ESTABLISHMENT OF BAU BAZAAR (MAU SAN)

In actual fact, before the Anti-Brunei Movement was put down in 1840 there were already a few hundred Chinese miners and their families who had established themselves at Mau Sail (Bau Lama) under the leadership of Liu Shanbang. The Chinese settlement at Mau San (Bau Lama) started between 1820-1830 when the antimony and gold discovery was made known to the Chinese in Sambas, Indonesia, The Chinese miners came over to Mau San through Pangkalan Tebang. They started to exploit the antimony at Paku and Jambusan areas and gold in and around Mau San area. Some of them planted padi, corns and potatoes around the mining areas in addition to their mining activities.

Some general view of Bau Town I 1840 (Mr. Chia Guan Hee Collections)
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Rows of shop houses made of Atap, Kajang and   timber   were constructed on both sides of Jalan Bau Lama and residential houses were also put up by the miners in and around the vicinity of Mau San. In early 1850, Bau Kongsi enjoyed a period of prosperity. There were at least 4,000 Chinese in Mau San, By then, gold and antimony mining were not only operating at Man San area, but they had this activity extended to Paku, Bidi, Takon and Jambusan areas. Besides the sundry shops, traditional teashops and lodging houses were also operated at Mau San for the convenience of travelers from Kuching and Sambas. After the Opium War and signing of die Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the sale of opium to the Chinese was no longer under control. Rajah James Brooke allowed free import of opium in order to earn extra revenue. Opium smoking was therefore legal at that time. Opium smoking

shops were common within the commercial area. Upon payment of a few cents, the miners could relax themselves with the opium smoking after a day's hard work. There was no restriction on gambling and it was very popular among the miners. The Chinese miners formed a total separate community with their own culture and habits of drinking tea and Samsu (local white wine which is distilled from rice and sugar). They smoked tobacco and opium. They gambled at the gambling shops at night. hi short, they worked hard and played hard..

Many Chinese came to work for gold and many went back to China with me wealth they acquired. In 1850, Mau San was quite a sizeable bazaar with over 100 shop houses and many residential houses. The Chinese worked on the alluvium at the foot of the hills; much harder work but probably more rewarding. The Malays and the Land Dayaks preferred to work in the crevices of the limestone hills or from the beds of the rivers by panning. Both were relatively simple but less rewarding.