The Santiaogou Republic (, Hakka/Dutch: Sam-Thiao-Keoe; "Three gullies"), sometimes spelled as Santiago Republic in some sources, later renamed as the Sanda futing (Chinese: 三達副廳; "Deputy Hall of Three Reaches"), and lastly as the Hexian zhengting (Chinese: 和現正廳; "Legitimate Parliament of the Harmonies Present"), was a powerful Chinese kongsi federation formerly associated with Monterado (Chinese: 打勞鹿, Hakka: Montradok) district before moving to Sepang (Chinese: 昔邦, Hakka: Sapawang) in West Kalimantan, Borneo. It joined the Heshun Confederation in 1776, but left due to disputes and allied with the sultan of Sambas (and later the Dutch), succeeding in destroying its former ally Heshun and the Dagang kongsi. It was one of several miners' confederations in Borneo that later came into conflict with the Dutch to maintain their form of government, described as democratic.
Despite its alliance with the Dutch, Santiaogou's kongsi was also dissolved and its lands officially handed over to the Dutch in 1854. The remaining Santiaogou miners moved northward into Sarawak, where they continued their mining operations until 1857.
Demographics
Before the establishment of the Heshun Confederation, the Santiaogou Confederation had in its command approximately 800 members, all of whom coming from the modern-day Huilai and Lufeng counties in Guangdong. Its members bore the surnames Wen 温 and Zhu 朱, though their membership diversified throughout the years. Like the other thirteen founders of the Heshun Confederation, Santiaogou was a kaixiang kongsi 开香公司 (lit. "open incense kongsi"), or a kongsi who can trace its roots back to a temple cult organization in mainland China.
Its mining territory comprised originally in the settlements of Banyaoya (Chinese: 半要鴉, Hakka: Pandjawa), Baimangtou (Chinese: 白芒頭, Hakka: Phak-miong-theoe), Sibale (Chinese: 西哇黎, Hakka: Sibaler), and Serukan (Chinese: 凹下港, Hakka: Seroekam), all of which located east of the main town of Montrado. After its disassociation with the Heshun Confederation in the 1830s, Santiaogou's members fled to the more northern towns of Sepang, Seminis (Chinese: 西宜宜), and the port of Pamangkat (Chinese: 邦戛). At its height following the disassociation, the Santiaogou controlled twelve major kongsi-mines with up to forty smaller cooperative mines.
History
Early history
Little is known about Santiaogou's history prior to the formation of the Heshun Confederation in 1776. Its power, compared to the other kongsis, led to Santiaogou becoming an influential member of the Confederation. Santiaogou built an elaborate kongsi house in Montrado, the epicenter of Heshun activities, before 1820. East of Montrado, bordering the Lara region, the Santiaogou built a long stockade along the mountains, so large that it "resembled the Great Wall".
In 1807, the growing Dagang kongsi and Jielian kongsi squabbled over mining rights near the territories of the Shangwu in Montrado (a large fortified building in the south, used often as kongsi houses of the Dagang), the Santiaogou sided with the Dagang, and assisted Dagang in kicking out the Jielian and forcing its members to Pahang (Chinese: 巴亨). In 1808, another quarrel surfaced with Dagang and Xin Bafen, to which the Santiaogou again helped aid the former; Zhu Fenghua, an able commander from Santiaogou, was put in charge of the Dagang and Santiaogou troops. After the conflict, writers at the time recorded that Santiaogou was not given any spoils from Xin Bafen's destruction. Contemporary Sinologists speculate this was probably done to reduce Santiaogou's greatness, as later he would become a bitter enemy of the Dagang. At the end of the conflict, only seven kongsis of Heshun remained, while Dagang and Santiaogou possessed the real power.
Rising Tensions with Dagang
Santiaogou's power steadily increased in the decade that followed, and finally peaked in winning the presidency after the 4th Heshun headman, Dagang-affiliated Liu Zhengbao, abdicated to visit his family in 1818. The Santiaogou affiliated headman, Hu Yalu, has his presidency end in disaster after he attempted to unite the Dagang and Santiaogou, two kongsis wildly differing in their occupations (Dagang was mainly artisan based in the rich bazaars of Montrado, while Santiaogou was rather agricultural), leading him to resign only after three months.