Tuaran Chinese Cemetery

February 25th, 2013

These photos were shot while touring an old Chinese cemetery in Kampung Bakut, a village just outside of Tuaran in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Many Hakka Chinese migrated to this area in the late 19th century, hence the need for a place formally known in Malay as Tanah Perkuburan Orang Cina Tuaran (斗亞蘭華人福壽山). It is a forlorn, neglected place: a hilltop encrusted with elaborate tombs in an elegant state of disrepair. Cemeteries are typically avoided by the local people, a consequence of the widely-held belief that anything to do with death will bring bad luck. Even so, these burial grounds are littered with rubbish and empty glue canisters—an indication that the cemetery entertains at least a few visitors now and then.

The cemetery looks like it is falling apart but the underlying design is carefully thought out. As with other culturally Chinese cemeteries, this one is organized according to the principles of fengshui. I don’t know very much about fengshui but I can appreciate the sound aesthetics of the walking path that flows around the hill and the care with which the graves have been oriented with respect to the rising and setting sun.