Chinatown, Kuching

Chinatown, Kuching
Chinese-style welcome gate at Jalan Padungan, Kuching
Traditional Chinese	唐人街
Simplified Chinese	唐人街
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tángrén Jiē

Chinatown is located at Padungan road, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The most notable streets in the Chinatown are Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street.

Early transportation in South East Asia were heavily dependent on rivers. Therefore, Chinese settlers usually named the first street near the river as "Hai Gan Street" (海乾街) which means "at the edge of river/sea". However, Hai Chun Street (海唇街, meaning lips of the sea) was given for the first street in Kuching (now popularly known as "Main Bazaar") near Sarawak River. It is the oldest street in Kuching. Wharves and jetties can be found nearby the street for loading and unloading of goods. Hong San Si Temple (鳳山寺) is located in the east while the Old Court House is located in the western part of the street. In 1839, while Sarawak was still under the Bruneian Empire administration, the area was inhabited by only a few households while the surroundings were covered by forests. According to official Chinese documents, there were about 20 Chinese pioneers managing vegetable farms at Satok area. After James Brooke took Sarawak (present day Kuching) from the Bruneian Empire, security in the area improved. This has attracted an influx of Chinese immigrants into this place. The earliest settlers in the area were the Hokkien businessmen who stayed near the Tua Pek Kong temple. Teochew businessmen later built more shophouses along the street and named the western part of the street as "Shun Feng Street" (顺丰街) which means "smooth and abundant". Shophouses at the Hai Chun Street were made of wood and attap dwellings. Near the present day Chinese History Museum was the first market in Kuching selling fish, meat, and vegetables. Therefore, the Hai Chun Street is also known as Main Bazaar. In 1863, Frederick Bayle described the Hai Chun Street as follows:

To the right of the Court House is Chinese merchant area, while road on the front is muddy. There are different sizes, shapes, and patterns of shophouses and goods. The five-foot store in front is filled with various types of goods.