Golden Land - Sarawak , Chapter 21 , Antimony

Golden Land - Sarawak , Chapter 21 , Antimony

' Have you ever received a medal from any school sport or academic competition ?' Bong asked me
after have short noon nap. Sleeping for 15 minutes around 13 hours is his habit, and if the noon nap habit was disturbed, he would complained of headache. The headache then rendered him total whole body weakness.

That remind me of the story of Second King, Charles Brooke inviting 3,000 immigrants from MeiSiang, China
after he saw women working in vegetable farms at 12 noon. Sir Charles Brooke didnot know that most women group work more than man among people from that area. Men usually enjoy sports,reading, playing music, window shopping
while women work in the farms and all kinds of work.

The women workers also contributed their full power among Hakka gold mining and Antimony mining.

Antimony is a pretty silvery blue metal, which exist in different forms. Just like fantastic Borneo lizards that
changed skin colour and adapted to the environment.

The metal Antimony appears poetic to the miners whose fore fathers travelled thousands of mile from China to
Sarawak. They loved Antimony.

The answer to Mr. S M Bong's question is affirmative. All of us have the experience of getting the super light
championship cup in school recently. There are many competitions such as singing, caligraphy and hundreds of
other events to offer prizes for all of us, since we all have certain tallents.

The true gold and silver cup of the past has been replaced by modern man made pretty shields and cups. All those glitters usually not gold nor silver at present time. I asked Bong why he suddenly showed interest in
championship cups.

' Antimony is a beautiful metal used by Chinese for many years. The largest reserve and the major world producer till today is still the Chinese miners and business group. The rare metal is useful for thousands of products including getting rid of parasites.'

Mr. Bong is trying to tell me story of loving Latin source of the name Antimony which means joined
together, may be as powerful as a loving couples and cannot usually exist single to be useful. The rare metal
'married' lead and created a very strong new metal for magically economic acid lead battery.

' The Tong-Dong and Musi area of Sarawak is full of Antimony,' Bong boasted again'The miners in the golden days
got good harvest, fetched handsome price and gave the miners wonderful poetic living standard in Saerawak.'

' San-ko literally means folklore-country or mountain songs by the Hakka people of Sarawak'

' Why the local Bidayu tribes names the rare metal Antimony as Sarawek ?' Bong is trying to be naughty
by questioning me to raise his self pride.

'The San-ko mountain songs by the Kajinchew Hakka people is always romatic and practical' Bong didnot wait for my answer. ' The metal shine like whitish blue moon in the flowing water of the Antimony factory day and night.'
Bong visualized the moon-lit Sarawak River and the churning musical rythm of the water wheel, lady workers
and miners duet singing.

From the sandy water the precious rare metal were seperted as the gentle water cleanse softly through the
multiple fifty feet long wooden trays.

' Ahh- Moi --Ooooh Sa-rau-yet ho lian moi-tze lay------' Bong is singing as if he were there during mining in
the antimony mines in the 18th century.

The Hakka people said the poetic moon in the water as they scooped the sand away.

' Sa-rau-yet the spoken by the native Bidayu and some Malay workers sound like Sarawek, which is the name
given to the Antimony, then the name of the river Sarawak, thus the name of the whole area Sarawak.'

I questioned him the origin of the name of Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak today. Bong immediately said i
it is nothing related to cat. Cats never survive in Sarawak, Borneo tropical jungle just like lion never live in
Sarawak.

' Kuching city was known as Sarawak during Makota time, which was directly ruled by the sultan of Brunei.'
Bong nodded his head and looked straight into my eyes.
'Neat the present Hilton hotel there were many fruit tree called Mata Kuching,andabeautiful little
river flowed through the front of present TuaPeKong  temple is known as Kuching river thus the name Kuching was a little plot of area near present Hilton hotel.'

That sound Romatic as Bong telling his story of Sarawak people with the ancient events of special group of
Ka-zin-Chew Hakka which literally means guest people as Hakka are originally from Henan area of northern China.
thousand of years ago they could have moved like Moses moving around middle east, Hakka people moved
around China and throughout the whole world searching for sunshine,water and peace.

the ancient language Hakka people using today is a living fossil hich indicate the link with China history if not the world history for thousands of years.

' The city centre of Seoul of Korea is pronounced exactly the same as the Hakka language and it means
the Shallow bird's cave.' Bong is telling me what he has experienced in his tour and study experience.

'Sarawak is truely a golden land. that is why James Brooke finally came to Sarawak to fulfil his dream
of making himself a king from a retired private soldier. He dreamed grand and beautiful. He must have dreamed
of peace and love too.' Bong continued

'His pretty girl friend Angela travlled thousand of mile by lousy boats from England to love him, cherish him in Sarawak, now Kuching.' Then I asked him whether his home town Siniawan is the true site where James Brooke's girl friend enjoyed life with flowers, music around the villa built by James Brooke to showed gratitude to his beautiful girl friend.

' It is a pitty that only the huge stone could provide a guessing site for that romatic bungalow for Angela and King James Brooke. The area was not taken care of and that could be the reason why James Brooke arranged his burial site at Sheepstor of Southern England where he rest inpeace for ever.' Bong mentioned the site of burial site of all 3 Kings of Sarawak, where I have visited personally paid my respect in 1981.

King James Brooke was always in danger due to numerous pirates and enemy who claimed their 'right to get rich'. I asked bong whether King James Brooke loved Angela and did Angela loved Rajah James Brooke. Bong surprised me for the first time and he said

' I do'nt know.'

After James Brooke fought bravely in Burma and wounded badly. He was rewarded with a large sum of money which might never compensate his loss of health including serious wound over lower part of his body and alleged limb injury and related sexually impotence.

' A friend in need is a friend indeed.'Bong spoke to me with firm voice.
'James Brooke wrote to Angela starting with''My dear little box'' and he indicated the hardship of Sarawak people, the dangerous pirates, sad slaves trade conducted by the governor Makota, then Angela sent money to James Brooke.
She was not very rich during that time, yet she resposed and helped James Brooke immediately.'

' All the time there was danger, yet they found peace in the jungle villa house at Siniawan Mountain. The same villa housed the great doctor Wallace, the naturalist and the honest scientist who completed the initial sketches of Sarawak natural life forms and beauty. Love and peace must be always presented as a natural gift to James Brooke.'

Bong is talking as if he was dreaming again. The beautiful silvery blue Antimony rare metal always transformed and
alloyed with other loving partner and achieved stronger dream with peace and love. Antimony, the origin of
Sarawak.

( written by James Chong, midnight, 5th day of Chinese New Year, Dragon year 27th Jan 2012 )