Day 51: Exploring Kuching and its Culture

Today's program involves exploring Kuching's waterfront, Chinatown, and the Borneo Cultures Museum. Kuching, founded in 1827 along the Sarawak River, thrives on its historical connection to the waterway. The river remains an essential source of water and transportation for Sarawak's inhabitants. Today, it is also a magnet for tourists, with its scenic pedestrian area lined with trees, benches, cafés, and starting points for river cruises. Across the river, the imposing Parliament building and the Governor's residence dominate the view.  

Waterfront walk with shady parks inviting visitors to rest.

Fascinating trees cover the road and offer shade.
New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building 

Chinatown begins along the waterfront, characterized by its historic shophouses, many of which are still in use. Those near the river often cater to tourists, having been converted into cafés, restaurants, or souvenir shops. However, further away from the waterfront, the shophouses serve a different purpose, targeting local residents. On one particular street, over 20 goldsmiths and jewelers operate small shops side by side, with a couple of pawnshops sprinkled among them, creating a bustling trade hub.  

The Harmony Arch is the gateway to Carpenter Street

Chinese shophouses: ground floor for business,
upper floors for the family

Not a b/w picture: tiles on a walkway in front of a shophouse

Modern Sarawakian living style

Sales!!!!

Black/red/gold flags everywhere

More street art.

Kuching City Mosque

The next stop is the Borneo Cultures Museum, housed in an impressive modern building. The museum offers a fascinating journey through Borneo’s history, culture, and wildlife. Exhibits cover prehistoric excavations, indigenous cultures, and the region’s biodiversity. A significant portion of the museum is dedicated to the political history of the region, detailing its transitions under the rule of Brunei, the British, the Japanese, the Communist insurgency, and finally the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

Borneo Cultures Museum Source: The Star

Indigenous Bridal dress

Hornbill skull as a sacred object

Human skulls hanging at the entrance of longhouses
as status symbol and protection.

Leaving the museum, my mind is buzzing with reflections. As Europeans, we often take pride in our millennia-old history, and Americans sometimes envy this depth of narrative since their history books are much shorter. But Sarawak’s history challenges this perspective. While its written history may seem brief, its roots stretch back over 40,000 years, with evidence of early humanoid life. Strategically located at the crossroads of China, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, Borneo has long been a bustling trading hub. Yet, none of this finds a place in European history books because, for centuries, Europe was unaware of Borneo’s existence.  

Similarly, not being in the spotlight during World War II doesn’t mean the war bypassed this region. While Europe celebrated peace in 1945, Southeast Asia was still grappling with the painful processes of nation-building, Communist insurgencies, and internal conflicts. The wars in Korea and Vietnam are etched into global memory, but the rest of Southeast Asia experienced its own bloody struggles for stability and modernity well into the 1960s.  




Location: Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

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