1882 - the Baram was ceded to the Rajah Charles Brooke by the Sultan of Brunei. At the end of that year, the Rajah brought 11 Hokkiens and 1 Cantonese to the Baram to trade. Among them was Lim Teck Leong, who became the first Chinese Kapitan of the Baram.
 |
| The Hokkien Association of Baram. |
 |
| The local indigenous tribal people preferred the Chinese traders. |
1883 A group of Hokkiens arrived in Baram by a steamer to start trading at the trading post a little below the hill where the Brooke officers were to start building the fort. BEtween 1885 and 1886 as more and more Chinese migrants arrived they applied to the government to build a bazaar. The centre came be be named Claude Town, after the first Resdient, Claude Champion de Crespigny.
By 1888 there were more than 300 Chinese in Claude Town and were mainly Hokkiens and Hakkas.
They were regarded as men full of integrity by the local indigenous people who welcomed them. As Claude Town was the administrative centre of the Baram, it was well policed, with a garrison. The Chinese and the local indigenous people found that trading was peaceful and regulated and trade prosper. The Government sent steamers to collect jungle products to be sent to Kuching and then to Singapore.
The Chinese were thus "approved agents" who brought salt and much needed necessities like cloth for the indigenous people and helped to export jungle products like rattan and jelutong to Kuching to transit before being exported to Singapore. The indigenous people were enthusiastic for the Chinese ceramic ware for their domestic and other uses. The larger jars were even used for burial purposes.
As a result of more land added to the Kingdom of Sarawak, the Brooke Government prospered and the capital, Kuching became a thriving entrepot in those days.
No comments:
Post a Comment