Siniawan, reminiscent of a typical “Wild West cowboy town” with a single street, was one of these places. Many original residents of Siniawan left the place nearly abandoned when they moved to new towns like Kuching and Bau.
In the old days, the place was a thriving trading town mostly populated by the Hakka community. When the migration happened, Siniawan nearly became a ghost town but was later revived following the Siniawan business community’s creativity to come up with a new business model in 2010. The revival is thanks to the efforts of its Pemanca , Bong Jong Koh, and its residents. After coming up with the idea of a food street, Siniawan transformed into a vibrant place during weekends.
“It’s worthwhile exploring the market as there are plenty choices of food, and they’re delicious, too, ” said Egberg Koh, 61, from Kuala Lumpur who was at the market before the movement control order came into effect in March 2020.“Siniawan was like a ghost town where only a few shops opened for business but during my last visit there, I was surprised with what I saw, ” Koh said.