Bintangor, Sarawak

Last updated

Bintangor
Town and district capital
Other transcription(s)
 •  Chinese 民丹莪
Bintangor street view.jpg
Bintangor street view
The Flag of Maradong and Julau District Council.jpg
Flag
The Seal of Maradong and Julau District Council.png
Seal
Nickname: 
Lime town [1] [note 1]
Borneo Locator Topography.png
Red pog.svg
Bintangor
Location in Malaysia
Coordinates: 2°9′56″N111°38′3″E / 2.16556°N 111.63417°E / 2.16556; 111.63417
CountryFlag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
StateFlag of Sarawak.svg  Sarawak
Division Sarikei
District Maradong
Time zone UTC+08:00 (Malaysian Standard Time)
Postal code(s)
96500
Area code 084 (landline only)
ISO 3166 code Part of MY-13
Vehicle registration QR (for all vehicles except taxis)
HQ (for taxis only)
Website www.maradong-julaudc.sarawak.gov.my

Bintangor (formerly known as Binatang) is a town, and the capital of the Meradong District in Sarikei Division, of Sarawak, Malaysia. Situated along the Rejang River, Bintangor was an express boat services hub connecting between, Sarikei town and Sibu city in the 1970s up to the early 1990s. As road connections between these towns became a more prominent mode of transport, the waterway of the town died down.

Contents

The town is widely known for its gastronomy, including the "Limau Bintangor" or Bintangor lime, "Bintangor Kampua" and Rojak Bintangor, a dish of fruit and vegetable dish mixed together by special sauce dressing. The nearest city from the town is Sibu, 45 minutes drive via the Pan Borneo Highway.

Etymology

Lime as the symbol of Bintangor. Lime symbol for Bintangor.jpg
Lime as the symbol of Bintangor.

Meradong District was initially named as Binatang district and the town as Binatang town. In Malay language, Binatang literally translated as "animal". It was said that this area was once a fertile land with various wild fruits; attracting animals to gather here and search for food. Therefore, the early settlers named it Binatang. According to Ptolemy's Geography book written circa 150 AD, a location at the northwest tip of Borneo was described as Theriodes which means "animal" in Greek which tallies with Sanskrit "Tiryagja" and Malay "Binatang", presently still the name of a town near the mouth of the Rejang River. [2] However, the local people later felt that the name was indecent and it was changed to Bintang (meaning "stars" in Malay). After a few years, the local authorities decided that the place name should not be changed so easily; and they reverted the name back to Binatang. [1] [note 2] Finally, in 1984, [3] after a discussion with district council members, Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud decided to change "Binatang" district into "Meradong" district and the town name to "Bintangor". [1] [note 3] The name Meradong is derived from the river of the same name, which passes through the town before merging into the larger Rajang River. The name Bintangor is derived from the name of a tree which is found on the hills. [3] The Calanolide A compound extracted from the Bintangor tree (Calophyllum lanigerum) is believed to be a vital component to treat HIV infection. [4]

History

In 1853, James Brooke was able to take over Rajang River and its surrounding settlements from the Brunei Sultanate. [5] Before the 1900s, the population in Bintangor was sparse. In 1896, [3] the Malays from Second Division (now Betong Division and Sri Aman Division) migrated here and established a settlement with villages of a dozen of houses near the riverside. The remaining areas were covered by forests at this point. [1] [note 4] The Malays later moved away but was then requested by Rajah Brooke stay in the southern part of Bintangor so as to protect the early Chinese settlers against other natives in the region. [3]

People from Zhangzhou and Xiamen were the first Chinese settlers in Bintangor. There was a documentation whereby a Chinese named Huang Zhi Yun (黄志云) bought a land in Bintangor in 1908. In 1910, Ling Ming Lok (林明乐) started planting vegetables in Bintangor. He found that the area was suitable for large-scale cultivation due to sparse population and large tracts of land. Therefore, Ming Lok together with Tiong Kung Ping and Rev Yao Siew King with the encouragement from Rev James Hoover, decided to open up Bintangor for agriculture. [3] In 1917, Ming Lok invited the Chinese from the nearby settlement of Sibu to come to Bintangor. [1] [note 5] They applied more lands from the Sibu Resident and his requests were granted. [1] [note 6] As a result, large tracts of agricultural lands were opened for 300 Fuzhounese families. [3] In 1922, Fuzhounese Chinese opened the first grocery shop in Bintangor. [1] [note 7] Kai Nguong Church is the first Methodist church in Bintangor. [3] In the same year, Kai Wen primary school (开文小学) was set up. [1] [note 8] In 1923, the Brooke government established the "FooChow Land reclamation and Guidance Council" to manage issues regarding the opening up of lands and disputes among the Chinese land owners. [1] [note 9] At first, there was only a few tailor shops, barber shops, and coffeeshops. [3] The Chinese expanded their businesses to forestry, rice mill, and ice production. Bintangor had more than a dozen wooden shophouses by 1937; however, they were all razed to the ground by fire that same year. They were later relocated to another location. There were 24 shophouses by 1948. By 2010, this number had reached 47. [1] [note 10] More schools such as Min Zhi primary school (民智小学) and Min Lu primary school (民鲁小学) were built later. [1] [note 11]

Rubber plantations started to appear after 1922. [1] [note 12] However, in 1929, the price of rubber was collapsing. The Brooke government started to employ Chinese workers to build roads to solve the unemployment problems due to fall in rubber price. In 1933, rubber price recovered. As of 2010, Bintangor had 10,000 acres of rubber plantations, producing 5,000 piculs every month. [1] [note 13]

Government

Meradong District Office Meradong District Council.jpg
Meradong District Office
Meradong and Julau District Council Head Office Meradong and Julau District Council head office, Bintangor.jpg
Meradong and Julau District Council Head Office

Binatang district council was set up in the 1947. The chairman of the council was rotated between the Chinese, Malay, and Iban people. In 1997, Binatang district council was divided into Meradong district council and Julau district council. [1] [note 14] Bintangor is the capital of the Meradong District in the Sarikei Division. [6]

Geography

The Meradong district is located at 78 km from the mouth of the Rajang River. [1] [note 15] Meanwhile, the Bintangor town is located between the mouths of Bintangor river and Meradong river, with an area of 1.63 km2. [1] [note 16] The northern part of the Meradong district is swampy with many small tributaries into the Rajang river. Majority of the Malays and the Iban people are staying in this area, with boats as their main form of transportation. Their major economic activities are agriculture and fishing. Meanwhile, the southern part of the Meradong district are mostly hilly. Most of the Chinese are staying in the southern area where they cultivate black pepper and cocoa. [1] [note 17]

Climate

Bintangor has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Bintangor
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Average high °C (°F)30.3
(86.5)		30.6
(87.1)		31.5
(88.7)		32.2
(90.0)		32.7
(90.9)		32.4
(90.3)		32.3
(90.1)		31.9
(89.4)		31.9
(89.4)		31.8
(89.2)		31.5
(88.7)		31.0
(87.8)		31.7
(89.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)26.3
(79.3)		26.5
(79.7)		27.1
(80.8)		27.4
(81.3)		27.9
(82.2)		27.5
(81.5)		27.2
(81.0)		27.0
(80.6)		27.2
(81.0)		27.2
(81.0)		26.9
(80.4)		26.7
(80.1)		27.1
(80.7)
Average low °C (°F)22.3
(72.1)		22.4
(72.3)		22.7
(72.9)		22.7
(72.9)		23.1
(73.6)		22.7
(72.9)		22.2
(72.0)		22.2
(72.0)		22.5
(72.5)		22.6
(72.7)		22.4
(72.3)		22.4
(72.3)		22.5
(72.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches)355
(14.0)		272
(10.7)		276
(10.9)		244
(9.6)		216
(8.5)		179
(7.0)		180
(7.1)		215
(8.5)		263
(10.4)		272
(10.7)		282
(11.1)		354
(13.9)		3,108
(122.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org [7]

Demographics

The Chinese (mostly Fuzhounese), Malays, and Iban people forms the majority of the ethnic groups in the Bintangor town. [1] [note 18] In 1922, there were 300 people staying in Bintangor. This number increased to 2,000 people in 1930, followed by 4,000 people in 1940, and 9,000 people in 1950. [1] [note 19] Majority of the Chinese people in Bintangor are Christians. [1] [note 20]

Economy

Bintangor is notable for its production of green lime, notably called the Bintangor Lime. Sarawak (2260068113).jpg
Bintangor is notable for its production of green lime, notably called the Bintangor Lime.

In 1927, Catholic missionary from Netherlands named Father Bergh first introduced lime to Bintangor. Ling Ming Lok was the first person who successfully cultivated the lime near the Rajang river. [1] [note 21] Mass production of lime with unique taste has earned the town the nickname "lime town" (桔子城). [1] [note 22] There was once a factory in Bintangor which produced the "Green Mountain" brand of lime beverages, but with the competition from the outside branded soft-drink manufacturers, the factory was closed down. [3] Rice mills and sago mills operations were the main economic activities at that time. [6]

Besides, Bintangor also cultivated honey pomelo. [8]

Transport

The welcome gate of the Bintangor wharf terminal Bintangor wharf terminal.jpg
The welcome gate of the Bintangor wharf terminal

During the early days, there were only footpaths in the town. After that, local people dig up drains along the footpath. [1] [note 23] Water was popular form of transport when there were no proper roads in Bintangor. Taking express boats between Sibu and Sarikei was four hours, meanwhile, it only takes one and a half-hour to reach Bintangor from Sarikei. [1] [note 24] The express boats carries passengers, rubber sheets, baskets of fresh fruits, and other agricultural products to Sibu while bringing canned food, beer, bottled drinks, and other sundry goods back to Bintangor. [3] The once busy Bintangor wharf became irrelevant after road connections become more advanced in the 1980s. [6] There are several bridges in Bintangor: Nyelong bridge and the Red Bridge. [3] It takes 35 minutes to drive from Sibu to Bintangor through the Lanang Bridge. [3]

Local Bus

Route No.Operating RouteOperator
8ABintangor-SibuBorneo Bus
8BSarikei-SibuBorneo Bus

Other utilities

Education

Kai Chung secondary school Kai Chung secondary school Bintangor.jpg
Kai Chung secondary school

Opened in 1922 above a drug store shophouse, Kai Wen primary school (开文小学) is the first school in Bintangor. At first, there were six pupils, which slowly increased to 20 pupils. [1] [note 25] In 1946, the school was combined with school named China primary school (中国小学) to form Kai Chung school (开中学校). In 1982, the number of pupils totaled at 1,280. [1] [note 26] In 1986, the school was officially separated into primary and secondary schools. [1] [note 27]

Another primary school established in Bintangor is the Abang Amin school. Established in 1935, and named after an influential Malay leader in charge of peace in the area by the Brooke administration, Abang Amin Bin Abang Bujang. [9] Built by communal work by the people in the area after his death and to commemorate his services to the community, the school started with 40 pupils on the first year of its founding. [9] In 1938, the school moved location to the current location to accommodate larger number of pupils. In 1973, the school is incorporated into the government school system, turning it into a full-fledged national primary school.

Currently, Bintangor town has four secondary schools, SMK Meradong, SMK Bandar Bintangor, Kai Chung Secondary School and SMK Tong Hua.

There are also 32 primary schools, of which 18 are national schools (SK) and 14 are national type schools (SJK(c)). Malaysian Teachers Education Institute (Malay: Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia) Rajang Campus is also situated at about 17 kilometres from Bintangor town.

Healthcare

Bintangor health clinic Bintangor public health clinic.jpg
Bintangor health clinic

Culture and leisure

Cuisine

Notable foods in the town are Tumpik Bintangor and Rojak Bintangor. Tumpik Bintangor is a type of pizza made by sago. Rojak Bintangor is made of cucumber, soya, waterchestnuts mixed with prawn paste. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibu</span> City and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of 129.5 square kilometres (50.0 sq mi), the city is positioned at the confluence of the Rajang and Igan Rivers, approximately 60 kilometres from the South China Sea and 191.5 kilometres (119 mi) north-east of the state capital, Kuching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarikei</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Sarikei is a town, and the capital of Sarikei District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located on the Rajang River, near where the river empties into the South China Sea. The district population was 56,798.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajang River</span> River in Sarawak, Malaysia

The Rajang River is a river in Sarawak, northwest Borneo, Malaysia. The river originates in the Iran Mountains, flows through Kapit, and then towards the South China Sea. At approximately 565 km long (351 mi), the river is the seventh-longest in Borneo and the longest in Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapit</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Kapit is a town and the capital of Kapit District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia on the south bank of the Rajang River. The district comprises 15,595.6 square kilometres and as of 2020, it has a population of 65,800.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Song, Malaysia</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Song is a town, and the capital of the Song District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district population was 20,046 according to the 2010 census. Song is situated by the banks of the Katibas River, a tributary of the Rajang River. It is an important stopover for river traffic going up the Rajang River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibu Division</span> Place

Sibu Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has a total area of 8,278.3 square kilometres, and is the third largest division after Kapit Division and Miri Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanowit</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Kanowit is a town and the capital of Kanowit District, Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, comprising 2,253.5 square kilometres. As of 2010, Kanowit's population is 28,985. It is built on the mouth of Kanowit River at the bank of Rajang River, approximately 174 kilometers from the coast of South China Sea. It takes 45 minutes to reach the town by land transport and an hour by boat from Sibu. The main ethnic groups are Iban, Chinese, Malay, and Melanau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betong Division</span> Administrative division of Sarawak, Malaysia

Betong Division, formed on 26 March 2002, is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of Sri Aman Division, Betong is in the Saribas area. It has a total area of 4,180.8 square kilometres, and is the smallest of the administrative divisions of Sarawak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarikei Division</span> Place

Sarikei Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. Formerly part of the Third Division, which included Sibu and Kapit, Sarikei Division has a total area of 4,332.4 square kilometres (1,672.7 sq mi), and is the second smallest of the administrative divisions of Sarawak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meradong District</span> Place

The Meradong District is located in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The capital of Meradong District is Bintangor, Sarawak. The official census in 2006 stated Meradong as covering 719 sq km, making it the smallest district of Sarawak in terms of geographic area, and the district population from the 2010 National Census was 28,672. It is situated nearby Sarikei District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julau</span> District in Sarawak, Malaysia

Julau is a town, and the capital of the Julau District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district population is 15, 333. The population is dominated by Iban as well as Chinese especially the Fuzhou.

Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg bin Abang Sapiee was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak from September 1963 to his death in March 1969. He assumed the newly established post following Sarawak's independence from Great Britain and the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalat, Sarawak</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Dalat is the administrative town of the Dalat district in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is situated by the Oya river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakan, Sarawak</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Pakan is a small town in Pakan District, Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district population estimates was 17,600.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Rajang</span>

Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Rajang or IPG Kampus Rajang is a teacher's education institute in Malaysia under the Ministry of Education. The campus is situated in Bintangor, Meradong District, Sarikei Division, Sarawak, East Malaysia.

Sarawak's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. This makes Sarawak demography very distinct and unique compared to its Peninsular counterpart. However, it largely mirrors to other territories in Borneo - Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown Colony of Sarawak</span> British colony from 1946 to 1963

The Crown Colony of Sarawak was a British Crown colony on the island of Borneo, established in 1946, shortly after the dissolution of the British Military Administration. It was succeeded as the state of Sarawak through the formation of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanang Bridge</span> Bridge in Jalan Lanang Barat / Jalan Teluk Assan

The Lanang Bridge, Sarawak State Route Q326, is a 1.2-km toll bridge in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was constructed in 2003 by a local concessionaire, Woodville Development Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Shin Yang Group, to replace the former river ferry service crossing the Batang Rajang. The bridge, together with a series of states highways linking Sibu to Sarikei, forms an alternative route for the Sarikei-Sibu section of the Pan Borneo Highway. Built at the total cost of RM 180 million, the bridge was opened to motorists on 11 April 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibu District</span> Administrative district in Sarawak, Malaysia


Sibu District is an administrative district in Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia covering a total area of 2229.8 km2. It can be divided into Sibu Town area (129.5 km2) and the rural areas (2,100.3 km2). The satellite township of Sibu Jaya is included in the rural areas. Sibu District is under the purview of Sibu District Office located at Sibu Islamic Complex, Sibu City. There are currently two local authorities namely Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) and Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) that administers Sibu City and Sibu rural areas respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 余(Yii), 悦胜(Yuk Seng) (November 2010). 泗里街省華族史料集 (Collection of historical material on the chinese community in Sarikei Division) (First ed.). Sibu, Sarawak: 砂拉越华族文化协会(Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association). ISBN   978-983-9360-49-3.
  2. ↑ W. J. van der Meulen Ptolemy's Geography of Mainland Southeast Asia and Borneo https://www.jstor.org/stable/3350700?read-now=1&seq=16#page_scan_tab_contents
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The Borneo Post. "Bintangor – the sweet and bright pill". theborneopost.com.
  4. ↑ "Calanolide a compound from Bintangor tree shows promising results in treating HIV". Malay Mail. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Nicholas, Tarling (17 June 2013). Southeast Asia and the Great Powers. Routledge. p. 195. ISBN   9781135229405 . Retrieved 27 April 2018. Brooke had been able to take over Rajang river in 1853, and managed to secure Mukah and surrounding rivers in 1861.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bintangor town quiet after wharf destroyed". The Borneo Post. 25 June 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Climate: Bintangor". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Sarikei Divisional profile and attractions" (PDF). Sarawak2discover.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  9. 1 2 KAJIAN SEJARAH SEKOLAH : SK ABANG AMIN, BINTANGOR, SARAWAK.

Notes

  1. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 228
  2. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 228
  3. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 228
  4. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 230
  5. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 239
  6. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 229
  7. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 231
  8. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 231
  9. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 229
  10. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 231,234
  11. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 233
  12. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 231
  13. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 233
  14. ↑ Yii, 2010. Pages 229, 236
  15. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 229
  16. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 230
  17. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 229
  18. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 229
  19. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 234, 235
  20. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 235
  21. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 239
  22. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 239
  23. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 231
  24. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 234
  25. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 242
  26. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 255
  27. ↑ Yii, 2010. Page 254
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.