Balingian was a wooden Chinese (Hokkiens, Teo Chews and Hakkas) bazaar in the 1940's then more than 100 km from Mukah by small boats. It was considered far from any town in Sarawak, hence a remote settlement.
Photo above by Pro Steve (Steve Ling) showing old wooden shop houses of Balingian - Kongsi House of the Foochows.
Photo above by Pro Steve (Steve Ling) showing old wooden shop houses of Balingian - Kongsi House of the Foochows.
The Foochows started to settle down in Balingian in the early fifties, then known as "late comers". Several Chinese families from the Hakka, Chao Ann, Minnan and Teo Chew groups had already arrived.
When the timber industry started to gain momentum in Sarawak, many towns started to boom and Balingian was one of the centres of timber logging.
A group arrived in Balingian in the early 50's, working for the Foochow timber company, Hua Lee Sdn Bhd, owned by Datuk Hii Yu Chiong. All of a sudden the bazaar started to teem with incoming "migrant" workers from Sibu and elsewhere. Business started to pick up.
A group arrived in Balingian in the early 50's, working for the Foochow timber company, Hua Lee Sdn Bhd, owned by Datuk Hii Yu Chiong. All of a sudden the bazaar started to teem with incoming "migrant" workers from Sibu and elsewhere. Business started to pick up.
The early Foochows pooled their resources together to buy a Foochow Kongsi House in the bazaar to provide accomodation to the migrant workers. The Kongsi house was home to the Balingian Foochow Association which was actually set up as early as 1948. Today it has been sold and the proceeds was used to buy another building in Selangor.
The logging and sawmill kept Balingian active until the early 2000, thus spanning almost half a century.
Many of the Foochow enterprises moved to Selangau when the Sarawak interior roads linking Sibu to Bintulu and Miri were constructed in the 80's. Selangau became a thriving township and continues to grow as a significant pit stop along the Pan Borneo Highway..jpg)
The Foochow Association of Balingian also moved to Selangau. The distance between Selangau and Balingian is roughly 85 km and Selangau can be reached by boats, along the Balingian River.
Before 2007, there was a private wooden ferry (RM10.00 per vehicle and RM1.00 per passenger) serving this area. The Baligian is a large river that drains into the South China Sea.
The Balingian Bridge, constructed by Naim Cendera, connecting Balingian and Kuala Balingian, was completed in 2007.
Balingian town is surrounded by around 140 Iban longhouses and 6 Melanau kampongs.Balingian has grown from a small bazaar town, located about 60 KM from Mukah to a modern township
Source: Steve Ling, Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association.
Source : Wikipedia
Photos by Chua Cheng Choon
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