Brunei: Golden Roof on Green Waves

Author: Shi Xiaoling
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: The true tranquility and depth of the universe can be found in Brunei, where one can feel a sense of profound serenity and depth everywhere. This is likely closely related to its ethnic and religious background. The Malay ethnic group is the dominant population in Brunei, accounting for two-thirds of the country's total population, and the royal family belongs to the Malay ethnic group. Tracing the origins of the Malay ethnic group requires focusing on the 13th to 15th centuries. Like the wind following its shadow and water converging, they came from Sumatra, Malacca, Sabah, Sulu, the Philippines, and Indonesia, crossing mountains and seas to settle in the northern part of Borneo, living along the coast. The reasons for their migration remain unclear, but by the 20th century, their intentions had become quite clear—driven by the demands of oil extraction and agriculture. The Malay ethnic group has integrated many complex elements. In the Philippines alone, there are the Bisaya and Tagalog peoples; in Indonesia, there are the Javanese, Bugis, Kadayan, and Iban peoples, among others. The Malay ethnic group, formed by the convergence of people from various regions, belongs to the Mongoloid Malay type, speaks Malay, and originally practiced animism and Buddhism. After the 15th century, they converted to Islam, belonging to the Sunni branch. The diverse cultures, regions, ethnicities, and customs eventually converged under one religion and belief, which lies at the root of Brunei's historical and cultural heritage. The multicultural and cross-regional integration of the Malay ethnic group has given rise to its unique and highly developed culture and arts, including poetry, music, dance, theater, and visual arts. There are numerous folk dances, such as the Sama Linangit, Anding, Adu-Adu, Jepin, Ade-Ade, Ponaari, and Sekakap dances. During celebrations, harvests, times of gratitude to God, offerings to spirits, and acts of devotion, young men and women dressed in vibrant attire, either bold and spirited or graceful and virtuous, sing their favorite songs accompanied by coconut shells, lutes, hand drums, and large drums, expressing their love, joy in harvest, and happiness in labor. Imagine the clear sky, the distant songs, and the swaying dance shadows—the Malay people pour out their pure joys and sorrows to the heavens and the spirits through their songs and dances, as if the heavens and spirits are with them, living within their hearts! Today, as the dominant ethnic group, the Malay people primarily work in government institutions, finance, and the oil industry. The Chinese ethnic group is the second-largest in Brunei. It is said that since the Han Dynasty, there has been a history of trade between China and Brunei. During the Ming Dynasty's Yongle era, the relationship was so close that the Bruneian King Agong's tomb was built in Nanjing. At that time, the Chinese who settled in Brunei were likely merchants with an open mindset. Since the second half of the 19th century, people from southern China, such as Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan, moved to Brunei more for livelihood than for trade, drifting far away from their homeland to the "Southern Seas." This journey often evokes images of frail bodies and aching souls, as they were at the forefront of China's Opium War at that time. Their journeys carried not only homesickness but also national hardship—such a displacement must have been filled with sorrow and bloodshed. After 1930, Brunei implemented immigration restrictions, leading to a significant decrease in Chinese immigrants arriving directly from China. Subsequently, the Chinese population in Brunei consisted mainly of those born locally or in Malaysia and Singapore. In the 19th century, the Chinese in Brunei lived in Old Town (formerly Kampong Gambir), and today they are more widely distributed in Bandar Seri Begawan.