Travel Guide Singkawang

This town of 222,900 inhabitants seems frozen in time. It lies 145 kilometers north of Pontianak (3 hours by bus). Singkawang was built by gold miners, the vast majority of whom were of Chinese origin, and bears a striking resemblance to the towns of the Middle Kingdom in the early 20th century. According to some writings, Singkawang's mines were so abundant that they supplied one seventh of the world's gold production during the 18th century. The mines dried up and it's ceramics that make Singkawang famous today. The streets are still full of old-fashioned stalls, workshops without electricity, many temples and traditional markets. Another special feature of Singkawang is the Chinese New Year celebrations and the Cap Go Meh carnival.