Kampung Balai
Encyclopedia
Kampung Balai is a village in Bachok
, Kelantan
, Malaysia. It is located approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Kota Bharu
.
However, according to local inhabitants, “Balai” is derived from ‘’Ban Malai” or ‘’flower village’’ in Thai language. It is believed that the low-lying area where the rice field was, now planted with tobacco, was once a shallow lake filled with flowering lotus.
. Their spoken Thai language is distinctly different from other Thais in Kelantan who generally speak the southern “Tak Bai
” Thai language.
The village was most probably opened by these Thais or the Chinese.
The Chinese, mostly from Fujian
, China came to the village probably at the same time with the Thais to develop the village. Some of the Chinese are of eighth or ninth generation descendants. Virtually all of them have lost contact with their ancestral roots in China.
and Chinese
descents.
The lingua franca among the villagers is mainly Thai although all the Chinese and most of the Thais could also speak, to some degree of competency, Kelantan Hokkien (Min Nan
). All of them are fluent Malay speakers and some, especially the younger generation, could converse in Mandarin
as well.
They are predominantly Buddhists. The Chinese also observe traditional Chinese practices.
temple located at seaside facing the South China Sea
.
Bachok
Bachok is a territory and town in Kelantan, Malaysia. It is located 25 kilometers east of Kota Bharu. It borders Pasir Puteh to the south and Kota Bharu to the west. Bachok district's mukims are Tawang, Perupok, Repek, Telong, Gunung, Mahligai, and Bekelam...
, Kelantan
Kelantan
Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....
, Malaysia. It is located approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu is a city in Malaysia, is the state capital and Royal City of Kelantan. It is also the name of the territory in which Kota Bharu City is situated. The name means 'new city' or 'new castle/fort' in Malay. Kota Bharu is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, and lies...
.
Origin of Name
While ‘’Balai’’ means ‘’hall’’ in Malay, there is no known historical correlation between the village and ‘’hall’’.However, according to local inhabitants, “Balai” is derived from ‘’Ban Malai” or ‘’flower village’’ in Thai language. It is believed that the low-lying area where the rice field was, now planted with tobacco, was once a shallow lake filled with flowering lotus.
History
The Thais of this village are believed to be originated from central Thailand more than 200 years ago when Kelantan was a tributary of the Kingdom of SiamThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Their spoken Thai language is distinctly different from other Thais in Kelantan who generally speak the southern “Tak Bai
Tak Bai
Tak Bai is a border town on Malaysia-Thailand Border, the capital of Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province. Visitors can visit Malaysia by Pengkalan Kubur pass, Kelantan state....
” Thai language.
The village was most probably opened by these Thais or the Chinese.
The Chinese, mostly from Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, China came to the village probably at the same time with the Thais to develop the village. Some of the Chinese are of eighth or ninth generation descendants. Virtually all of them have lost contact with their ancestral roots in China.
Demographics
The population of Balai is about 450, almost all of them are of ThaiThai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
and Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
descents.
The lingua franca among the villagers is mainly Thai although all the Chinese and most of the Thais could also speak, to some degree of competency, Kelantan Hokkien (Min Nan
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
). All of them are fluent Malay speakers and some, especially the younger generation, could converse in Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
as well.
They are predominantly Buddhists. The Chinese also observe traditional Chinese practices.
Places of interest
There are three Buddhist temples in the village i.e. Wat Phathumviharn, Wat Phithikyan Phutthaktham and a Kuan YinKuan Yin
Guanyin is the bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. The name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin which means "Observing the Sounds of the World". She is also sometimes referred to as Guanyin Pusa...
temple located at seaside facing the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
.