Mak Sai Ying
Encyclopedia
Chinese Australian
Chinese Australian is an Australian of Chinese heritage. In the 2006 Australian Census, 669,890 Australian residents identified themselves as having Chinese ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry....
, arriving in 1818. He was known by many names, including John Pong Shying, Mak Sai Pang, Mai Shi Ying, Mark Opong, and (possibly) John Sheen.
He worked as a carpenter, living with John Blaxland
John Blaxland
John Blaxland was a pioneer settler and explorer in Australia.-Early life:Blaxland was born in Kent, the eldest son of John Blaxland and Mary, née Parker, of Fordwich, Kent, England. He was the older brother of Gregory Blaxland. John Blaxland was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, later...
on his Newington Estate. After three years, he worked at Elizabeth Farm for Elizabeth Macarthur
Elizabeth Macarthur
Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Devon, England, the daughter of provincial farmers, Richard and Grace Veale, of Cornish origin. Her father died when she was 7; her mother remarried when she was 11, leaving Elizabeth in the care of her grandfather John and friends. Elizabeth married Plymouth...
, the pastoralist.
He married Sarah Jane Thompson (b: abt 1802, United Kingdom d: 27 March 1836, Parramatta) on 3 February 1823 in St John's Church of England, Parramatta.
It is believed a linen press, made for Elizabeth MacArthur (in 1824), still exists, and is on display at Milton House museum. The item may have been made without nails. The bookkeepers entry of payment still exists.
Mak Sai Ying returned to China for five years, 1831 to 1836. He may have worked as a port liaison. He returned to Sydney, on the death of his first wife. The first opium war
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
began two years later. During this time, land he negotiated for from the NSW Colony had been allocated elsewhere. Sarah had a letter from the Attorney General of NSW explaining why the land had been re allocated.
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
(a western suburb of Sydney) in 1844. He had been the builder.
