CHUKAI: Despite having existed for over a century, many do not know that Kampung Baru Ayer Jerneh, near here, where the majority of its residents are Malays, actually houses a special treasure - the largest and oldest Hainanese settlement in Malaysia.
Situated seven kilometres from Kemasik town, near here, the settlement was established by a group of people from Hainan island in Southern China who sailed to Terengganu in the early 19002 in search of new placements.
They fell in love with the beautiful natural surroundings in the area and began to explore and cultivate oil palm and rubber plantations, which contributed to the economic development in Terengganu, turning Kemasik into Kemaman’s administrative centre at one time long ago.
However, due to the passage of time, the Hainanese community in the settlement, numbering around 6,000 people initially, dwindled and only about 500 of them are still left, with many of them being third and fourth-generation offsprings.
Kemasek Hainan Association chairman Lim Tau Khang, 48 said rapid development and the rising standard of education resulted in the younger generation moving to the cities and the settlement is now mostly inhabited by the elderly.
“Youngsters here, when they finish school, go on to further their studies to obtain degrees. They then get job opportunities in major cities and mostly outside Terengganu, like in Pahang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.
“So, the only ones left behind here are the elderly and some young people, who inherit and strive to preserve the greater Hainanese treasure in Malaysia,” he told Bernama.
Lim, who is the fourth generation, said the treasure left behind by their ancestors included two rows of two-storey wooden shophouses, which is like a small town in ancient China.
Decked with a gate bearing the name of the village to welcome visitors at the entrance, many people who visit Kampung Baru Ayer Jerney will surely be mesmerised by the uniqueness of the wooden shophouses, which still retained its architectural designs since early 1900.
“The unique architectural design of these shophouses attracts many outside tourists to come and take a close look at the Hainanese settlement. It is also the choice location for photographers to capture scenes of the settlement, which gives you a feeling of being transported back in time to a traditional village in China itself.
“But only part of the shophouses in this old town can be used because it’s not easy to maintain and preserve their wooden structures,” said Lim.
More interestingly, former village head Khaw Kian Hup, 68, said the settlement will explode into life during the Chinese New Year celebrations, with beautifully decorated lanterns, while the birthdays of the goddesses Tian Hou Sheng Mu and Shui Wei Sheng Niang will be also celebrated in a grand manner.
“These celebrations are usually held on the second and 10th months of the Chinese calendar, where we have traditional opera performances and stage shows for three to five nights, in addition to a religious procession that passes through every home to give them protection.
“After the COVID-19 pandemic, such processions and performances had to be stopped as it costs a bomb to bring a priest over. Just to pay the opera actors alone would cost RM8,000 a day. So, we have postponed them temporarily until we have sufficient budget,” he said.
The former headmaster of Sekolah Kebangsaan Ayer Jerney hopes that the settlement, which continues to preserve the ancestral heritage, can be developed as eco-tourism for the benefit of the local community.
Khaw, who has lived in the heritage village since 1979 and married the third generation of the Hainanese offspring, said the eco-tourism idea was pitched to Kemasik assemblyman Rosli Othman but was put on hold in 2018 until after the General Election.
“Kemasik has beautiful nature such as Bukit Harimau Menangis, which one can hike up, waterfalls to be explored and the unique Hainan heritage. So, an eco-tourism can be established to benefit the local community.
“In fact, the Hainanese heritage settlement has become a destination where tourists get to enjoy the popular original Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is only available on Tuesdays, resulting in customers having to make early reservations just to enjoy the traditional food,” he said.
Meanwhile, kindergarten teacher Wang Kwee Fong, 54, said although it has been more than 100 years since the Chinese Hainanese people became neighbours to the Malay populace, they have never had any misunderstandings and, in fact, they respect one another and celebrate each other’s festivals like brothers and sisters.
“We here are village people. We do not ask for much, just wish to be safe and peaceful, equal opportunities and better development for the locals to earn a living and protect our heritage,” she said.
Kampung Ayer Jerney in Kemasik is one of the districts under the Kemaman Parliamentary constituency, which faces a by-election that will see a straight fight between Gen (R) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar representing PAS.
The Election Commission (EC) set Dec 2 as polling day, which has been called following the Sept 26 decision by the Terengganu Elections Court to nullify PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid’s victory in the 15th general election.–Bernama
