Thesultans ofWestern Borneo, includingSambas,Sukadana andLandak all imported Chinese laborers in the 18th century to work ingold ortinmines. A number of mining companies enjoyed some political autonomy,[4] but Lanfang is the best known thanks to a history written byYap Siong-yoen, the son-in-law of the lastkapitan of the Lanfang Company, which was translated intoDutch in 1885, andJ. J. M. de Groot, a DutchSinologist who recorded Lanfang's history with the help of its last President,Liu Asheng.[5][6][7][8][9][10] None of the other Chinese mining organization in western Kalimantan left written accounts; the records of the others were documented by Dutch sinologists.[11]
The founding father of the Lanfang Kongsi wasLow Fong Pak (羅芳伯), who hailed fromMeizhou inGuangdong Province. Chinese settlers have long lived onBorneo, with most engaging in trading and mining. They formed their own companies, among which was the Southern Company headed by Low.
Low established the Lanfang Company in 1777 (with its capital in Mandor), and it quickly emerged as the leading government in the region.[12][13][14][15][16][17] The settlers subsequently elected Low as their inaugural leader. At the beginning of the Low's leadership, he knew they wouldn't survive long on a land surrounded by Western colonizers. To seek protection, Low insisted on claiming Lanfang Republic as a company to seek asylum from the Qing empire. Unfortunately, the Qianlong Emperor didn't accept Low's proposal of becoming the Qing Empire's tributary state but accepted the trade agreement. After Low received the official response from Qianlong, he promptly showcased it as evidence of loyalty to the Qing Empire. This action effectively intimidated the Dutch, forcing them to cease their hostile activities against the Lanfang Republic temporarily.[18] After Low secured the Lanfang Republic's future, he implemented many democratic principles, including the idea that all matters of state must involve the consultation of the republic's citizenry. The Republic did not have a standing military, but had a defense ministry that administered a national militia based onconscription. During peacetime, the populace mostly engaged in farming, production, trading, and mining. Lanfang's administrative divisions included three tiers (province, prefecture, and county) with the people electing leaders for all levels. Lanfang was allied with Sultan Abdurrahman of thePontianak Sultanate.[19][20][21][22][23]
Low served as head of state until his death in 1795. Afterwards, Lanfang members elected Jiang Wubo (江戊伯) as their next president. Lanfang citizens elected a total of twelve leaders, who helped improve agricultural techniques, expand mine production, develop cultural education, and organize military training.
In the mid-to-late 19th century, the ChineseQing Empire weakened substantially. Thus, the Lanfang Company's vigorous development suffered from the eventual expansion of the Dutch. The Mandor community waged a tenacious resistance, but ultimately failed due to poor weaponry. Lin Ah Sin was the last leader of Lanfang.[24] Many of Lanfang's citizens and their descendants made their way toSumatra orSingapore. The three campaigns waged by theDutch East Indies Army against the Lanfang Company:
This last one resulted in the subjugation of the Chinese and the loss of autonomy.
Wary of Qing intervention, the Dutch did not openly annex the lands controlled by the Lanfang Company, and created another puppet regime. It was not until 1912, when the Qing Dynasty collapsed, that the Dutch proclaimed their occupation.[citation needed]
^海外華人創建了世上第一個共和國.culture.singtaonet.com (in Traditional Chinese). Archived fromthe original on 2011-04-24. Retrieved2010-10-31.
^Groot, J.J.M. (1885),Het Kongsiwezen van Borneo: eene verhandeling over den grondslag en den aard der chineesche politieke vereenigingen in de koloniën, The Hague: M. Nijhof.
^"...The flag is a rectangle yellow flag with the word Lan Fang Ta Tong Chi. The president flag is a triangular yellow flag with the word Chuao (General)..." Quoted from the web as a summary from the book Hakka people - Jews of the Orient by Kao Chung Xi.[2]
Reid, Anthony (2008). Reid, Anthony (ed.).The Chinese Diaspora in the Pacific. Vol. 16 of The Pacific World Lands, Peoples and History of the Pacific,1500–1900. Ashgate.ISBN978-0754657491. Retrieved24 April 2014.
YUNOS, ROZAN (May 23, 2011)."Saga of Lanfang Republic".THE BRUNEI TIMES. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN. Archived fromthe original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved24 April 2014.
Zheng, Dekun (1982).Studies in Chinese Archaeology. Vol. 3 of Centre for Chinese Archaeology and Art Hong Kong: Studies series. Chinese University Press.ISBN9622012612. Retrieved10 March 2014.
The Sarawak Museum Journal. Vol. 9 of The Sarawak Museum Journal: For the Promotion of Scientific Knowledge and Study of the Natives and Natural History of the Island of Borneo, Sarawak Museum. Contributor: Sarawak Museum. Sarawak Museum. 1959. Retrieved24 April 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Excerpta Indonesica, Issues 58-62. Contributors: Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (Netherlands). Afdeling Documentatie Modern Indonesie, Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (Netherlands). Bibliotheek. Centre for Documentation of Modern Indonesia, Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology. 1998. Retrieved24 April 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
China Today, Volume 6. Contributors: China Today Society, Taiwan, Taipei (City). Institute for Chinese Culture, Institute of Chinese Culture, T'ai-pei, Institute for Advanced Chinese studies, Chung-kuo wen hua hsüeh yüan. Chung-Kuo wen hua yen chiu so, Chinese Translation Society, Chung-Kuo wen hua yen chiu so, Tai pei, United Publishing Center, Inc, Chinese Institute of Translation and Research. Institute of Chinese Culture. 1963. Retrieved24 April 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Revue bibliographique de sinologie, Volumes 6-7 (in French). Contributors: Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, Ecole pratique des hautes études (France). Section des sciences économiques et sociales, École pratique des hautes études (France). Section des sciences historiques et philologiques. Editions de l'Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales. 1988. Retrieved24 April 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Heidhues, Mary Somers (2001), "Chinese Settlements in Rural Southeast Asia: Unwritten Histories", in Anthony Reid (ed.),Sojourners and Settlers: Histories of Southeast Asia and the Chinese, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
