Journals donated to the centre providing a wealth of knowledge.
The Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association in Sibu is a treasure trove of historical information.
Set up in 1990 by the Chinese community, the centre at Jalan Salim has over 10,000 books, journals and souvenir magazines related to the community in Sarawak, including historical personalities, old buildings and culture.
Some of the materials are from the pre-war era.
Its executive secretary, Chua Chen Choon, said: “We are a research library, though not a public one.
“We receive written materials and also conduct our own research on the community in the state.”
The centre has been receiving researchers, including university students looking for materials for their projects. It is also common to see students from Taiwan and China coming here to collect materials for their course work.
“With our large and growing collection, our centre is good enough for information seekers as we have anything that relates to Chinese history and culture in the state,” Chua added.
Most of the materials are in Chinese, but there are some in English. An example are two books on the old Kanowit town written by an American, the late Dr Richard C Fidler, in the 1970s.
Asked how the association came into existence, Chua, who has been working as a researcher and curator, replied, “In 1990, a group of Chinese felt that the history of the community needed to be recorded or else it would disappear over time.”
Its first office was a room at the Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After that it rented an office space in Jalan Tapang.
With funds raised, the association built its own premises in Jalan Salim in 2005.
“We do have research funds but they are very limited because we do not have a stable source of income as an NGO. We have to rely on fundraising activities such as holding seminars, while our members statewide also contribute to our coffers,” Chua said.
He also said the association conducts field studies twice a year.
“Recently we drove to Saratok and Lobaan. There we talked to old people to gather information.
“Another time we went to Sungai Bidut as it is the only place where tombstones made from belian wood can be found.”
The association, he added, is now building an extension to store the printed materials.
Robert Lim, a visitor from Kuala Lumpur, was impressed by the huge amount of information at the centre.
“Chua showed me all the historical collections. He even brought out an old document going back to 1962 showing that my grand-uncle owned a shop lot in Matu even though it had changed name. This is simply amazing,” he said.
However, Lim hoped the collections could be digitalised to enable easier search for materials and wider accessibility.
This would lead to greater awareness and love for the subjects covered in the collections, he said.
