Bukit Cina

You are about to walk through six hundred years of history carved into a single hillside — welcome to Bukit Cina, one of the most extraordinary and sacred sites in all of Southeast Asia lah! Covering twenty-five hectares, Bukit Cina — meaning China Hill — is one of the largest Chinese cemeteries outside of China itself. Over twelve thousand graves dot this landscape, with the oldest dating all the way back to the Ming Dynasty in the fifteenth century. Just think about that for a moment. The people buried here were among the very first Chinese settlers in Southeast Asia. The story of Bukit Cina begins with a royal love story, kan? In the mid-1400s, Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca sought stronger ties with the mighty Ming Dynasty. The Chinese Emperor sent Princess Hang Li Poh to marry the Sultan, and she arrived with a retinue of five hundred attendants. The Sultan gifted this entire hill to the princess and her entourage as their residence. Over the centuries, it became the final resting place for generations of Chinese settlers. As you walk among the graves, you will notice they span an incredible range of styles and eras. The oldest tombs...