SARAWAK > 1ST DIVISION > PLACES OF INTEREST > HERITAGE > The Old China Town of Kuching
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A trading commercial center started with a street of 350 meters which after 200 years became today tourist's historical heritage site of Old China Town in Kuching City.
For such short stretch of 350 meters street, the administrators 200 years ago divided it into two sections : 亞答街 Carpenter Street + 友海街 Ewe Hai Street.
The vision of Kuching people may be short 200 years ago with no expectation and vision that this short street they had was a original site of expansion and development to a prosperous city in South East Asia after 200 years.
The main street of Old China Town is Carpenter Street 亞答街. But the town areas covering Main Bazaar 海唇街, China Street 中國街+大井巷, Ewe Hai Street 友海街, Wayang Street 花香街, Jalan Bishop Gate 下橫街,
Following association office are found at Carpenter Street of Old China Town of Kuching:
A. Kwong Wai Siew Association
B. Teo Chew Association
C. Hing Ann Association
D. Hai Nan Association
E. Tai Poo Association
F. Kaying Association
G. Liu Chiu Association
I. Hockien Association
1 Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple 玄天上帝廟
2 Tokong Hin Ho Bio
3 Bishop Gate
4 Hong San Si 鳳山寺
5 Tua Pek Kong Temple 大伯公廟
Main Bazaar 海唇街
Ewe Hai Street 友海街
Carpenter Street 亞答街 (木匠街)
Jalan Bishop Gate 下横街
Sarawak River 沙撈越河
Chinese red archway 亞答街牌坊
At the other end of Ewe Hai Street is this Hong San Si Temple, which is an incense flourishing old temple, full of myth.
And next to the temple is Life Café.
Life Cafe @ Ewe Hai Street 人间茶坊
108 Jalan Ewe Hai, Kuching. +60 82-425 707
Opposite Life Cafe is Black Bean Coffee & Tea Company 黑豆食品咖啡茶叶贸易公司
87, Ewe Hai Street, Kuching
Kuching’s old neighborhood, in fact is Sarawak’s first neighborhood. In the early years, a large number of Chinese immigrants came from the province of Guangdong, Fujian as well as other coastal areas and slowly developed this area into prosperity.
The Chinese emigration brought various cultures and handcrafts skills, blended with the old neighborhoods to create the current unique multi-cultural characteristic.
End of last century there were still remain a few furniture shops on Ewe Hai Street (that is why they call Carpenter Street)There are dental clinic, bookstores, coffee shops, herbal shops, incense store, etc., which added much colors and liveliness to the lives on the streets.
Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple 玄天上帝廟
"Temple Food Court" is located just opposite the Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple. You may be disappointed to find that it is just a small open air eateries. The word "Food Court" was used by Tourist Guide Books for promotion where infect the local people only call it "Food Stalls" and it only a handful of stalls.
The official entrance to Kuching's historical Chinatown is this colorful and ornate Harmony Arch on Carpenter Street.
LOCATION of Old China Town of Kuching City
The main entrance is at the eastern end of Carpenter Street opposite the Old Courthouse (Kuching's Visitor Information Centre) compound. Otherwise, you can find the Chinatown in the Main Bazaar area along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman opposite the Kuching Waterfront and Leboh Cina (Upper China Street).
DESCRIPTION:
Kuching Chinatown is marked with a grandiose Chinese-inspired red archway that certainly indicates the entry point of this popular shopping and eating place. The refurbished old shophouses are surprisingly nice to look at, with brightly painted walls and windows, garbage-free streets (yes, most parts of Kuching are surprisingly clean!) with no moving vehicles crowding the alley ways.
Most of the shops along Carpenter Street are selling mostly non-touristy stuff. Note that this is a real Chinatown which is frequently by locals, not necessarily just for tourists. Hence you will find bicycle shops, book stores, hardware stores, antique furniture stores and quaint coffee shops (locally known as kopitiam) where you can witness the city dwellers go about their daily life. There are a number of establishments catered for tourist here, namely the Carpenter Guesthouse which seems like a decent backpacking place, Century Café which provides a great cocktail bar, and an exquisite looking Chinese restaurant.
There are also many Chinese temples in the precinct. Along Carpenter Street alone, there are two of them, with delicate stone carvings, pagoda and prayer places. Nonetheless, the most popular temple has to be the Tua Pek Kong temple along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman which is the oldest tokong cina in the city. The temple is believed to be built back in 1843 although the city's official records show its came into existence only in 1876. Opposite the old temple is the Chinese History Museum (Muzium Sejarah Cina) which is also located along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. The museum displays some history of the Chinese community in Kuching and Sarawak in general, tracing their heritage from various migration origins in mainland China. The museum is opened daily from 0900hrs to 1800hrs except on Friday.
The last but not least, the Main Bazaar along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman is considered a must-visit in many travel itineraries. In general, the Main Bazaar showcases almost similar characteristics of the old shophouses on Carpenter Street and Leboh Cina, with fancy souvenir outlets are a norm rather than an exception.
Ewe Hai Street (100 meters) jointing Carpenter Street (250 meters) formed the main Tourist Street of Old China Town of Kuching. And the location these two old streets linked into one is at Bishop Gate, another heritage spot of Kuching history. Along both side of the street are century old British colonial style shop buildings similar to old Singapore and old Malacca.These two oldest streets in Kuching Ewe Hai Street and Carpenter Street formed the "Old China Town" of Kuching.
Ewe Hai Street was built in 1885 by a Chinese businessman, Ong Ewe Hai (1830-1889).
Parallel to Ewe Hai Street + Carpenter Street is another Kuching’s oldest street – Main Bazaar beside the river.
Lip Chiang, incense store and Jing Fong Foh, Shanghai Carpenter side by side at
Ewe Hai Street
LEK TAU SUAN BIG BOWL Rm 2.00 (Takeaway big box Rm 2.30) SMALL BOWL Rm 1.50 (Takeaway small box Rm 1.80) |
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LEK TAU SUAN at Carpenter Street
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