The two connected shophouses at shop no. 39 and 41 of Carpenter street were among the prosperous shops in Old Bazaar. Three renowned and influential families were directly related to these two shops. 【Chan Ah Koh】 In 1844, a young 16 years old Chan Ah...
Renowned Cantonese pioneer Lee Wing Thong was born in Zi Dong Town of Nan Hai District Guan Dong in 1884. He followed his village folks to Nanyang in search for better livelihood. He settled in Carpenter Street along with other Cantonese migrants. In the early days,...
The Tai Poo peoples from Cha Yang town arrived in Kuching at the beginning of the 20th century. They were mainly engaged in the tin smith, traditional medicine, noodles businesses. In 1916, the Tai Poo clan established “Pu Yi Gong Suo” (埔邑公所). Four years later, the...
Around 1840 there were a small number of Hainanese in Carpenter Street and China Street. In 1878, Hin Ho Bio was already present at Carpenter Street. The temple was renovated following the Kuching Great Fire 1884. In the early years, new Hainanese migrants lived in...
Around 1915, a newly married Hainanese, Lee Juat Siang left his wife and family to look for business opportunity in Kuching. After working hard for several years, he managed to accumulate some savings. He opened Juat Siang Coffee Shop at shop no. 34 of Carpenter...
Around 1920s, Hainanese Lee Seng Shen travelled across the sea to Kuching. He first help in a shop operated by one of the folks from his village. After being familiar with the environment, he started to sell curry rice. It was believed that Lee cooked two huge pots of...
In the 1920s, a 16 years old Kiew Shao Ngap who originate from Baihou Town, Taipu Guang Dong arrived in Kuching alone and stayed at shop no. 44 of Upper China Street. At first, Kiew began work in a Chinese medicine shop. Then he decided to start his own business in...
Upper China Street is a continuation of China Street. Until 1993, this was a dead-end street with a hill slope at the end. Before the 1930s, there used to be a well on the street and for this reason, the street is also called “Da Jin Xiang” (大井巷) meaning “Big Well...
