other · Maritime Southeast Asia
Heshun Confederation
Origins
From the mid 18th century Malay rulers such as the Sambas Sultanate invited Chinese miners to work the gold fields of western Borneo. The miners organised themselves into kongsis, partnerships that held land and shares, and in 1776 fourteen kongsis around Monterado formed the Heshun federation, dominated by the Dagang kongsi.
Rule and society
The kongsis governed themselves through elected leaders and assemblies of shareholders, collected taxes, ran courts and schools, and kept armed forces. Their towns had temples, farms and markets, and they paid little more than nominal tribute to the Malay sultans. Rivalry with the Lanfang Republic and among member kongsis was frequent.
Decline and legacy
Expanding Dutch rule in the 19th century clashed with the kongsis over taxes and trade. In the Kongsi Wars of 1850 to 1854 Dutch forces defeated Heshun and dissolved the federation. Many Hakka communities in West Kalimantan descend from its miners.
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- Heshun Confederation was conquered by Dutch East Indies1854 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Heshun Confederation. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/heshun-confederation
- MLA
- “Heshun Confederation.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/heshun-confederation. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Heshun Confederation.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/heshun-confederation.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Heshun Confederation’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/heshun-confederation (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻