Discover Kuching’s iconic Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street
For anyone visiting Sarawak’s capital city Kuching, a stroll along the city’s charming Chinatown, which is essentially a single stretch combining Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street, is a must. Built in the late 1800s, this stretch offers a look at the city’s history and culture of Sarawak’s Chinese community, with a touch of modernity thrown in as the streets evolved with time.
Harmony Arch – the entrance to Carpenter Street. PHOTO: BorneoTalk
Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street are lined with old shophouses that are still bustling with life, with some of the original businesses still thriving to this day. Here are some of the things you must experience at Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street:
1. Architecture and heritage
Pace yourself so you can admire the traditional shophouses lining the streets, which showcase Chinese, colonial, and Malay influences. A signature style here is the five-foot way that offers shade and shelter to pedestrians.
Wooden carvings and decorative tiles highlighting craftsmanship of early settlers adorn some of the shophouses here. The Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple, built in 1863, features elaborate dragon motifs and pagoda roofs.
Some of the buildings are also integrated with colonial-era symmetrical layouts and large windows and feature steeply pitched roofs and woodwork.
Hiang Thian Siang Ti Temple at Carpenter Street. PHOTO: BorneoTalk
2. Murals
History can be shared through various mediums, including murals. Here, one can find a number of beautiful murals adorning some of the shop’s walls, including Leonard Siaw’s famous “Symphony of the Tinsmith” and intricate “The Birth of the Labour Frontier” murals, as well as Sonia Luhong and Amy Amin’s “Leaping Feline” at the junction between Carpenter Street and Bishop Gate Street.
3. DUN Building view
If you think the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Building looks great from the Kuching Waterfront, you should see it from Lebuh China, the road leading outwards from the intersection between Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street to the Kuching Waterfront. The modern building contrasts beautifully against the old shophouses along Lebuh China.
The DUN building contrasts beautifully against the old shophouses along Lebuh China. PHOTO: BorneoTalk
4. Classic crafts and trades
Carpenter Street remains home to several master craftsmen and centuries-old trades. Among them are Wing Tack Goldsmith, Yong Hua Goldsmith, Ang Yong Bhai picture frame and mirror shop, Lai Chan Hin tinsmith, and Hui Hua Furniture Trading.
Lai Chan Hin tinsmith is one of several remaining businesses from the old days. PHOTO: BorneoTalk
5. Local food
Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street are a foodie’s paradise. In fact, some of the city’s most iconic foods such as Sarawak Laksa and Kolo Mee were invented here! Kim Joo at Ewe Hai street has some of the best kolo mee in town, while Lau Ya Keng food court is famous for its kueh chap and Sarawak Laksa. The ‘Pisang Goreng’ stall just outside Hiang Tiang Siang Ti (Deity of the North) Temple opposite Lau Ya Keng is also incredibly famous for their delicious banana fritters, while coffee lovers can’t miss out on freshly roasted local coffee at Black Bean Coffee.
The famous Lau Ya Keng kueh chap shop. PHOTO: BorneoTalk
6. Traditional Sarawak tattoo
Skrang Tattoo Studio at No.26 Carpenter Street is best known for its traditional hand-tapped tattoo featuring Sarawakian designs, most prominently Iban motifs. A pair of Bungai Terung tattoo from here makes for the perfect “souvenir” for those of you who are into body art.
If history, culture, food, and nostalgia are some of the things you look forward to whenever you visit a new destination, Carpenter Street and Ewe Hai Street should be in your bucket list.