Chinese Sabahans: Hakka Heritage & Sandakan History
Who are the Chinese community in Sabah?
The 2020 census counted 248,920 Chinese in Sabah, 9.5% of Malaysian citizens in the state and 7.3% of all residents (DOSM, Census 2020 Sabah, Table 5, checked 7 October 2026). The state government notes that the Chinese are Sabah's largest non-indigenous group and that most are of Hakka descent, many of them still in agriculture, especially in rural towns such as Tenom and Kudat (Sabah state government, checked 7 October 2026).
Over more than a century, Sabah's Chinese built many of the state's businesses, shophouse towns and coffee shops, and created a Sabah-Chinese cuisine that blends Hakka, Cantonese and other traditions with local ingredients.
When did the Chinese first arrive in Sabah?
Chinese traders visited the coasts of North Borneo long before colonial rule. Large-scale settlement began under the British North Borneo Chartered Company. In December 1882, a first group of about 100 Hakka Christian labourers from China landed at Kudat, and many more groups followed over the next few years (Basel Christian Church of Malaysia, checked 7 October 2026).
Many later Hakka settlers went to the west coast, where railway construction had begun, and new towns with Chinese majorities grew up along the line (Basel Christian Church of Malaysia, checked 7 October 2026). Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese migrants also came, mostly settling in the towns.
The Japanese occupation, which began in 1942 (Sabah state government, checked 7 October 2026), brought great hardship to the Chinese community, as to all of Sabah's people.
The Hakka Christians who arrived from 1882 worked their land six days a week and gathered for worship on Sundays, setting up churches and Chinese schools wherever a few families settled. Their churches grew into today's Basel Christian Church of Malaysia (Basel Christian Church of Malaysia, checked 7 October 2026).
What dialect groups make up Sabah's Chinese community?
Sabah's Chinese community comprises several dialect groups, each with its own traditions. The census does not publish a breakdown by dialect group, so the table gives no percentages:
| Dialect Group | Proportion | Main Areas | Historical Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakka (客家) | Largest group | Statewide; strong in rural towns such as Tenom and Kudat | Agricultural pioneers from 1882 |
| Cantonese (广东) | Smaller | Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu | Merchants and traders |
| Hokkien (福建) | Smaller | Main towns | Traders and shopkeepers |
| Teochew (潮州) | Smaller | Main towns | Traders |
| Hainanese (海南) | Smaller | Main towns | Long associated with coffee shops |
Hakka is widely spoken among Sabah Chinese. Mandarin is widely spoken by younger, school-educated generations, and Cantonese is often heard in Sandakan.
Why is Sandakan called "Little Hong Kong"?
Sandakan is sometimes nicknamed "Little Hong Kong" for its busy Chinese merchant community, its port and its dense rows of shophouses.
American writer Agnes Keith lived in Sandakan and wrote about it in books such as Land Below the Wind and White Man Returns. Her restored house on Jalan Istana hill is now a museum, with a gallery on her life and books (Sabah Tourism, checked 7 October 2026).
The Japanese occupation (1942 to 1945) brought great suffering to Sandakan, which was also the starting point of the Sandakan Death Marches of Allied prisoners of war.
Today the one-hour Sandakan Heritage Trail passes the Sam Sing Kung (Three Saints) Temple, the Goddess of Mercy Temple and the remains of a staircase believed to belong to the pre-war Chinese consulate building (Sabah Tourism, checked 7 October 2026). The Sandakan colonial history page covers this heritage in detail.
What is uniquely Sabah Chinese food?
Sabah Chinese food blends Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien and Hainanese traditions with local ingredients. Several dishes are well known in Sabah or have distinct Sabah versions:
| Dish | Description | Origin | Where to Try |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuaran Mee | Fried egg noodles, often served with char siu and vegetables. | Named after Tuaran town | KK coffee shops; Tuaran town itself |
| Hakka Mian Xian | Thin wheat noodles in a clear soup. | Hakka tradition | Breakfast stalls and coffee shops |
| Dim Sum (Yumcha) | A popular weekend breakfast, with har gow, siu mai, char siu bao and more. | Cantonese tradition; adopted statewide | Dim sum restaurants in KK, Sandakan and Tawau |
| Kopi + Kaya Toast | Kopi tiam coffee with toast spread with kaya (coconut jam) and butter. A Sabah morning ritual. | Hainanese coffee shop tradition | Traditional kopi tiam in the main towns |
| Wonton Mee | Thin egg noodles with wontons, served dry or in soup. | Cantonese | Coffee shops statewide, including Sandakan old town |
| Bakuteh (Bak Kut Teh) | Pork rib soup with herbs and spices. | Hokkien/Teochew | Specialist restaurants in KK and other towns |
What festivals do Sabah Chinese celebrate?
Sabah Chinese observe all the major Chinese festivals:
Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb): The biggest annual celebration, lasting 15 days. Red lanterns go up in the towns, lion dance troupes visit businesses and homes, and families hold open houses. The 15th night, Chap Goh Mei, closes the celebrations.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Sep/Oct): Lanterns, children's lantern walks, lion dances and mooncakes. Public lantern events in Kota Kinabalu are open to all.
Hungry Ghost Festival (7th lunar month): Offerings and the burning of paper offerings for the spirits, with opera or getai stage shows in some places.
Qingming (Tomb Sweeping, Mar/Apr): Families visit and clean ancestral graves, with food offerings and incense.
Dongzhi (Winter Solstice, around 21 or 22 December): A family reunion dinner with tang yuan (glutinous rice balls in sweet soup).
What are the major Chinese associations in Sabah?
Chinese clan and dialect associations have been central to community life since the earliest migrations. They provided mutual aid, help with disputes and a link with home for immigrants far from their ancestral villages.
Today the main towns have dialect associations for the Hakka, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese communities, clan associations for families sharing a surname, and Chinese chambers of commerce. Together they support schools, temples, welfare work and cultural events, and some of their clan houses are old heritage buildings.
What Chinese schools exist in Sabah?
Sabah has a network of Chinese-medium primary schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina, or SJK(C)) that teach in Mandarin and follow the national curriculum, with Bahasa Malaysia and English as subjects. Many enrol non-Chinese pupils as well as Chinese pupils. The earliest Chinese schools in Sabah were set up by the communities themselves, including the Hakka Christian settlers (Basel Christian Church of Malaysia, checked 7 October 2026).
Pupils from these schools often grow up speaking Mandarin, Malay and English, a practical advantage in Sabah's multicultural working life.