Group photo of Sibu members of Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association visitng Penakub, Mukah. October 25 2019.
Penakub, a old Chinese settlement with one row of wooden shop houses was probably established after 1901. The Chinese migrants who arrived here were traders who came from Kuching and later some may be even Brunei to settle down here and raise their families in the serene backwaters of the Ulu Mukah River. At the height of its importance as a trading centre for Mukah river, there were 12 shop houses. The businessmen traded in sago, the most importnat product of Mukah and had the processed products sent to Kuching and other parts of Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya.
These traders also served the local Melanaus and other ethnic groups well. Small jetties were constructed on the river bank and small boats from all the kampongs along the Mukah river arrived to do business and to buy up goods too.
Today it is a quiet Chinese settlement, still mainly dependent on River Mukah for transport. But since the 1990's roads have changed the life style of these residents, bringing them into the exciting 21st century.
A boat building enterprise is thriving here. A small primary school, SJK Ek Hua, established in 1927, and temple , put up in 19 17 ,continue to serve the Chinese community.
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