Riot on Phillip Street: Sydney’s Chinese Factions, Lottery Feuds and the Vendetta of 1892

When a £230 lottery dispute sparked an all-out street battle between rival Chinese factions in 1892 Sydney, it exposed deep divides, secret societies, and a fragile peace in the city’s immigrant communities.

By Elliot Lindsay

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On 1 March 1892, the air outside the old Water Police Court at Phillip Street, Circular Quay, crackled with tension. Inside, a packed courtroom buzzed as Ah Chew, a vegetable dealer from the Go Yew faction, faced Gwoon Sing, a prominent storekeeper of the Doon Goon faction, in a blackmail case that had simmered for weeks. 

Chinese Gambling House - Illustrated Sydney News, 1871

Ah Chew accused Gwoon Sing of demanding £20 to suppress a false charge of assaulting his daughter, a ploy allegedly tied to a disputed pak-ah-pu lottery win of £230. The court, presided over by Mr. Benjamin Lee, S.M., was a kaleidoscope of Chinese merchants, gardeners, and gamblers, their faces taut with anticipation. 

As the interpreter relayed the verdict - case dismissed for unreliable witnesses - a roar erupted. The Doon Goon supporters, numbering nearly 400, let out a triumphant whoop, while Ah Chew’s smaller contingent of 80–100 seethed.

The dismissal was a spark in a powder keg. As the courtroom frantically emptied, Phillip Street became a battlefield. Over 200 Chinese men of the rival factions clashed in a pre-orchestrated frenzy, wielding iron rods, bamboo poles, knuckle-dusters, and stones, some hidden in vegetable baskets whisked in from Campbell and George streets. 

Blood stained the footpath as heads were split and faces slashed. Senior-constable Beadman, battered by a bamboo pole, and Constables Wilson and Richardson struggled against the tide, arresting twelve rioters - eight from Doon Goon Faction and four from Go Yew Faction. 

Cabs whisked some rioters away, but the chaos left a trail of injuries and fear, with police later fining those arrested at the same court.

The roots of this violent eruption lay in a gambling dispute that exposed deep factional divides in Sydney’s Chinese community. The trouble began at Gwoon Sing’s underground lottery operation at 273 George Street, where Ah Chew, a savvy player from the Go Yew faction, marked three winning tickets. 

Gwoon Sing, claiming insufficient funds and alleging fraud, refused to pay, sparking a feud. When legal recourse failed - gambling debts were unenforceable - Gwoon Sing reportedly escalated to blackmail, a charge Ah Chew brought to the Water Court. 

This clash was not isolated but part of a broader conflict between two factions with distinct identities and territories.

The Doon Goon faction, numbering 2,000–3,500, dominated the city’s core, centred around Lower George St, Campbell St, and Essex St. Comprising storekeepers, hawkers, and gamblers, they were linked to gambling dens and the Loon-Ye-Tong secret society, known for its influence and alleged control of vice markets. 

Gwoon Sing, a 30-year resident with shops at Goulburn St and The Rocks, was a key figure; his faction was accused of aggressive tactics. In contrast, the Go Yew faction, with about 1,600 members, was based in rural and suburban areas like Botany, Waterloo, Cook’s River, Lane Cove, Willoughby, Rockdale, and Hurstville. Primarily market gardeners, they were less tied to urban gambling but fiercely protective of their rights, rallying behind Ah Chew and his cause. 

The Go Yew city presence was primarily centred around the Belmore Markets that were once located on Campbell St, near the Capitol Theatre, and around parts of Surry Hills.

The riot’s aftermath saw desperate attempts to quell the feud. By March 4, 200 Chinese merchants, convened by Mr. William Loo Ching, a man of significant wealth and famed for discovering one of the largest gold nuggets in history, at the Standard Theatre, urged unity and raised funds to settle Ah Chew’s claim and placate Gwoon Sing. 

Ah Chew agreed, but Gwoon Sing’s rejection soured the effort. Quong Tart, a respected merchant, led a peace committee, but by March 16, the Doon Goon faction, meeting at Lower George-street, publicly denounced him in resolutions published in the Sydney Morning Herald, refusing his arbitration for their 2,000 members. Their resistance was fuelled by the committee’s anti-gambling and anti-opium stance, clashing with Doon Goon’s interests.

Water Police Court - Scene of the riot on Philip Street

Tensions escalated further. By March 23, newspapers reported on rumours of men associated with the rival factions purchasing revolvers and rifles, raising fears of another riot. A conspiracy case on March 24 at the Water Police Court saw Gwoon Sing accuse Ah Chew of falsely alleging blackmail, but it was dismissed, with a heavy police presence preventing another violent outbreak. 

Meanwhile, related violence flared elsewhere. In October 1892, a fan-tan dispute at 56 Goulburn St led to a riot injuring Ah Dick and Gum Bo, with convictions issued on November 4. References to “Chinese Freemasons” demanding gambling house payments hinted at secret societies beyond Loon-Ye-Tong.

The feud between the Doon Goon and Go Yew factions fuelled anti-Chinese sentiment in 1890s Australia, casting a harsh spotlight on Sydney’s Chinese community. The public spectacle of their conflict, particularly the violent Phillip Street riot of 1 March 1892, was detrimental to the community’s commercial interests. 

Leading merchants and powerful gambling operators likely viewed such open exposure of internal strife as disastrous for business, tarnishing their reputation in a city already wary of their presence. After dominating headlines, the feud faded from the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph. Yet, the animosity probably persisted, simmering in the shadows of back alleys and private gambling dens in Surry Hills and The Rocks, beyond the gaze of police constables and journalists.