List of kongsi

The kongsi federations of West Borneo were Chinese autonomous entities that conducted the mining of gold, and later expanded to other fields of business, based mainly in the Monterado [id] and Mandor [id] areas. The region never unified into one kongsi federation, and rather was a conglomeration of small kongsi organizations that mainly pledged to two zongting (assembly halls): the Heshun Confederation and Lanfang Republic in Montrado and Mandor, respectively. The following is a list of all mentioned kongsis and general Chinese organizations that we have from existing records and later Dutch accounts.

Kongsis before the formation of Heshun (mid-18th century – 1776)

Organizations mentioned in the Chronicle of the Lanfang Kongsi

The ''Chronicle of the Lanfang Kongsi'' details the first clan-based organizations that existed in Borneo, around the mid-18th century. Four were documented:^[1]

Shanxin Jinhu 山さん心こころ金きむ湖みずうみ (Shanxin gold-lake)
Jusheng kongsi 聚勝公司こうし (Jusheng kongsi)
Sida Jiawei 四よん大家たいか围 (Four Great Families)
Lanheying 兰和营 (Lanhe guild)

*Note that "clan-based organizations" was a very general term, as there appeared to be many names for these fraternities, including the aforementioned hui, but also jinhu 金きむ湖みずうみ, jiawei 家いえ围, shansha 山やま沙すな, bali 把わ坜 and fen 分ぶん. Even though one of the mentioned organizations has the kongsi 公司こうし suffix, it is uncertain if any of these organizations had the full capacities of the standard kongsi that will become the norm later in history.

Non-mining related organizations

Chinese organizations were not limited to mining. Other groups of Chinese, either connected by similar beliefs or occupations, created similar organizations, also called hui. There were two recorded:

Tiandihui (Thien-Thi-Foei) 天地てんち會かい- The Heaven and Earth Society, an anti-Qing secretive folk organization, found its way among the merchants and farmers of West Borneo. They existed separately from the mining kongsis and harassed the miners,^[2] and was one of the reasons the Heshun Confederation was created. They lost influence following the initial wars waged between them and the Heshun Confederation.
Lanfanghui (Lan-Fong-Foei) 蘭らん芳よし會かい- A separate association that can be considered to have a connection with the Tiandihui. They were recorded to have a settlement near Kulor, before being kicked out after they attempted to conquer the city's Teochew merchants.^[2] Here, they moved south to Mandor, where Luo Fangbo rose to its leader and reformed it into the Lanfang kongsi.

Kongsis during their height (1776–1840)

Montrado Region^[3]^[4]

Order	Pinyin	Hakka Dialect	English meaning
01 [H]	Dagang kongsi (大港おおみなと公司こうじ)	Thai-Kong, Thai-kwong kongsi	Large river
02 [H]	Xin Bafen kongsi (新しん八はち分ふん公司こうし)	Sin-Pat-Foen, Sien-pak-foen kongsi	New eight shares
03 [H]	Shiwufen kongsi (十じゅう五ご分ふん公司こうし)	Sjip-Ng-Foen, Sjip-ung-foen kongsi	Fifteen shares
04 [H]	Lao Bafen kongsi (老ろう八はち分ふん公司こうし)	Lo-Pat-Foen kongsi	Old eight shares
05 [H]	Santiaogou kongsi / Sanda futing (三條さんじょう溝みぞ公司こうし/三さん達たち副ふく廳ちょう)	Sam-Thiao-Keoe kongsi	Three gullies / Three reaches deputy hall
06 [H]	Taihe, Shiliufen kongsi (泰和やすかず公司こうし/十じゅう六ろく分ふん公司こうし)	Thai-Fo, Sjip-Lioek-Foen kongsi	Great harmony / Sixteen shares
07 [H]	Jiufentou kongsi (九分くぶ頭あたま公司こうし)	Kioe-Foen-Theoe kongsi	Old nine shares
08 [H]	Manhe kongsi (滿まん和かず公司こうじ)	Man-Fo kongsi	Full harmony
09 [H]	Lao Shisifen kongsi (老ろう十じゅう四よん分ふん公司こうし)	Lo-Sjip-Foen kongsi	Old fourteen shares
10 [H]	Shisanfen kongsi (十じゅう三さん分ふん公司こうし)	Sjip-Sam-Foen kongsi	Thirteen shares
11 [H]	Xinwu, Xin Shisifen kongsi (新屋あらや公司こうじ/新しん十じゅう四よん分ふん公司こうし)	Sin-Woek, Sien-Woek kongsi	New house / New fourteen shares
12 [H]	Shi'erfen or Dayi kongsi (十じゅう二に分ふん公司こうし/大義たいぎ公司こうし)	Sjip-Ngi-Foen or Thai-Ngi kongsi	Twelve shares / Great righteousness
13 [H]	Jielian kongsi (結ゆい連れん公司こうし)	Kiet-Lien kongsi	Union
14 [H]	Kengwei kongsi (坑あな尾お公司こうし)	Hang-Moei kongsi	End of the pit
15	Jinhe kongsi (金きむ和かず公司こうし)	Kim-fo-kong-si	Golden harmony
16	Guanghe kongsi (廣和ひろかず公司こうし)	Kong-fo-kong-si	Wide harmony
17	Liufentou kongsi (六ろく分ふん头公司こうし)	Lioek-Foen-Theoe kongsi	Six shares
18	Dasheng kongsi (大盛おおもり公司こうし)	Thai-Sjin kongsi	Most abundant
19	Heshun zongting (和かず順じゅん總そう廳ちょう)	Fo-Sjoen-Tsoeng-Thang	Harmonious profit

Lara Region

Order	Pinyin	Hakka Dialect	English meaning
01	Yuanhe kongsi (元和がんわ公司こうし)	Njan-fo-kong-si	First harmony
02	Zanhe kongsi (贊さん和かず公司こうじ)	Tshan-fo-kong-si	Supporting harmony
03	Yinghe kongsi (應おう和かず公司こうじ)	Djin-fo-kong-si	True harmony
04	Huihe kongsi (惠和けいわ公司こうし)	Soeng-fo-kong-si	Favorable harmony
05	Shenghe kongsi (升ます和かず公司こうじ)	Sjin-fo-kong-si	Rising harmony
06	Shuanghe kongsi (雙そう和かず公司こうじ)	Soeng-fo-kong-si	Double harmony
07	Xiawu kongsi / Xi Santiaogou kongsi (下屋げや公司こうし/細ほそ三條さんじょう溝みぞ公司こうし)	Ha-woek-kong-si, Klein-sam-thiao-keoe-kong-si	Lower harmony, Thin (Little) Santiaogou

Budok Region

Order	Pinyin	Hakka Dialect	English meaning
01	Lintian or Xinle kongsi (霖田/新しん樂らく公司こうし)	Lim-Thian or Sin-Lok kongsi	Misty fields

Mandor Region

Order	Pinyin	Hakka Dialect	English meaning
01	Lanfang kongsi (蘭らん芳よし公司こうし)	Lan-Fong kongsi	Sweet orchids

*[H] denotes a member of the Heshun / Fosjoen zongting. Italicized kongsis denote privatized mines, some of whom were called "kongsi".

Other minor kongsis with little to no information included: the Dahong kongsi (打だ洪ひろし公司こうし), He’an kongsi (和わ安やす公司こうし), Jusheng kongsi (聚勝公司こうし), and the Mianyuan kongsi (綿めん遠どお公司こうし).

Post-autonomous period (1850–1900)

Following the destruction of the Dagang kongsi, and with association, the Heshun zongting, the Chinese attempted to reorganize into a new movement. The Jiulong kongsi (Kioe-lioeng-kong-si) 九きゅう龍りゅう公司こうじ, as it was called, they harassed Dutch soldiers. In 1854, they burned down Montrado, the former Heshun capital, and attempted to reorganize before they were caught and executed.^[5] The movement lasted less than a year.

Yet another secret organization resurfaced, from the ancient remnants of the Tiandihui. The Sandianhui (Sam-Tiam-Foei) 三さん點てん會かい, which the Dutch called the Three Fingered Society, aimed instead for general civil obedience and elimination of pro-Dutch Chinese.^[6] Unlike the Jiulong kongsi, the Sandianhui were able to extend their reach and cause disturbances to the new Dutch occupied West Borneo.

References

^ 蘭らん芳よし公司こうし歷代れきだい年ねん冊さつ - 维基文ぶん库，自由じゆう的てき图书馆 (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
^ ^a ^b "De Kongsi's van Montrado. Bijdrage tot de geschiedenis en de kennis van het wezen der Chineesche vereenigingen op de Westkust van Borneo. by SCHAANK, S. H. | Krul Antiquarian Books". www.abebooks.com. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
^ YIH, T. D.; DE KREEK, J. (1993). "The Gongsi Cash Pieces of Western Borneo and Banka in the Ethnographical Museum at Rotterdam". The Numismatic Chronicle. 153: 171–195. ISSN 0078-2696. JSTOR 42667887.
^ Bingling, Yuan. "CHINESE DEMOCRACIES: A study of the Kongsis in West Borneo". xiguan.org. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
^ Enthoven, J. J. K (1903). "Bijdragen tot de Geographie van Borneo's Westerafdeeling". Retrieved 26 May 2021.
^ Adriani, Pieter (1898). "Herinneringen uit en aan de Chineesche districten der Wester-Afdeeling van Borneo, 1879-1882: schetsen en indrukken".

[1] 蘭らん芳よし公司こうし歷代れきだい年ねん冊さつ - 维基文ぶん库，自由じゆう的てき图书馆 (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.

[:0-2] "De Kongsi's van Montrado. Bijdrage tot de geschiedenis en de kennis van het wezen der Chineesche vereenigingen op de Westkust van Borneo. by SCHAANK, S. H. | Krul Antiquarian Books". www.abebooks.com. Retrieved 2021-05-26.

[3] YIH, T. D.; DE KREEK, J. (1993). "The Gongsi Cash Pieces of Western Borneo and Banka in the Ethnographical Museum at Rotterdam". The Numismatic Chronicle. 153: 171–195. ISSN 0078-2696. JSTOR 42667887.

[4] Bingling, Yuan. "CHINESE DEMOCRACIES: A study of the Kongsis in West Borneo". xiguan.org. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

[5] Enthoven, J. J. K (1903). "Bijdragen tot de Geographie van Borneo's Westerafdeeling". Retrieved 26 May 2021.

[6] Adriani, Pieter (1898). "Herinneringen uit en aan de Chineesche districten der Wester-Afdeeling van Borneo, 1879-1882: schetsen en indrukken".

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