elizabeth Macarthur. That linen press is on display at Milton House museum. John Shying was a successful carpenter, shopkeeper and property investor.

 

John Shying married Sarah Jane Thompson (1802 - 1836) on 3 February 1823 in St John's Church, Parramatta. Sarah was a daughter of Sarah and Daniel O’Neill who were transported for life. Sarah and her brother John O’Neill came to Australia 5 years after their parents in 1820 on board the convict ship “Morley”. John and Sarah had four sons:

• John James Shying (1823 – 1885)
• George Hugh Shying (1826 – 1893)
• James Henry Shying (1828 – 1891)
• Thomas Jones Shying (1830 - 1894)

 

John and Sarah settled into their working life and were living on Church Street, North Parramatta and built an Inn nearby. John operated a shop in the area untill 1830 and then was granted a licence to operate a “Golden Inn”.

John Shying returned to China for five years from 1831 to 1836. He returned to Sydney on the death of his wife Sarah Thompson. During his visit to China the land he had acquired in Parramatta was re-allocated to his wife due to a legal qualification that his foreign status (Chinese) precluded him from acquiring land but as a married woman she could not retain the title deeds so that upon her death the land was to be re-allocated. For a period he owned the Peacock Inn along the Windsor Road in North Parramatta (site where ‘Harry’s Café de Wheels' is located). As the builder of the Peacock Inn in Parramatta, he is believed to have negotiated its sale in 1844. Peacock Inn when offered for sale in 1844 was described as having an “excellent China-fashioned verandah running the whole frontage” and was known as “lucky house”.

 

John Shying married a second time to Bridget Gillorley on 10 October 1842, but she died some six months later. Bridget is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery.  

John Shying’s death has never been recorded. One possibility is that he was married again to Margaret McGovern on 30 April 1846. The Parish record shows that John was a native of China. John Sheen died on 18 June 1880 in Sydney, Australia. He is buried at Rookwood Cemetery.

 

 

Rosa Chinesis

Rosa chinesis was introduced from China to the Western World between 1760 and 1790 resulting in horticulturalists and nurseries hybridising the plant. Many different species were created, including the China rose, tea roses, Noisette rose and other varieties. Rosa chinensis, a wild variety was found by an Irish doctor working for the Chinese Maritime Customs in Yichang in 1884.

Rosa chinensis known commonly as the China rose or Chinese rose. It is from the Rosaceae family. Rosa chinensis is a deciduous Shrub growing to 6 m. It is considered the Queen of the Tropics. Rose seed takes about two years to germinate. China rose can be cultivated in most soils. It is believed that garlic planted nearby can help protect the plant from disease. China rose flowers are richly scented. The flowers have both male and female organs. China rose is used in traditional medicines and is very good for stomach problems. China rose is an edible flower – flower petals, fruit, leaves, seeds and stem are all edible. It has a layer of hairs around the seeds beneath the flesh of the fruit/flower. These hairs can cause irritation to the mouth and digestive tract if ingested. The young shoot tips, flower buds and flowers can be added to soups. Rose hips can be used in jams, jelly, marmalade, rose hip syrup and are brewed for tea. Rose is used to make rose oil and rose water. Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruit is about 20mm in diameter. Young peeled shoots can be eaten raw. The seed is a good source of vitamin E, it can be ground and mixed with flour or added to other foods as a supplement

Seeds from this beautiful flower in various colours were distributed throughout England and passed through to different countries. The flowers of this plant are unusual as throughout their life, they darken with age. These plants were used heavily in traditional Chinese medicine; the roots and fruits for treating arthritis, boils and rheumatoid joint pains, fruit used on sprains and wounds and flower buds to alleviate pain.

The presence of the China rose in Parramatta can be attributed to the Macarthur family. In 1809, John Macarthur was exiled to England for his part in attempting to overthrow Governor Bligh in what is now known as the Rum Rebellion. Eight years later on his return to Parramatta on board the ‘Lord Eldon’, Macarthur and his sons brought a China rose to his homestead where his wife, Elizabeth managed the estate during his long absences. Elizabeth was a keen gardener and planted many China roses and often exchanged plants with other colonial families. Her son, William was a horticulturalist and planted many China roses near the vineyards as he believed them to have antifungal properties and would protect vinyards from fungal attack.  He also established a nursery on the property and was able to obtain plants from all over the world.

The arrival of the British in Australia coincided with the arrival of the roses in Europe however there was no recorded evidence of any roses on board any of the ships. According to the notes of Charles Fraser who was superintendent of the Sydney Botanic Gardens, Lady Brisbane introduced varieties of the Scots and China roses along with a number of decorative plants in 1827 – 1828.

China roses were also planted around the ‘Red Cow Inn’, adding a very personal and intimate touch. In 1889 ‘The Illustrated Sydney News’ quoted one visitor’s impressions of the residence and gardens:

“As to the ‘ Woolpack’s ‘ companion Inn, the ‘ Red Cow,’ the following notice occurs of it in its best days: ‘After passing a particularly pretty garden, in which stood a long, low house with a spacious piazza in front, I was surprised by my husband’s driving up to the door, and still more so on finding that this was our inn where we had engaged rooms. My belief, that it was a private residence was natural enough, for the sign of the “Red Cow” on the roof had escaped my notice; but we were most comfortably accommodated in every way.

The garden was full of beautiful flowers particularly the bright scarlet blossoms of the pomegranate, the soft and fragrant oleander, the quantities of pink and crimson China roses. An enormous prickly-pear (I think it “must be twenty feet high) grew near the house, and was full of yellow blossoms and dark red fruit, in picking up some of which to taste, I stuck my gloves so full of the fine, penetrating prickles that it was some days before I extracted them all from my hands. Two beautiful birds were living tame in the garden, they were called curlew, but I doubt if correctly; and several of the native parrots were caged in the verandah.”

 

History of Chinese Market Gardens

Three market gardens in La Perouse, among the oldest in the State, have been listed on the State heritage Registry for their significant heritage values, particularly to Sydney's Chinese community.
Working farms with links to the life of 19th century Sydney, they are the last surviving examples of the market gardens which were originally fairly widespread in the Randwick area. For over 150 years the land has been used for market gardens, firstly by European settlers and then by Chinese.

The gardens were nominated as part of a Heritage Office program established in 1997 to encourage ethnic communities to nominate sites of heritage value in NSW. This will mean that the State Heritage Register can provide a more accurate picture of Australia's culturally diverse heritage.

Market gardens played an important role in supplying the food needs of the growing settlements of NSW. By the end of the 19th century, these labour intensive farms had become almost synonymous with the Chinese and were part of the everyday life of many towns and cities.

The earliest farms in the La Perouse area were recorded in 1830. At first the gardens were tended by Europeans and supplied vegetables to some of the wealthiest homes in Randwick. But this changed after the gold rushes.

Karl Zhao, Chinese Heritage Officer at the NSW Heritage Office, explains:

"Chinese immigrants came to prospect for gold but soon realised not everyone could get rich from the gold fields and so started growing vegetables. At the end of the 1850s gold rushes, many Chinese came to the Sydney metropolitan area and became involved in market gardening."

Many of the gardens in the La Perouse area survived well into the 20th century. Older residents still recall the market gardeners who worked on the farms and lived in corrugated iron huts.

The La Perouse gardens have special significance for the Chinese community.

"For many people, especially those from the Yiu Ming district of Guangdong, market gardens were their starting point in Australia. They worked hard and saved and then opened restaurants, grocery shops, their own businesses" says Karl Zhao.

"This particular garden is important because it is so old. Many generations, many owners, many gardeners have connections with the La Perouse market gardens."

The gardens have been managed by members of the Chinese community for over 90 years, passing from one generation to another without a break. The still working gardens have maintained features of a traditional market garden and even today, most of the work is done by manual labour with simple tools. Nowhere else so close to the modern, busy centre of Sydney is land still worked in this way.

Gordan Ha's family have been involved with the La Perouse market gardens for over 40 years.

"My father came from overseas and worked on this farm with his cousin. He worked and studied English at the same time" said Mr Ha.

The market gardens continue to be a part of Sydney life. In fact, with the increasing number of Asian immigrants over the last 20 years, long forgotten Chinese vegetables have been reintroduced to the Australian diet. "When my Dad started on the farm 40 years ago, they grew mostly Australian vegetables such as celery" says Gordan Ha. "Now with the demand for new vegetables, we are growing Chinese vegetables like Bok Choy, Cho Sum and Chinese broccoli."

Source:  http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/Heritage/aboutheritage/chinesemktgarden.htm