There are several places in Southeast Asia that had its roots in the Kangchu system, an organised system of administration which was introduced in the 19th century to oversee the social affairs and economy of Chinese coolies who were working in gambier and pepper plantations. Even as the gambier and pepper trade declined in the early 20th century, many of these place names were retained as some of these settlers remained behind. Place names that are associated with the Kangchu system are named after former place features such as settlements, (or Chu Kang, Chinese: 厝港),[fn 1] river bases (or Kangkar, Chinese: 港脚) and port (or Kang, Chinese: 港). These terminologies are of Chinese origins, and draws its phonology from the Teochew dialect.[2]
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