Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 02-02-07 16:27
200 years of Hakka Chinese in Sarawak, Malaysia
http://yn.chung.id.au/Sarawak.Malaysia.jpg
Sarawak is one of the thirteenth state of Malaysia. According to the 1991
census the total population of Sarawak was 1.72 million. There were 445,548
Malaysian Chinese in Sarawak and 32 percent of them were Hakka Chinese who
lived in the following towns and rural areas.
This information was supplied by the 5th International Hakkalogy Discussion
Convention held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia from 5th November 1999 to 6th November
1999.
District=(Hakkas in town)=Hakkas in rural area---(Total Hakkas)
(1) Kuching (古晉)=(54,099)=20,465----------Total=(74,564)
(2) Bau (石隆門)=(000)=7,759-------------------Total=(7,759)
(3) Lundu (倫樂)=(000)=1960-------------------- Total=(1,960)
(4) Samarahan (三馬拉漢)=(000)=6,048------Total=(6,048)
(5) Serian (西連)=(000)=9,016--------------------Total=(9,016)
(6) Simunjan (實文然)=(000)=1,814--------------Total=(1,814)
(7) Sri Aman (斯里阿曼)=(1,667)=1,527---------Total=(3,194
(8) Lubok Antu (魯勃安都)=(000)=1,557---------Total=(1,557)
(9) Betong (木中)=(000)=1,193---------------------Total=(1,193)
(10) Saratok (砂拉卓)=(000)=524------------------Total=524
(11) Sarikei (泗里街)=(409)=160-------------------Total=(569)
(12) Maradong (民那丹)=(000)=147---------------Total=(147)
(13) Daro (達羅)=(000)=88--------------------------- Total=(88)
(14) Ju;au (如樓)=(000)=63----------------------------Total=(63)
(15) Sibu (詩巫)=(4,463)=864------------------------ Total=(5,327)
(16) Dalat (達叻)=(000)=109---------------------------Total=(109)
(17) Mukah (木膠)=(000)=337------------------------- Total=(337)
(18) Kanowit (加拿逸)=(000)=447---------------------Total=(447)
(19) Bintulu (民都魯)=(2,299)=464---------------------Total=(2,763)
(20) Tatau (達島)=(000)=312----------------------------Total=(312)
(21) Kapit (加帛)=(000)=909----------------------------Total=(909)
(22) Song (桑阜)=(000)=76------------------------------Total=(76)
(23) Belaga (布拉甲)=(000)=396----------------------Total=(396)
(24) Miri (美里)=15,548=(5,445)-----------------------Total=(20,993)
(25) Marudi (馬魯帝)=(000)=996----------------------Total=(996)
(26) Limbang (林夢)=581=334-------------------------Total=(915)
(27) Lawas (老越)=(000)=667--------------------------Total=(667)
(28) Matu (馬都)=(000)=60------------------------------ Total=(60)
Hakkas in towns=(79,066), in rural areas=63,677
Total Hakkas in Sarawak=(142,743)
----------------------------------------------------------
More than half of the Hakkas in Sarawak, 74,564, live in Kuching, the state
capital. Hakka dialect is the lingua franca among the Chinese in Kuching.
The variant of the Hakkas in Sarawak are the Ho Po (河婆), Da Pu (大埔),
Feng Shun (豐順), Hui Zhou (會州), Bao An (寶安 including Dong Guan 東莞
), Lu Feng (陸豐), Wu Hua (五華), Mei Xian (梅縣) and Yong Ding (永定).
Ho Po dialect is common in Kuching.
The census recorded that 70% of the 20,000 Hakkas living in the big town
of Miri (美里) were Ho Po Hakka. In the 1950s and 1960s people called the
Miri region "河婆村 The Village of Ho Po" or 大山背 or behind the big mountain.
Formerly the Ho Po Hakkas were in the professions of growing pepper, owners
of fruit orchid, pig, fowl and fish farms and vegetable gardeners. With
good and higher education the offspring of these farmers are now professional
people and industrialists.
---------------------------------------------------------
The following is the dissection of the Malaysian Chinese in Sarawak
Dialect===========population==percentage
(1) Hakkas (客家)==142,743=====32.0%
(2) Hokchew (福州)=149,293=====33.5%
(3) Hokkien (福建)===59.322=====13.3%
(4) Cantonese (廣東)=27,485======6.2%
(5) Teochew (潮州)==36,062======8.1%
(6) Xinghua (興化)===14,567======3.3%
(7) Hainan (海南)=====7,898======1.8%
(8) Others (其他)=====8,178====== 1.8%
TOTAL==========445,548%=====100.0%
The increment in Hakka population in Sarawak according to the official census.
Year===population==percentage in Chinese population
1947===45,409=====31.3%
1960===70,221=====30.6%
1970===91,610===== 31.2%
1980==124,833=====32.4%
1991==142,743=====32.0%
The above information was supplied by the 5th International Hakkalogy
Discussion Convention held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia from 5th November 1999
to 6th November 1999.
====================================================
As far back as to the mid 18th century in the West Borneo (Kalimantan 加
里曼丹) Island there were about thirty to forty thousand Hakka Chinese working
as gold diggers. At that time Kalimantan was under the jurisdiction of the
Sultan of Brunei. The Hakka Chinese organized themselves into companies
or Kongsi (公司). The most famous ones were the Da Gang Kongsi (大港公司
)﹐ San Tiao Gou Kongsi (三條溝公司), and the one founded in 1777 by the
famous Mei Xian (梅縣) Hakka, Luo Fang Bo (羅芳伯) called Lan Fang Da Tang
Zhi (蘭芳大唐制), and many others. According to the historical records there
were about 150,000 Chinese in the whole of Borneo Island. About 90, 000
of them were in the gold mining regions in the Western part of Kalimantan
and the majority of these 90,000 Chinese were Hakka Chinese.
Stamford Raffles worked for the East India Company. He convinced the company
to establish a settlement in the Straits of Malacca. The settlement would
serve as a port of call for the British ships enroute from India to China.
In 1819, Stamford Raffles landed on the tiny island of Singapore. Raffles
established a trading post on the island. In 1824, Stamford succeeded in
getting the Sultan of Johore to ceded Singapore outright to the British.
In the 1820s the Dutch Colonial Authorities in the Indonesian archipelago
began to penetrate into West Kalimantan. The Dutch implemented their famous
policy of "To divide and rule". They instigated the Chinese to fight against
the Chinese, Kongsi (公司) against Kongsi and creating antagonism between
the natives and the Chinese. Many Hakkas gold-mine-workers, in order to
avoid trouble, relocated themselves to Bau (Shi Long Men 石隆門) in Sarawak
and the present day Second Division of Sarawak to continue their mining
and to undertake agricultural activities.
Liu Shanbang (劉善邦) was from Lufeng county (陸豐縣) in Guangdong province
(廣東省). He was employed by Luo Fang Bo Kongsi. In 1830 he relocated himself
to Bau. He established a company called Yi Xing Kongsi (義興公司) at Mao
Shan (帽山) or Mao hill to mine for gold. Later he renamed Yi Xing Kongsi
to Shi Er Kongsi (十二公司). During the period from 1840 to 1850 there were
two relocations of workers from the San Tiao Gou Kongsi to Bau. Altogether
there were more than 10,000 workers arrived at Bau and almost all of them
ended up working in Shi Er Kongsi owned by Liu Shan Bang. They were Hakkas
mostly from Mei Xian (梅縣), Hui Zhou (惠州), Xin An (新安), and Hopo (河
婆).
In about 1850, the workers from the Da Gang Kongsi (大港公司) relocated
themselves to Ying Ji Li Li (英吉里利 ? in English) in the Second Division
of Sarawak. They established a company called Shi Wu Fen Kongsi (十五分公
司) or Fifteen Partners Compant. The head of this company was Huang Cheng
Ji (黃成際), a Hopo Hakka from Ma Tou (河婆馬頭人) in Guangdong province
(廣東省). At one time the company employed more than 500 workers.
These Hakkas, relocated themselves from the three companies to the Fist
and Second Divisions of Sarawak, became the Hakka pioneers in Sarawak.
------------------------------------------------------
The White Raja James Brooke
James Brooke was born and grew up in India where his father worked for the
East India Company. As a young man he was a soldier serving in Bengal, but
he resigned from service in 1830. His father died in 1835 and he inherited
a large fortune. James used the money to buy a schooner which he named "The
Royalist". He was a dashing adventurer and to set sail to explore the East.
Sarawak was the southernmost province of the Brunei sultanate. As the sultanate
was declining in power the Malay chiefs had greater independence. James
Brooke landed in Sarawak in 1839 and made friend with Raja Muda Hashim,
a relative of the Sultan of Brunei. Raja Muda Hashim was trying to quell
a rebellion against the misrule of the Governor of Sarawak. Brutal extortion
demanded by the Governor from Brunei had reached extremes that the native
Dyaks, Malays and the Chinese rebelled. James did not stay long in Sarawak
and he continued his exploration in the East. In 1840 James Brooke returned
to Sarawak and helped Raja Muda Hashim to put down the four-year rebellion
by talking to both sides into agreeing upon a truce. He insisted that the
lives of the rebels should be spared and returned to their villages. Thus
James Brooke befriended the Dyaks, the Malays and the Chinese. For his
contribution James Brooke was rewarded control of Sarawak by the Brunei
Sultan.
Since 1833, when the East Indian Company lost its monopoly of China trade,
the British government and the company lost their interests to acquire new
territories.In 1841, the British government allowed James Brooke, at the
age of 38, to be installed the Raja of Sarawak. With the help from the
local Malay chiefs James Brooke established peace and order in Sarawak.
Under Brooke's rule, the population grew, more territories were brought
under Sarawak's control. Brooke did not attempt to make new laws but based
his administration on existing customs and consultation with the Malay chiefs.
Although his administration was always in deficit he refused to introduce
foreign capital to Sarawak. He believed that foreign capital would not be
in the interest of the natives but resulted in the possession of wealth by
the Europeans. In 1857 there was a revolt by the Hakka Chinese gold miners.
The revolt was quickly suppressed. In 1863 James Brooke in bad health and
retired to England and died five years later. James Brooke was never married.
The Second "White Raja" was Charles Brooke, the nephew of James Brooke.
He managed the finance better than his uncle and brought Sarawak out of
debt. He stopped the practice of head-hunting and expanded trade. He brought
prosperity to Sarawak. He declared that the most suitable population for
Sarawak would be derived from intermarriage between Europeans and the natives.
But he himself married a European lady named Margaret de Windt, 20 years
his junior.Charles Brooke proposed marriage to young Magaret de Windt by
handing her a note while she was playing piano. The note read:
"With a humble demean
If King were to pray
That you'd be his Queen,
Would you not say, Nay?'
Margaret laughed at first and the say "Yes".
Charles Brooke lived his wife so much that he built a fort and named it
after her "Fort Margherita" which was built to protect the city of Kuching
from any unforeseen enemy attack from the river.
Large numbers of Chinese workers from Singapore were brought to Sarawak
open up and develop the territory. In 1877, the sovereignty of North Borneo
(present day state of Sabah) was under the control of Sarawak. In 1885,
the authority of Sarawak began to recruit and organize large numbers of
workers from Guangdong province to come to settle in Sarawak. In 1899, 100
Christian Hakka Chinese, from China, settled in a place about two kilometers
south of the city of Kuching (南古晉). They cleared the land and planted
crops.
In the early of 20th century a Hakka Chinese named Deng Gong Shu (鄧恭叔
) organized a large group of several hundred Chinese from the Hakka regions
in Guangdong province and migrated to Sarawak. They settled near Kuching.
He named the new settlement "New Guangdong Settlement (新廣東墾場). From
1902 to 1917 more than 600 Hakkas from Guangdong province settlement briefly
at the "New Guangdong Settlement".
Charles Brooke died in 1917, at the age of 86. He had spent sixty-five years
in Sarawak - forty-nine years as the Second Rajah of Sarawak.
During the period (1917 to 1946) of the rule of the "Third White Rajah",
Charles Vyner Brooke, the eldest son of Charles Brooke, more and more Chinese
arrived from Singapore and China to settle in Sarawak. See the table (in
(1)) of the increment of the Hakka People in Sarawak from 1947 to 1991.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The town of Sibu (詩巫)
Before 1873 the present day town of Sibu was not called Sibu but Malin (馬
林). At that time there were only about 60 wooden shophouses. The residents
were mostly Malays and there were not many Chinese. Most of the Chinese
were of Hokkien origin and very few Hakkas. After this period there were
more and more Hakkas settled in Sibu.
Here is a record of the 31 Hakka businesses (between the period of 1900
to 1940 just before the start of the 2nd World War) with their names (in
Hanyu pinyin), the founders and the offspring inherited the businesses.
(1) 廣福興 (Guang Fu Xing)
Founded by the three brothers of;
江予合 (Jiang Yuhe), 江予湖 (Jiang Yuhu) and 江予寶(Jiang Yubao)
Inherited by their offspring; 江東生 (Jiang Dongsheng), 江紹紅 (Jiang Shaohong)
,
江紹賢 (Jiang Shaoxian) and others
===============================
(2) Yong Chen (永成)
Founded 何育泉 (He Yuquan)
Inherited by his offspring; 何衍金 (He Yanjin), 何衍足 (He Yanzu),
何泰溪 (He Taixi), 何泰來 (He Tailai) and others
======================================
(3) 同和 (Tong He)
Founded by 魏世森 (Wei Shisen)
Inherited by his offspring; 魏乃盛 (Wei Naisheng), 魏乃江 (Wei Naijiang),
===============================================
(4) 廣和 (Guang He)
Founded by 黃暢資 (Huang Changzi)
Inherited by his offspring; 黃應歆 (Huang Yingxin), 黃福榮 (Huang Furong),
黃福秋 (Huang Fuqiu) and others
======================================
(5) 仁和 (Ren He)
Founded by 羅吉臣 (Luo Jichen) in partnership with 魏洲養 (Wei Zhouyang)
Inherited by their offspring; 羅啟春 (Luo Qichun), 羅啟信 (Luo Qixin), 羅
明杰
(Luo Mingjie), 魏乃榮 (Wei Nairong), 魏乃光 (Wei Naiguang) and others.
==========================================
(6) 隆喜 (Long Xi)
Founded by 謝隆喜 (Xie Longxi)
Inherited by his offspring; 謝龍歡 (Xie Longhuan), 謝傳發 (Xie Chuanfa),
謝傳坤 (Xie Chuankun), 謝壽建 (Xie Shoujian), 謝傳利 (Xie Chuanli), 謝傳
業
(Xie Chuanye), 謝傳光 (Xie Chuanguang) and others
===================================
(7) 建合 (Jian He)
Founded by 鐘華琳 (Zhong Hualin)
Inherited by his offspring; 鐘發雲 (Zhong Fayun), 鐘茂雲 (Zhong Maoyun)
鐘賢源 (Zhong Xianyuan)
=============================
(8) 國泰 (Guo Tai)
Founded by 鐘義泰 (Zhong Yitai)
Inherited by his offspring; 鐘熾初 (Zhong Chichu), 鐘茂麟 (Zhong Maolin)
鐘遠麟 (Zhong Yuanlin), 鐘精麟 (Zhong Jinglin) 鐘嘉麟 (Zhong Jialin)
and others
============================
(9) 永隆 (Yong Long)
Founded by 羅觀祥 (Luo Guanxioang)
Inherited by his offspring; 羅展時 (Luo Zhanshi), 羅兆時 (Luo Zhaoshi)
羅禮彬 (Luo Libin), 羅毅彬 (Luo Yibin) and others
================================
(10) 慶利 (Qing Li)
Founded by 羅慶書 (Luo Qingshu)
Inherited by his offspring; 羅金傳 (Luo Jinchuan)
============================
(11) 財利 (Cai Li)
Founded by 羅榮樓 (Luo Ronglou)
Inheritance unknown
===============================
(12) 劉榮學 (Liu Rongxue)
Founded by 劉榮學 (Liu Rongxue)
Inherited by his offspring; 劉玉德 (Liu Yude), 劉俊松
(Liu Junsong) and others
====================================
(13) 保生堂 (Bao Sheng Tang)
Founded by 劉伯隆 (Liu Bolong)
Inherited by his offspring; 劉俊華 (Liu Junhua),
劉啟麟 (Liu Qilin) and others
==========================
(14) 梁兆振 (Liang Zhaozhen 客屬甲必丹 Chinese leader)
Founded by 梁兆振 (Liang Zhaozhen)
Inherited by his offspring; 梁新 (Liang Xin), 梁庚壽 (Liang Gengshou),
梁志壽 (Liang Zhishou), 梁發壽) and others
===========================
(15) 天生堂 (Tian Sheng Tang)
Founded by 劉玉屏) later sold it to 張公倫 (Zhang Gonglun)
Business unknown
====================================
(16) 南商 (Nan Shang)
Founded by the two brothers of 何裕新 (He Yuxin) and
何裕英 (He Yuting).
Inherited by their offspring; 何孟賢 (He Mengxian) and others
======================================
(17) 隆和 (Long He)
Founded by 陳玉泉 (Chen Yuquan)
Inherited by his offspring; 陳照生 (Chen Zhaosheng),
陳以才 (Chen Yi cai) and others
=================================
(18) 春和 (Chun He)
Founded by 羅吉臣 (Luo Jichen) See (5)
Inheritance unknown.
=============================
(19) 魏昌 (Wei Chang)
Founded by 魏洲養 (Wei Zhouyang) See (5)
Inherited by his offspring; 魏乃榮 (Wei Nairong)
魏光耀 (Wei Guangyao)
========================================
(20) 萬和堂 (Wan He Tang)
Founded by 吳德良 (Wu Deliang)
Inherited by his offspring; 吳新霖(Wu Xinlin),
吳勛霖 (Wu Xunlin) and others
======================================
(21)和和商店 (He He Store)
Founded by 吳順霖 (Wu Shunlin)
Inherited by 吳世光 (Wu Shiguang),
吳世城 (Wu Shicheng) and others.
==============================
(22) 群和祥 (Qun He Xiang)
Founded by 羅志平 (Luo Zhiping)
Inherited by his offspring; 羅紅星 (Luo Hong Xing),
羅泰星 (Luo Taixing) and others
=============================
(23) 天和堂 (Tian He Tang)
Founded by 劉禮庭 (Liu Liting)
Inherited by his offspring; 劉慧聰 (Liu Huicong)
=============================
(24) 利民(Li Min)
Founded by 江璧垣 (Jiang Biyuan) and
江仲宵 (Jiang zhongxiao) father and son
Inherited by their offspring; 江嘗先 (Jiang Changxian),
江秉公 (Jiang Binggong) and others
================================
(25) 濟康 (泗里街﹐ Ji Kang)
Founded by 張樂天 (Zhang Letian)
Inherited by 張啟昌 (Zhang Qichang), 張守輝大法官
(Judge Zhang Shouhui), 張守江 (Zhang Shoujiang)
===================================
(26) 忠泰昌 (泗里街﹐Zhong Tai Chang)
Founded by 廖倫伍 (Liao Lunwu)
Inherited by his offspring; 廖德循 (Liao Dexun),
廖雙發 (Liao Shuangfa) and others
================================
(27) 永和 (民那丹﹐Yong He)
Founded by 吳焱榮 (Wu Yanrong)
Inherited by his offspring; 吳偉華 (Wu Weihua) and others
=================================
(28) 廣新 (泗里街﹐Guang Xin)
Founded by 鐘興雲 (Zhong Xingyun)
Inheritance unknown
====================================
(29) 同仁堂 (加帛 Tong Ren Tang)
Founded by 何振國 (He Zhenguo)
Inherited by his offspring 何錦鑾 (He Jinluan)
==================================
(30) 安和 (加帛 An He)
Founded by 楊安和 (Yang Anhe)
Inherited by his offspring; 楊華章 (Yang Huazhang) and others
===========================
(31) 黎亞卯 (加帛 Li Ya Mao)
Founded by 黎亞卯 (Li Yamao)
Inherited by his offspring; 黎紹興 (Li Shaoxing)
==============================
Please let me know if you have found the names of your ancestors.
=============================
Reference books
(1) 客家淵遠流長 (Kejia Yuan Yuan Liu Chang)
(2) A Kejia Magazine
(Both were published, in Chinese, by the Federation of Hakka Associations
of Malaysia).
(3) History of Malaysia
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved
|
|
The Asiawind forums are provided to you by
InTechTra Inc.
