Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

The Low Tiey’s Well

During the late Ming Dynasty and early Ching Dynasty (Middle 17^th Century) the people from the province of Fujian in China had started to travel south by boat. Most of them settled down on the lands where they landed.

The Lim clan who migrated south about 300 years ago to explore and cultivate the land in the south had eventually settled in Kuala Terengganu. To provide for their drinking and cleaning needs a well was dug at the site in Kampung Tiong.

The design of the well proper reflected the habitat and culture of the conservative community of the time. The oval shaped well was built of clay bricks. It had two bathing chambers to cater for men and women separately. Low wall of 6m by 6m was built around the well as its boundary. The water from the well was clear, fresh, pleasant and sweet in taste, and had a continuous flow of supply.

In Kwong Shih Year of Ching Dynasty (1875), there was a long drought in the district that resulted in an epidemic and dried up most wells in the town. Those wells left with very low water supply was unfit for human consumption as the level of saline in the water was too high. The Lim clan’s well in Kampung Tiong was the only well left with abundant supply of good quality water. Mr Lim Keng Hoon who held the appointed post of Low Tiey or Juru Bahasa was very generous to allow the public to use the water from his well. The town folks were then able to obtain adequate supply of drinking water during that long drought, thus reducing the handship experienced. Since then, the well was named Low Tiey’s Well by the people in the town commemorate the good deeds of Low Tiey.

Arranged and translated by YB Toh Chin Yaw