THE ESTABLISHMENT OF KANGKAR SETTLEMENTS IN BATU PAHAT DISTRICT Hui Ching Low* 1 and Raja Nafida Raja Shahminan 2 1 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, MALAYSIA. (E-mail: xchclow@gmail.com) 2 Center for the Study of Built Environment in the Malay World (KALAM), Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, MALAYSIA. (E-mail: b-nafida@utm.my) ABSTRACT Kangkar settlements were established in Johor state under Kangchu system from 1844 to 1917. There was once more than 100 kangkars in Johor however diminishing in today’s context due to several circumstances. Irony, there was lack of comprehensive records listed down and marked the location of Batu Pahat kangkar settlements. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to delineate kangkar settlements in Batu Pahat as the earliest most established Chinese settlement in the region for the basis of Chinese identity research as well as safeguarding the historic settlements. Historical method is employed through archival research, literature review and historical cartography. Most of the kangkar were distributed along Sungai Batu Pahat and its distributaries Sungai Simpang Kanan as well as Sungai Simpang Kiri. Some living kangkar settlements in Batu Pahat still using name which possess trace of kangkar, for instance “Kangkar Senangar” and “Saan Hak Kang” at Chaah. As the kangkar were identified in this paper, it is recommended to study each or several kangkar in depth to understand “Kangkar” as the earliest most established Chinese settlements in Johor. In addition, the historical transformation of kangkar is recommended to study in contributing planning proposal to sustain kangkar settlements. Key words: Kangkar, Chinese, Settlement, Batupahat, Kangchusystem INTRODUCTION “Kangkar” refers to Chinese settlement which established in Johor from 1844 to 1917 via Kangchu system due to the commercial crop gambier and pepper plantation. The Johor ruler Temenggung Ibrahim who introduced Kangchu system had attracted large groups of Chinese immigrants flown to Johor in the 19 th century [1–3]. Kangkar is made up by the Teochew words “kang” meaning port and “kar” meaning foot [4–6]. This riverine settlement was placed near the limits of navigation upstream [4]. Each kangkar was led by a semi-feudal “Kangchu”, taking meaning of “the owner of the port ” in Chinese [7]. The kangkar was believed to be the earliest most established Chinese IGCESH2020 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 17 -19 August 2020 358