By Ling Hui
BAU, May 27: Tondong, a small town in Bau located about 30km from Kuching City, is gearing up to reclaim its former status as a bustling trading hub in the 1950s.
Penghulu Adam Voon Boo Shin, who hailed from Tondong, said the Tondong bazaar is situated just by the Sarawak River, thus making it a vital transit point for locals in the past when boats were the primary mode of transportation.
“Last time, the locals all travelled using boats and they will stop by Tondong to buy groceries like vegetables, salted fish, and salted pork. The Tondong today is quite different from before,” he said.
Elaborating on Tondong’s rich history, community leader Pemanca Bong Jong Long said the town’s name, Tondong (端廊 or duān láng), originated from the first shop opened there in 1941, before the Japanese occupation.
Another Chinese rendition of its name, 短廊 or duǎn láng, literally means “short corridor”. Many find this name fitting for Tondong, given its short rows of shophouses.
Bong, 71, also a native of Tondong, said there have been significant changes over the decades in terms of road infrastructure to connect the small town to Bau and Kuching.
“When I was young, I would travel with my mother from Tondong to Kuching to buy groceries and we would have to spend a night in Kuching before returning. We went by speed boat because there were no roads last time.
“After that, there was the Sebuku Road linking to Tondong but we still needed to use boats to cross the river. I would then ride my bicycle until Bau (Private Secondary School) to go to school.
“Then, the Batu Kitang Bridge was completed, and from Tondong, we could drive until Kuching, but still, it would take up about a day. I remember this because whenever my father went to Kuching I would wait at the riverside until after 4pm for the Chinese buns and ‘sio bee’,” he reminisced.
Continuing on, he said, the next development was the Batu Kawah Road which allowed motorists to travel from Tondong to Kuching through Batu Kawah over a gravel road.
And today, Bong said, with the Sarawak Pan Borneo Highway, he could travel to Kuching twice a day and sometimes even drive from Tondong at night, which is extremely convenient compared to the old times.
“Just last year, the Tondong-Sebuku Bridge was opened. Now, it takes us only five to 10 minutes to drive from Tondong to Bau,” he told DayakDaily in an exclusive interview at Bau District Office recently.
He also highlighted it was convenient for tourists or visitors to stop by Tondong town on their way from Bau to Kuching, despite the extra miles from having to make a U-turn on the highway.
“Anyway, it’s still very convenient. Maybe in the future, the distance can be further shortened since Bau’s development is now under the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency,” he added.
Today, Tondong features two rows of rustic wooden shophouses, totaling 20 lots. These shophouses serve various purposes, with some used as residences and others housing businesses such as coffee shops and grocery stores.
Complemented by the One Singai Commercial Centre right across the highway, which offers modern amenities like restaurants, cafes, bistros, mini-marts, hardware stores, and even fitness centres, Tondong is well on its way to shine once more as a vibrant community and destination of choice for both locals and tourists.
Perhaps, Tasik Biru assemblyman Dato Henry Harry Jinep’s dream of transforming the sleepy town of Tondong into the next Siniawan will soon become reality. — DayakDaily
