Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Sang Ti Miao Temple; btwn 12 & 14 Jln Carpenter)
Near the Harmony Arch end of the
street, this temple, rebuilt shortly after the fire of 1884, serves the Teochew congregation
as a shrine to Shang Di (the Emperor of Heaven).
The temple's most interesting celebration is the Hungry Ghost Festival, held on the
15th day of the seventh lunar month (mid-August or early September). The Chinese be-
lieve that the gates of hell swing open for the entirety of the month and the spirits of the
dead are free to roam the earth. On the 15th day, offerings of food, prayer, incense and pa-
per money are made to appease the spirits. A priest blesses the offerings and promptly
burns an enormous effigy of the Hell King in a dramatic bonfire.
Directly across Jln Carpenter from the temple, you can dine on excellent Teochew
Chinese dishes at Yang Choon Tai Hawker Centre (
Click here
)
.
Hin Ho Bio
(36 Jln Carpenter; 6am-5pm)
One of Kuching's hidden gems is tucked away on the
roof of the Kuching Hainan Association. Mount the staircase to the top floor (there are
clean bathrooms on the 1st floor) and you soon get to a vivid little Chinese shrine, Hin Ho
Bio (Temple of the Queen of Heaven), with rooftop views of the area.
TEMPLE
Sarawak Textile Museum
(Muzium Tekstil Sarawak; Jln Tun Abang Haji Openg; 9am-4.45pm Mon-Fri,
10am-4pm Sat, Sun & holidays)
Housed in a 'colonial Baroque'-style building construc-
ted in 1909, this museum displays some superb examples of traditional Sarawakian tex-
tiles, including Malay
songket
(gold brocade cloth), as well as the hats, mats, belts, bas-
ketwork, beadwork, silverwork, barkwork, bangles and ceremonial headdresses created by
the Iban, Bidayuh, Penan and other Dayak groups. Dioramas recreate the sartorial exuber-
ance of Orang Ulu, Malay, Chinese and Indian weddings. Explanatory panels shed light
on materials and techniques.
The historic old
General Post Office
, an impressive, Corinthian-colonnaded structure
built in 1931, is across the street.
MUSEUM
JALAN INDIA AREA
Indian Mosque
MOSQUE
