CHRONOLOGY OF THE CHINESE PIONEERS OF CHIANG CHUAN IN SARAWAK
At the dawn of the 19th century, Chinese pioneers from Chiang Chuan clans left their home country either to escape their domestic turmoil or in search of better future development overseas. Leaving their homeland or the two prefecture-level divisions of Zhang Zhou and Quan Zhou in the Fujian province of China , they undertook precarious journeys across the unforgiving ocean weathering great danger ultimately landing in the land of Hornbill , Sarawak . The phrase “Chiang Chuan” consists of two keywords namely “Chiang” which derives from the word “Zhang” of Zhang Zhou division and the word “Chuan” which derives from the word “Quan” of Quan Zhou division. Originating from the Fujian province, “Chiang Chuan” people were thus generically known as “Hokkien” which is the equivalent of the word Fujian
In this new wild land our pioneers endured extreme hardship. They battled tropical diseases. They had to adapt to the local jungle, fauna and wild animals. In this new untouched land the pioneers had to start from scratch with their bare hands. Since the pioneers arrived in many separate batches they were often lonely, homesick and helpless. However they continued their pioneering saga with unwavering spirit. Entrepreneurial Chiang Chuan clan were equipped with courage, diligence and congeniality enabling them to build cordial harmonious relationship with local indigenous people. Together the pioneers and the local indigenous people jointly laid down foundation for present day prosperity and progress.
For common benefit of all pioneers in this foreign isolated land, our pioneers began forming organizations and associations to forge a stronger sense of fellowship. It also began as a networking platform for advancing their commercial interests, preserving mutual wellbeing and furthering their cultural continuity.
