Carpenter Street & India Street

Jalan Carpenter / Jalan India

Kuching's oldest Chinese neighborhood: century-old shophouses, temples and time-honored snack stalls on Carpenter Street, with the lively pedestrian shopping street of India Street next door.

Carpenter Street (formerly known as Woodcarvers' Street) runs parallel to Main Bazaar and was the heart of Kuching's 19th-century Chinese community. Lined with two-story old shophouses, it hides tinsmiths, goldsmiths, traditional Chinese medicine shops, old-style coffee shops and street murals. The street is home to the Teochew Xuantian Shangdi Temple and the Hokkien Hong San Si Temple. At the street corner stands the Tua Pek Kong Temple, said to date from around 1843 and to be Kuching's oldest Chinese temple.

The area is also a food hub: Sarawak laksa, kolo mee, dry noodles, pork buns and Ding Bian Hu (flat rice noodle soup). Several old coffee shops have queues from early morning.

The western end of Carpenter Street connects to India Street (Jalan India), a covered pedestrian street selling fabrics, saris, spices and cheap daily goods. A 19th-century Indian mosque is tucked away in a lane off the street. Further east, you reach the Chinatown arch and the cat statue on Padungan Road.

It is recommended to come early, between 7 and 9 a.m., for breakfast and a stroll through the old streets, then head to the riverfront. Note that some old shops close on Sundays or in the afternoon.

Carpenter Street & India Street

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby