Our Story*

While it is believed that the arrival of the people of Chinese descent to what is now known as Peninsular Malaysia took place since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), the name Terengganu only began to appear in ancient Chinese records during the Song Dynasty (960 AD - 1279 AD). The argument that Sino-Malay relations had already been established at the time is further supported by the discovery of copper coins from the Song Dynasty era in Dungun in Kuala Terengganu. More widely known were expedition records written by Zheng He (1371 AD - 1435 AD), an admiral during the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD). According to his navigation map, his fleet stopped in Terengganu that was written as 'Ding jia xia lu' to replenish their supplies en route to Malacca in 1409 AD. It was also believed that many of Zheng He's marine officers and crew remained and subsequently settled down in the area. These archaic records did not, however, mention about any Chinese in that area at the time.

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The forefathers of the localborn Chinese in Terengganu originated mostly from Fujian, a southern region in China. They arrived in Terengganu during the period of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912 AD), i.e., in the mid-17th century. Some of them arrived in Southeast Asia (Nanyang) including Terengganu via the maritime route, together with their wives and children to seek a new life. By early 18th century, Chinese riverine settlements of considerable sizes were established along the Terengganu River and its estuaries including in Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Datu, Kampung Sungai Nerus, Kampung TIruk, Telemong and Kuala Berang. This fact is supported by records written by famous explorers from the west and east alike. One of which was Captain Alexander Hamilton, a British trader who visited Kuala Terengganu in 1719. He noted that half of more than 1,000 families in the bustling port town of 'Trangano' were Chinese. Based on his visit in 1838, traveler and journalist Munshi Abdullah Sheikh Abdul Kadir also noted the existence of a large Chinese settlement in Kuala Terengganu in his book, 'The Story of Abdullah's Voyage' (Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah). 

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The establishment of Chinese settlements in Terengganu since at least the 18th century was also supported by the discoveries of artefacts found at the locations, such as cemeteries, ancestral tablets and family records. In 1968, some ancient graves dated as early as the Ming period (1368-1644) were found in Bukit Datu Chinese cemetery in Kuala Terengganu. One of them was the grave of a Zhu Qiwu dated 1743, effectively the oldest known tombstone found outside of Melaka. An ancestral tablet of a Wang Guoxiong who passed away in 1778 was also found in a family home in Kampung Cina. Some families in Kampung Cina also keep written records of their family trees.