A History of Bentong Town
Old image of Bentong town
Although Bentong town, as it is known today, was established in the late 19th century, it is worth mentioning that the district of Bentong has been around for a long time, known as ‘Kapong’ before World War I (1914). Allow me to bring you on a journey through the passage of time to explore the rich history of Bentong.
For easy understanding, this article is divided into three distinct sections which elucidates the formative years, the rapid transformative development which followed thereafter, and the present state of the town.
The Formative Years (1888-1945)
Resident of Pahang, Sir JP Rodger
Prior to 1888, Bentong was under the administration of the Pahang Sultanate which was modelled after the Melakan hierarchy of officers serving below a ruler known as a Sultan. In 1888, a residential system was established in Pahang by the British colonial empire following the example in other Malay states.
The principle behind this system was indirect rule, which required the cooperation of the traditional rulers in relinquishing their real power. In return, the rulers were compensated for their loss of traditional income with lucrative salaries and protection from usurpers.
In 1889, the then Resident of Pahang, Sir J.P Rodger, led a Military Police Force group which sailed from the royal capital of Pekan to explore the interior of Pahang. Sir Rodger’s month-long journey was recorded in a journal and it suggested that the town of ‘Bentong’ had yet to come into existence at the time.
Loke Yew, a Malayan tycoon who was one of the pioneers to develop Bentong town
In the course of the exploration, the British discovered significant deposits of valuable tin ore in the confluence of the Repas and Perting Rivers. According to the journal “A Tour Through Pahang”, there were only 300-400 labourers involved in small-scale tin mining at the time of J.P Rodger’s discovery. Having completed the expedition, the British quickly decided to jointly develop and excavate the area with local Malayan tycoons, Mr Loke Yew being one of the pioneers.
Armed with persistence and an adventurous spirit, Loke Yew expanded his business operations in Bentong especially in the tin mines along Perting River and Mersing River. To further maximise productivity of the mines, Loke Yew recruited thousands of workers from China to work in his mines.
Consequently, a substantial Chinese community began to form the backbone of the new town of Bentong. The town continued to rely on tin mining as its main economic driver until World War II.
The Transformative Years (1945-2000)
A Chinese miner. Tin mining was the main economic driver of Bentong town until World War II
Up until the 1940s, Bentong’s economy was primarily driven by tin mining and other related businesses which flourished as offshoots of the mining industry. However, the 1950s saw a post-war economic revival in many countries around the world and marked a turning point in the global rubber market.
Demand for rubber which was essential for manufacturing consumer goods (such as car tyres) spiked. Along with incipient changes in Malayan economic aspirations and policies, Bentong began developing a strong presence in the rubber industry. Consequently, tin mining receded into secondary importance although it continued to play a role in the local economy for the next few decades to come.
Another important event which transformed the town after WWII was the Communist insurgency, which deeply affected the people of Bentong. In an effort by the British colonial government to grapple with the Communist issue, a state of emergency was declared in 1948. Consequently, Chinese residents in some parts of Bentong were forcibly relocated to designated areas known as ‘new villages’ to cut off potential expansion of communist influence amongst the local Chinese community.
By June 1955, Bentong was declared a ‘white area’, meaning that the town was deemed free from communist insurgent activities. It is worth noting that Bentong still has 15 ‘new villages’ today, providing tourists the perfect platform to experience this unique way of life.
The Present (2000-Today)
Bentong today is a vibrant and busy town
Stepping into the 21st century, Bentong has gradually transformed itself from a primary sector economy dominated by small-scale agricultural and mining enterprises to a multifaceted, year-round economy which focuses on tourism and other service industries. This notable transformation has contributed to rising living standards for local residents.
Today, Bentong is a diverse and vibrant community which embraces modernism without forgetting its rich history.
For more interesting information:
- A Bentong Series
- Go Bentong! 与菩萨有约
- Cleaning Up Bentong for Malaysia Day | 2016年马来西亚日Gotong Royong活动
- Reaching Out in Bentong | 关注文冬
- Community spirit in Bentong
- Sponsor-A-Tree at KFR!
- 3,000kg of rice for Bentong & YB Dato’ Sri Dr Liow Tiong Lai
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Nice small town with lots of history.
It’s always great to know the history of another town or state. Great history of Bentong and Kechara Forest Retreat. Hope to visit Bentong in the future! Good write up Lenard ?
Great history of Bentong.
It is also partly due to existence of KFR that Bentong is bustling more with activities and tourists.
Great foresight by our Guru HE Tsem Rinpoche.
Thank you Lenard Hu for this interesting article on the becoming of Bentong Town. I personally had only been to Bentong twice in my early years. Its only after Kechara Forest Retreat was built as conceptualised by our Guru, H.E. the 25th Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, had I then frequented so often this really nice town. I had only known it to be the Durian Town and the earlier time I was in Bentong, I was really impressed by the Majlis Perbandaran of Bentong. The staff was efficient and pleasant to deal with. There are still many nooks and crannies that I would love to explore. I do look forward to reading your articles to learn more of Bentong town (which I must say is fast becoming my home). Maybe soon you will share with us your secrets places, ie. delicious food, where to eat, where to stay and where to visit.
Hi Lenard,
Thank you for sharing the first article on the history of Bentong. Can’t wait to read the rest of the articles on Bentong. The tin mining on Perting river did it employ the use of heavy machinery, one of my uncles were into tin mining industry, he oversaw some of the operations of the tin mining.
Interesting ….reading this article reminds me of favourite subject that was history. The history of Pahang our home state, recalling back about the Pahang Sultanate and so forth. Bentong came a long way with a interesting history. From the rule of Sultanate, to the Japanese intervention , then with the British involvement of mining in the town The Chinese population increased due to the mining activities till the World War II. .The uniqueness in Bentong are the number of Chinese new villages – established during the turbulent times to combat the insurgency of Communists. Bentong is one of the Chinese new village that has helped Malaysia overcome a Communist uprising some 60 years ago. Bentong used to be a laidback town with residents having a slow pace of life amidst serene surroundings. The present town now is one of the fastest growing towns in Pahang with a rail development going on soon.
Thank you Lenard Hu for sharing this interesting article.
Hello thank you for your comment and interesting input. Indeed,although Bentong is a relatively small town, it has lots to offer in terms of cultural, history and food. In fact, the new villages that you have just mentioned has now been converted into homestay so as to enable others to experience what was it like to stay in the new villages. Stay tuned as I will be writing about the story of the Chinese community in Bentong in my next post.
It’s interesting to learn about the history of Bentong. I didn’t know that Bentong used to be an active tin mining place. In Malaysia many township developed due to tin mining industry. It is always important to learn about the grass root of a place in order to understand how much changes Bentong has gone through and for us to appreciate the growth of this town.
Hi, I am glad that you learned that Bentong used to be a mining town. I can assure you that although Bentong started with mining, things today are very different as the town has diverged into different industries such as tourism. Stay tuned as I will continue to share interesting facts and my personal perspective about the town. Thank you for your support!?
This is interesting and good for us to know the history of Bentong. In reading the history of we can see and understand the past to predict the future and look for the resolution for the improvement. We should grateful that what we can see and have in Bentong today, were the efforts and supports from the previous generations.
Thank you Lenard for this nice post.
Hi Alice, thank you for your comment. I am truly happy that you can get to know more about Bentong by reading my articles. I am looking to delve into more topics about Bentong in my coming posts. Stay tuned!?
History is about going back to our roots, where we originate from. It’s a yardstick by which we measure ourselves.
And, by all accounts, this is a very interesting read. How Bentong came about, how the new villages were established. Most of us will remember a bit about the communists in Malaysia and the establishment of the new villages. It was a time of uncertainty and fear. And, I did wonder how many new villages there are in Bentong!!
All said, I do love the friendliness of the people who are always very welcoming. And,there’s lots of good food for vegetarian, non-vegetarian and meatless diet. The residents are very aware of the dietary need of the visitors which I found out why. This is a town of multi cultural people of different ethnicity and religious inclinations. There are the mosques, the Hindu temples, the church, the taoist temples, the Buddhist temples of different traditions and temples of the local deities. An eclectic mix.
Thank you for a glimpse into the past of Bentong and its journey into the 21st century.
Hello Fong.I am glad that you find my post informative and interesting. To answer your question, there are currently 15 ‘new villages’ in the district. I certainly recommend a visit to one of those villages as there are, I believe relatively well-preserved compared to many other places. Stay tuned and learn more about other aspects of Bentong in my upcoming blog post! Thank you for your support and encouragement.
Nice write up about Bentong from the time when British ruled, and through out the world wars and also the communist insurgence. Bentong had gone through thick and thin with Malaya. Along with the evolution of Malaya, Bentong, like many major townships, also undergone socio-economic development riding on the strength of the pioneering people, to become what it is today. It is a beautiful recount of the journey. Thank you for this wonderful sharing, Benard.
Hello Stella, I am glad that you enjoyed my writeup about Bentong?Stay tuned as my coming blog post will delve deeper into some aspects (people, important figures etc.) of the history of the town☺