Kuching (Malaysian pronunciation: [ˈku ching], Chinese: 古晉; pinyin: Gǔ jìn), officially the City of Kuching,^[3] is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia.^[4] It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is situated on theSarawak River at the southwest tip of the state of Sarawak in the island of Borneo and covers an area of 431 km² with a population about 165,642 on the north and 159,490 in the south.^[2][5][6] If mixed, the total population are 325,132.^[2]

Kuching is a major food destination and the main gateway for travellers to visit Sarawak and Borneo.^[6] Kuching Wetlands National Park is located about 30 kilometres from the city and there are many tourist attractions in and around the city. Kuching now has become one of the major industrial and commercial centres in East Malaysia.Sarawak was part of the Bruneian Empire since the first Brunei sultanate, Sultan Muhammad Shah. Kuching is the third capital of Sarawak, founded in 1827 by the representative of the Sultan of Brunei, Pengiran Indera Mahkota.^[9] Prior to the founding of Kuching, the two past capitals of Sarawak were Santubong, founded by Sultan Pengiran Tengah in 1599, and Lidah Tanah, founded by Datu Patinggi Ali in the early 1820s.^[9]

Kuching was later established as the seat of Brooke government under the management of SirJames Brooke.

Pengiran Raja Muda Hashimit later ceded the territory to a British adventurer, James Brooke as a reward for helping him counter a rebellion.^[10] The rebellion was crushed in November 1840, and on 24 September 1841, Brooke was appointed as the Governor of Sarawak with the title ofRajah.^[10] It was not announced until 18 August 1842, following Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II's ratifying the governorship, and requiring Brooke to pay an annual sum of $2,500 to the Sultan.^[10]Since that time, Kuching became the seat of the Brooke government.^[11]

The administration was later continued by his nephew, Charles Brooke. As an administrative capital, it became the centre of attention and development.^[12] Improvements included a sanitationsystem.^[12] By 1874, the city had completed several developments, including construction of a hospital, prison, Fort Margherita, and many other buildings.^[12]

Charles Brooke's wife write his autobiography, (My Life in Sarawak), including his descriptions of Kuching:

“

The little town looked so neat and fresh and prosperous under the careful jurisdiction of the Rajah and his officers, that it reminded me of a box of painted toys kept scrupulously clean by a child. The Bazaar runs for some distance along the banks of river, and this quarter of the town is inhabited almost entirely byChinese traders, with the exception of one or two Hindoo shops....Groceries of exotic kinds are laid out on tables near the pavement, from which the purchasers make their choice. At the Hindoo shops you can buy silks from India, sarongs fromJava, tea from China and tiles and porcelain from all parts of the world, laid out in picturesque confusion, and overflowing into the street.[12][13] — Margaret Brooke

”

The Astana (Palace), which is now the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak, was constructed next to Brooke's first residence. He had it built in 1869 as a wedding gift to his wife.^[14][15] Kuching continued to prosper under Charles Vyner Brooke, who succeeded his father as the Third Rajah of Sarawak.^[10] In 1941, Kuching was the site of the Brooke Government Centenary Celebration.^[16] A few months later, the Brooke administration came to a close when the Japanese occupied Sarawak.^[10]

A street scene of Kuching town shortly after the surrender of Japan, image taken on 12 September 1945.

During the Second World War, six platoons of infantry from 2/15 Punjab Regiment were stationed at Kuching on April 1941.^[17] The Regiment defended Kuching and Bukit Stabar airfield from being the destroyed by the Japanese.^[17] Defence was mainly concentrated on Kuching and Miri.^[17] However on 24 December 1941, Kuching was surrendered to the Japanese forces. Sarawak was ruled as part of theJapanese Empire for three years and eight months, until the official Japanese surrender on 11 September 1945. The official surrender was signed on HMAS Kapunda at Kuching.^[18][19][20] From March 1942, the Japanese operated the Batu Lintang camp, for POWs and civilian internees, three miles (5 km) outside Kuching.^[21]

After the end of World War II, the town survived and was wholly undamaged.^[22] The third and last Rajah, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke later ceded Sarawak to the British Crown in 1 July 1946.^[23][24] During the Crown Colony period, the government worked to develop and improve the infrastructure on Sarawak.^[19] Kuching was revitalised as the capital of Sarawak under the British colonial government.^[25] When Sarawak, together with North Borneo, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya, formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963,^[26] Kuching kept its status as the state capital and was granted a city status in 1 August 1988.^[27][28]