Kuching
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Tiêu bản:Infobox Malaysian city
Kuching is the capital of the East Malaysian State of Sarawak. Kuching is the most populous city in the state of Sarawak and the 7th
largest city in Malaysia[1]. Kuching was elevated to city status on 1 August 1988.
Mục lục |
[sửa] Chính quyền
Chính quyền Kuching được chia làm 2 tổ chức quản lý và dĩ nhiên có 2 thị trưởng. Phần phía Bắc dưới quyền quản lý của Dewan Bandaraya
Kuching Utara (Kuching North City Hall "Tòa thị chính Thành phố Bắc Kuching"), trong khi phía nam lại thuộc quyền quản lý của Majlis
Bandaraya Kuching Selatan (Kuching South City Council "Hội đồng Thành phố Nam Kuching"). Nhiều người tin rằng có sự phân chia quyền lực
giữa 2 khu vực, phía Bắc (chủ yếu là người Malay và Bumi "thổ dân Malay") còn khu vực phía Nam (chủ yếu là người gốc Hoa) đến đây vì vài lý
do dân tộc những năm 1980. Cũng có nhiều người tin rằng sự phân chia chính quyền là do địa lý, 2 khu vực Nam Bắc được nối với nhau bằng 2
cây cầu bắt qua sông Sarawak.
[sửa] Danh sách các vùng thành phố Kuching
[sửa] Vùng Kuching North City Hall
- Petra Jaya
- Satok
- Trung tâm thành phố Kuching (phía Tây)
[sửa] Vùng Kuching South City Council
- Trung tâm thành phố Kuching (East)
- Padungan
- Stampin
[sửa] History
Sarawak 200 năm trước là lãnh thổ của Brunei nhưng sau đó được nhường lại cho một người Anh, James Brooke, như là một sự ban thưởng
vì có công dẹp loạn 1 cuộc phản động và ông cũng chính là người quản lý vùng đất của mình, Kuching được chọn làm thủ phủ. Gia đình Brook
cai trị Sarawak đến cuối Second World War khi người thừa kế sự ngiệp thứ ba và cũng là cuối cùng Rajah, Sir
Charles Vyner Brooke nhường lại cho Vua Nước Anh năm 1946. Sarawak và toàn thể nước Anh tham gia một "Cuộc chiến không báo trước"
(an undeclared War) với Indonesia nhằm đưa Sarawak ra khỏi sự lệ thuộc của Sukarno, Indonesia. Sau đó người Anh đã trao trả độc lập cho
Sarawak năm 1963 và cùng với Bắc Borneo (Sabah), Singapore được sự giúp đỡ của Malaysia. (Singapore cũng được độc lập ít lâu sau
đó).
The origins of its name have never been clear. "Kuching" does translate into "cat" in Malay [1] ("kuching" is
an old Malay spelling, whereas the new official Malay spelling today would be "kucing" but both of them are pronounced the same), in specific
reference to the domesticated cat, but it may actually be a variation of the Indian name for "port" - "Cochin". Kuching was first settled by
Indian traders who set up base at Santubong. Artefacts of Hindu origin can today be seen at the State Museum. The city has never been remembered for having a significantly larger population of cats when compared to others. In fact, the many cat
statues, the Kuching Cat Museum and other association with cats have been part of a modern effort of tourism; many travel brochures refer
to Kuching as "Cat City" or the "City of Cats". Otherwise, they hold no real meaning for the residents and are not considered by locals as
romantic.
There are other theories which attribute the name to a fruit called "mata kucing" or "cat's eye"; it would seem that trees bearing this fruit used
to grow in abundance by the river banks - where the city proper lies today. There was a hill in the heart of the old city called Bukit Mata
Kuching which could have been as responsible.
[sửa] Geography
Kuching is situated at the banks of the Sarawak River on the North-Western part of the island of Borneo. The longitude and
latitude of Kuching is 01°33' N, 110°25' E.
The climate in Kuching is tropical, moderately hot and receives substantial rainfall. The average annual rainfall is approximately 4,000 mm or
160 inches[2]. Kuching is the wettest city in Malaysia. The wettest times are during the North-East Monsoon months of November to February.
The average temperature is around 23°C in the early hours of the morning and rises to around 32°C in the mid afternoon. This temperature
stays constant throughout the year.
Kuching receives an annual average of five hours of sunshine per day. In January, during the height of the monsoon season, the average
sunshine per day is approximately 3.7 hours. The heavy rains during this period sometimes results in flooding.
[sửa] Demographics
The population of 580,000 (2005 census) in the city is made up of a mixture of Malays, Dayaks, [[Chinese
nationality|Chinese]] and some Indians and other ethnic groups. The Dayaks can be further categorized into Ibans,
Bidayuhs, Melanaus and many others. The Chinese are made up of Fujianese (Hokkien) in the city areas and Hakka
in the suburbs mainly. Other Chinese consist of Foochow (Fuzhou), Teochew, Hainanese, Cantonese, Henghua and
others.
The main religions of the peoples of Kuching are Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. Malays practice Islam and all Malays are Muslim by
law. Chinese practice either Buddhism or Christianity. Most Dayaks are Christian except the Melanaus who are mainly Muslim.
The majority of people in Kuching are capable of communicating in Bahasa Melayu(Malay Language) as well as English. English ability can
however vary greatly from person to person. The dialect of the Malay language spoken in Kuching is known as Bahasa Sarawak(Language of
Sarawak), which has lexical differences with the dialect spoken in Peninsular Malaysia.
On top of Malay and English, a Kuchingnite can usually speak his own ethnic dialect/language. An Iban can speak Iban, a Bidayuh speak Bidayuh
and the Chinese usually several Chinese dialects, the most common being Mandarin and Hokkien in Kuching. For the Bidayuhs, the dialect of
Bidayuh spoken in one kampung/village may vary greatly with another kampung/village.
A small minority however, speak English as their first language.
[sửa] Education
Kuching is home to the international campus of Swinburne University of Technology. The campus, known as [[Swinburne University of
Technology Sarawak Campus]], is the only university in Kuching city. (Technically, the campuses of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and UiTM
are in Samarahan Division).
Private education in the city comes in the form of various private colleges as well as training institutes. Notable examples include Inti College,
SeGI College as well as Stamford College to name a few.
For primary and secondary education, Kuching has several mission schools which were founded by foreign Christian missionaries over a century
ago. They were also the principals of these schools until more recently. Even though they are Christian schools, they are open to all religions.
[sửa] Transportation
Roads within the town are of a reasonable standard, though traffic congestion often leads to long tailbacks during rush hour, and especially on
Saturday mornings. Because Kuching is located near the equator, expect potholes to develop on the roads during the monsoon season (usually
around the end of the year, coinciding with winter in the northern hemisphere). Roads leading outside of Kuching to the interior are of a slightly
more dubious quality but are being upgraded from time to time, although the main resort roads (e.g. leading to
Damai) are also reasonable.
Transport by taxi is reasonable and in popular tourist spots there always seems to be an abundance of taxi drivers eager to pounce on their
unsuspecting prey. It is quite rare to be able to flag down a taxi on the street because they are no where to be seen. Beware the unmetered
taxi though. Public transport by antiquated, smoky, non-airconditioned buses is strictly for the intrepid back-packer only. Air transport is served
by nearby Kuching International Airport, currently the subject of several expansion projects.
Road signs are written in both Malay (The Malay is written using the Latin script) and Chinese. Kuching is also famous for its many large traffic
circles or roundabouts. The roundabouts are efficient at handling medium traffic. But however, as traffic continues to rise in Kuching due to the
availability of cheaper Malaysian-made cars and ease of obtaining car loans, several roundabouts have given way to traffic lights and over and
underpasses.
[sửa] Tourist attractions
Within the town, there are several museums such as the well-known Sarawak Museum,
Chinese Museum, Cat Museum, etc, which are definitely not to be missed when visiting Kuching. Interesting landmarks and sites are the Astana
(the Rajah's former palace), Fort Margherita, Tua Pek Kong temple and Main Bazaar. The Kuching waterfront, which is really a riverside
esplanade, is situated right next to the main hotels and commercial heartland of the city, and offers a pleasant walk in the evening. When you
are tired of strolling, the old shops on the opposite side of the waterfront will gladly sell you all manner of 'antiques' and tradecraft.
Some other interesting areas near the centre of town include Padungan Street, which is the main Chinatown area of the city. Shops here
appear virtually unchanged from 20 years ago, and offer fascinating insights into life as it was then. Meanwhile, Carpenter Street and India
Street still maintain their olde world charm, though the relentless process of globalisation is slowly encroaching. The old Courthouse building
forms the link between Carpenter Street and India Street, and is well worth a quick stroll as you re-live the faded colonial splendour (now
restored and modernised). The many well-manicured parks dotted around the city are also great to visit.
[sửa] Cuisine
Kuching has a number of notable local dishes served at hawker stalls:
- Kuching 'kolok mee' or 'koh-loh mein' (egg noodles, flash-boiled and then served with (classically) garlic, shallots and sliced barbeque pork
also known as "char siew")
- Sarawak Laksa (a spicy coconut prawn paste-based soup served with rice vermicelli, eggs, prawns, chicken, deep fried tofu and
occasionally clams)
- Tomato Sauce Mee (crispy noodles served with tomato sauce, vegetables, and meat) or Tomato Sauce Kuay Teow (flat rice
noodles) are the most well-known hawker dishes served.
Custom ordered dishes (usually called the "special") are available on request. Most hawker stalls serve a variety of these three dishes, but locals
often debate vigorously as to where to find the best variety. Visitors should be
aware that portions are half of what is usually commonly found at Chinatowns in the West.
Other local favourites include:
- Ah Mui Beef Noodles which can only be found at two locations, a stall at the Electra House open-air foodcourt (opened only for dinner till late
at night) as well as another stall at the hawker stalls at the Sg. Maong market area
- Hap Chien Han's Satay
While global chain outlets (McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf) are ubiquitous in
the prime commercial complexes, a local fast food chain "Sugarbun" also serves a variety of Malaysian food in a more Western (plastic trays,
brightly-lit menus, uniformed staff) style.
[sửa] Arts, Entertainment and Culture
Kuching is also noted for creative local bands which successfully crossed over from the independent scene to the mainstream such as [[Old
Automatic Garbage]], The Times and Nice Stupid Playground. There are many more local independent bands that are active in the circuit
and Kuching is also known as the 'indie rock capital' of East Malaysia. Local entertainment personality/musician/TV host Jason Lo is also a
Kuching native. On top of that, famous director Tsai Ming-Liang was also born in Kuching.
[sửa] Gallery
Mosque
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[sửa] External links
- Kuching North City Hall
- Council of the City of Kuching South
- Kuching City and Regional Map
- Pictures of Kuching
- Kuching Tourism
- Tiêu bản:Wikitravel
- Bản đồ từ from Multimap hoặc GlobalGuide hoặc Google Maps
- Hình ảnh từ trên không trung lấy từ TerraServer
- Hình ảnh chụp từ vệ tinh lấy từ WikiMapia
[sửa] References
Tiêu bản:Sarawak