The Chinese History Museum

The Chinese History Museum is located on the ground of the Kuching Waterfront within a stone throw of the landmark Tua Pek Kong Temple. This compact building was originally built in 1912 as an administrative centre and the judicial court of the local Chinese, but was taken over by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Kuching in 1921 until the present Museum began in 1993.

Visitors are greeted by the gloom and dimly lit atmosphere of the interior as they enter, and the creaking wooden floor helps to accentuate the antiquated ambiance.

Chinese History Museum

First to greet the visitors are the two prancing Chinese lions, frozen and immortalized in a dramatic pose while standing nearby are the Madamme Tussaud-like statues of a Chinese man and a woman attired in traditional Chinese dresses with two kids in front similarly dressed.

There is an old rickshaw, a popular mode of transport of Kuching townsfolk in the early 1900s. Another corner displays an old gramophone with the bronze flared speaker, a old Chinese worship altar and many others.

Moving along the wall, one reads the history of the arrival of Chinese to Sarawak with plenty of old pictures and photographs of the bygone eras. All the dialect groups of the Sarawak Chinese have a write up here, namely the Hakka, the Hokkien, the Foochow, the Cantonese and other minor groups. History buffs would love to stop to soak up the story and pictures of every one of the exhibit.

There is a section on traditional Chinese musical instruments, showcasing the wailing er-hu and twanging pipa. Though not consider artifacts of genuine antiquity, such display are quite apt as they are of a bygone era. Then there is a display of ceramics, a collections of bowls and plates of the Ming Dynasty.

Chinese Musical Instruments

An interesting period item is the traditional Chinese coffee shop table. It was a classic round marble top table with sturdy wooden legs we find in old-time Chinese kopitiam (coffee shop) in town. With it stand two equally authentic wooden armless chair that always accompanied such tables. Most local townsfolk over 50 can surely recall with fondness, the sight of these furniture as they were the standard fixture of all coffee shops in town. You don’t see this kind of set up anymore as all of them use plastic chairs and formica tables now.

A tour of this Museum ia recommended for first time oversea visitors to Kuching as it showcases the multiplicity aspects of the dialectical make-up of Sarawak Chinese, thus giving a deeper insight into the make-up of the Chinese psyche.

Quick Facts

• Opening Daily  : 9.00 am - 4.30 pm
• Closed             : 1st day of Major festivals
• Entrance fee    : Free
• Location           : On the Kuching Waterfront, near the Tua Pek Kong Temple
• Phone No         : 082-244232

 Link to this page

 Link to this page