text: However, on 10 February 1889, a devastating fire razed the town of Sibu, leading to a setback in its development. The first hospital in Sibu was established by the Brooke government in 1912, a wooden single-storey building featuring an outpatient department and male and female wards.
  On 8 March 1928, Sibu faced another significant fire; however, the Tua Pek Kong Temple miraculously survived, earning it local reverence.
  Fuzhounese settlement
  Wong Nai Siong, a Christian scholar originally from Minqing County, Fujian, China, became acquainted with Sarawak and the White Rajahs through his son-in-law, Dr. Lim Boon Keng. Disillusioned by the Qing dynasty's heavy-handed response during the Boxer Rebellion, which specifically targeted Chinese Christians for violence, Wong embarked on a quest to find a new settlement overseas, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Prior to arriving in Sarawak, Wong explored other regions in Malaya and Indonesia for potential settlement, albeit without success.
  Wong obtained approval from Charles Brooke to search for a new settlement in the Rajang basin. In April 1900, after a 13-day journey up the Rajang River, he decided to establish Sibu as the new settlement for his Fuzhounese clansmen, as the area near the Rajang delta was well-suited for agriculture. An agreement was formalized on 9 July 1900 between Wong Nai Siong and the Brooke government in Kuching, allowing Chinese settlers to inhabit the area.