Liu Shan Bang

Liu Shan Bang (, 1800 – February 24, 1857) was a Chinese gold miner in Bau, Sarawak. He was best known as the leader of the 1857 Chinese miners' revolt against the White Rajah James Brooke.

History A Hakka born in Lufeng, Guangdong of the Qing dynasty, around 1800, Liu left for Sambas, Borneo, at the age of 20. He is said to have worked at the Sam Tiau Kow (Santiaogou) gold mine there until mistreatment by the Dutch caused him to lead a group of miners to the Bau area of Sarawak (perhaps Pangkalan Tebang). He organised the 'Twelve Kongsi' company which operated the Mau San gold mine and made the mining town of Mau San (or Bau Lama) effectively self-governing.

They unearthed gold deposits and turned Mau San into a prosperous and thriving gold town. Events allegedly took a wrong turn when The White Rajah, James Brooke, imposed high taxes on the gold mine business.

Revolt On 18 February 1857, Liu Shan Bang embarked 600 Chinese rebels in large cargo boats at Tondong, Bau District. A Malay trader encountered the Chinese in the afternoon before they started the attack. The trader was allowed to pass after he told them that he must warn his own family so they would not be frightened. The Malay trader then informed another trader named Gapur and Datu Bandar. Both of them were skeptical. Datu Bandar decided not to trouble the Rajah who was unwell and decided to inform the Rajah the next morning.

Death However, only a day later, Liu had discovered that the White Rajah was still alive. In retaliation, Brooke enlisted the help of his Malay supporters, while his nephew Charles Brooke sailed from Lingga with a force of Iban soldiers. On 23 February Charles led a force of Ibans to join up with the local Bidayuh tribes in pursuit of Liu and his rebels.

The following day, while on the way back to Bau, Liu and his rebels were under attack by the Rajah's Iban forces. Liu managed to regroup at Jugan in Siniawan, but was heavily outnumbered. There Liu was shot dead and his rebels were killed.

Charles' Iban forces pursued the remaining rebels to Bau, where they slaughtered the 3,000 villagers including women, children and old folks in a massacre and left their bodies to rot.

Legacy A stone was placed to mark his grave, and a small temple erected by it, although the reason was kept secret for over a century. Liu was elevated by the community to a deity named "Shin". The temple at Liu Shan Bang's grave site is named the Sien Teck Temple and is located at Lorong 2 Jalan Jungan in Siniawan Town, Bau_District.

On 27 July 1993, Liu Shan Bang was included in the 'freedom fighters, liberators, and martyrs' unveiled on the new Heroes' Monument in the Sarawak Museum Garden.

In 2015, Guat Peng Ngoi, Assistant Professor at the Division of Chinese, School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, stated that Liu Shan Bang images were constructed by people's memories and folklore, which often contradicts colonial narratives. These make Liu Shan Bang a fictional character.