Belian is also called Iron Wood by many people.
When the Foochows first came to Sibu led by Wong nai Siong, they were very adventurous and looked for all sorts of timber in the swampy land given to them by the Rajah of Sarawak. One of the best timbers they found was belian, which they called RED wood, because they were simple farmers with very little education. Many of them hardly went to school.
Scientifically, this belian is called, Eusideroxylon zwageri, which is a rare timber native to the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines region.
It is also known as Bornean ironwood, billian, or ulin.
Because it is solid and water cannot permeat through it, it is often used as a material to make receptacles for water. Foochow craftsmen started to make tubs of all sizes, and even TANKS as big as a room, to hold rain water.
Because belian does not rot, the belian tubs last like the one in the photo. It is used to contain soft tofu fah and it has been in the family of this tofu maker for more than three generations.
Many Foochow families in Sibu have water tubs of different sizes in their bathrooms and they too have lasted for generations.
Belian has been used for building some of the best Foochow houses in Sibu area.
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