Chinese History Museum Kuching

23 December 2019

The Chinese History Museum, located in a small pink building next to the Kuching waterfront, is a highly recommended place to visit for culture and history buffs, especially those who wants to know a little more about the history of the Chinese community in Kuching.  Entry to the museum is free. So why not pop in to take a look.

Exhibits include the early trade routes, major waves of immigration from various regions of China, what the early pioneers did, the formation of trade and community associations, political history and the involvement of the Chinese community in modern, multi-racial Sarawak.

Initial migration from various regions of China.

It is interesting to read about the early Chinese movement and settlement into Sarawak.

The first wave of Chinese immigrants into Sarawak were mainly the Hakkas who move from West Kalimantan, Indonesia into Bau in the early 19th Century. They are actually descendents of Chinese who had settled in Indonesia back in the 15th Century, an era where Admiral Cheng Ho’s expeditions took place. These early immigrants are gold miners from Kalimantan who eventually moved into Sarawak to carry out mining activities in Bau.

First wave of Chinese into Sarawak were Hakka miners from West Kalimantan.

The second wave of Chinese immigrants came by sea and settled mainly in Kuching.  During those days, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people, most of who are from the Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the south east coast of Mainland China, came to South East Asia in the hopes of escaping a life of poverty in China.

Those days, the only mode of transport was the wooden Chinese junk. According to history, they sailed up Sarawak River and landed in the area near the Main Bazaar where the museum was located.

They are mainly involved in trading activities and exporting of local produce to trade hubs such as Singapore.

The second wave of immigrants were mostly Teochews, Hokkiens and later followed by the Cantonese. They came by sea and settled mainly in Kuching.

A model of a wooden junk used by the early immigrants.

What the typical early immigrants had with them when they arrived – a hard case, straw hat and paper umbrella.

The third wave of immigrants came to Sarawak mainly at the invitation of the White Rajah Charles Brooks in the early 1900. 

 

The third wave of immigrants were mostly labourers brought in to work on the farms and open up new land.

The Hakkas were brought in to work on farms while the Foochows landed in Sibu and Sarikei to open up new land. Later on, the other dialect groups also came and moved into other parts of Sarawak.

Pepper is one of the key local produce in Sarawak.

I find the section showcasing the various Chinese dialect groups particularly interesting.
Section showcasing the various Chinese dialect groups who had immigrated to Sarawak.

Information about where from China they came from, their early life in Sarawak, trades and even prominent members of the community were presented.

We had a lot of fun listening to the actual recorded excerpts of each spoken dialects, with accompanying texts explaining what was actually spoken.

The museum also presents information about Chinese culture and local Chinese festivals.

We visited the museum on Dec 23, one day after the Winter solstice (冬至 Dōngzhì), where the tradition is to make and eat glutinous rice balls or tangyuan.

There were also a lot of musical instruments, jade pieces, Ming Dynasty ceramics, and many more artefacts that reflect the life of the Chinese in the early 1900’s.

One of the Chinese musical instruments on display. This string instrument is called a “gu cheng”.

A chart showing all the Chinese family names was interesting. Try finding your own surname in the chart.

We ended our visit to the Chinese History Museum with taking a look at a very colourful Chinese/Taoist temple located directly across the road. The Tua Pek Kong Temple (also known as the Siew San Teng Temple) is built in the 19th century and believed to be the oldest Chinese temple in Kuching.

Tua Pek Kong Temple as seen from the outside of Chinese History Museum.

Overall, the Chinese History Museum was an interesting and highly recommended place to visit while exploring the Kuching waterfront. It should not take more than 30 minutes in the small museum and it is worth the time spent.

Side note:  One of the map showed the Chinese name of Kuching as “古晋”, translated as “Old Well” in Teochew or Hokkien. Long time ago, there are old wells found in the Carpenter Street, Ewe Hai Street and Bishopgate Street area. This could be how the city got its name which was nothing to do with Cats (or Kucing in Malay).