Brunei has always been a mysterious country. Located in the northwest of borneo (also known as Kalimantan), the third largest island in the world, its territory is divided into two disconnected parts by the Malaysian state of Sabah. Brunei's land area is 5,765 square kilometers, which is slightly larger than Bali in Indonesia and about 8 Singapores. With the introduction of Islam in the mid-14th century, Brunei established the Sultanate, which became a British protectorate in 1888, occupied by Japan during World War II, and declared independence on January 1, 1984.
Brunei is one of the richest countries in the world, but I knew very little about it before I went. The quickest way to learn about a country is to visit a museum, and this time is no exception, temporarily supplementing the history of Brunei and getting a rough idea of what kind of country Brunei is. On the way to the museum, stop by to see the view of downtown Van Lay.
This is the residence of the locals, usually two-storey villas, most of which are relatively simple and simple in appearance, without the exaggerated display of wealth.
The tour guide said that in Brunei, a 750 square meter villa costs about 500,000 Brunei dollars. 1 Brunei dollar is about 5 yuan, so a villa is almost 2.5 million yuan.
The environment in Brunei is very good, blue sky and white clouds, and the air is clear.
Arrive at the Brunei Museum, which is the staircase of the museum, brunei is rich in wood and the handrails are carved from solid wood.
The exhibition hall is divided into five themes: Islamic art, the history of Brunei petroleum, traditional handicrafts of Malay customs, archaeological discoveries and the history of Brunei, and shipwreck treasures.
As early as 10,000 years ago, Brunei was already inhabited by humans.
This is the fence used by the Bruneians for fishing in ancient times
Around the fourth century AD, the kingdom of Morabama emerged, and in the middle of the ninth century it was conquered by the Sultanateric Empire of Srivijaya, and independence was restored at the end of the tenth century.
At the end of the 14th century, Brunei was occupied by the Majabhat Empire in Java and became a vassal state.
The Kingdom of Malacca arose in the early 15th century, and Brunei was attached to it, but soon regained its independence.
After the middle of the 16th century, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, British and other Western colonists invaded one after another, and became a British protectorate in 1888, declaring independence on January 1, 1984.
The Brunei Museum exhibits many scenes of the life of the ancient Brunei people, which is a one-wood staircase specially designed to prevent the invasion of wild beasts.
They make specialized weapons to hunt animals
They make simple tools to squeeze out starchy foods
On the way back from the museum, pass by Brunei's famous "Water Man's House".
It is a very large floating city made up of more than 3,000 houses, inhabited by 30,000 people. Brunei's total population is only 420,000, which means that 7% of the country's population lives here.
This huge floating city has houses, mosques, hospitals, sports fields, police stations, fire stations, shops, etc., as well as more than a dozen primary schools, which can be lived in for a long time without going ashore. The houses are connected by a trestle, which is said to have a total length of 36 km. The means of transportation of people on the water are such speedboats, and they drive very fast.
Usually many floating villages in many countries are inhabited by poorer people, but Brunei is different here, and many rich people like to live on the water. They were accustomed to living on the water and were reluctant to live ashore, because the ancestors of the Brunei people used mangroves to build houses on the water in order to avoid the beasts and insects and snakes of the primeval forest, and this habit has continued.
The opposite bank of the floating city is densely packed with cars of people on the water
Remake a postcard to get a clearer picture of the people on the water.
Brunei's affluence will never be lost to Dubai, but Dubai gives people the feeling of luxury, everywhere is innovative, everywhere to compete for the world's first, and Brunei is much more low-key, rich but not ostentatious.
The buildings in the city are not high, and the appearance is not conspicuous, but in fact, the money is definitely not less, just like the "Blue Mosque", I don't know how hard to imagine that it costs $3.5 billion to build that mosque. In a word, Brunei belongs to the kind of understated luxury, which does not look good on the outside, but it can never be ignored.
Buses are hardly visible on the streets of Brunei because everyone travels by car. On average, everyone in Brunei owns more than one car. The gasoline here is cheaper than mineral water, 1 bottle of mineral water is 1 yuan, which is equivalent to 5 yuan, while a liter of 97# gasoline is 0.53 yuan, which is about 2.5 yuan.
Gasoline is so cheap, of course, everyone is driving, which also leads to an extreme lack of public transportation in Brunei, which is currently very difficult to travel independently. Although they have money, Brunei people don't seem to care about driving a brand-name car, and the cars seen on the street are also very ordinary. Everyone is almost rich, and it is estimated that there is no incentive to show off their wealth. [Sneak laugh]
This is brunei's "YAYASAN" department store, which is the largest shopping mall in Southeast Asia, with four buildings, and we can only visit one of them when time is limited.
Prices in Brunei are very low. Bata the price of this shoe brand in the country everyone knows, shoes 50% off each pair of three or four hundred, I bought two pairs of leather sandals there, after the discount of a pair of 25 yuan, a pair of 31 yuan, the discount is also 125 yuan and 155 yuan, very cheap.
After asking the tour guide, I learned that the monthly income of ordinary people in Brunei is one or two thousand yuan, which looks very low, but the total monthly living expenses of a family are about 500 yuan. He gave an example, saying that his family's monthly water bill is 5 yuan, and the electricity bill is also 5 yuan. Such a low cost of living, an income of one or two thousand yuan is more than enough to spend.
Next to yayasan shopping mall is Brunei's famous "Omar Ali Saifuding Mosque", built in 1958.
This is a night view of the mosque reproduced on a postcard
The other side of Yayasan faces the floaters
Standing here, you can see the people on the water more clearly
These speedboats on the shore are all carrying people to people on the water, but unfortunately we don't have time to go up and see.
Brunei doesn't charge for all roads and highways, so it's no wonder everyone wants to buy a car.
I met a police car on the road, and the tour guide said that Brunei was too safe and the police had nothing to do.
Not only the police, but also the firefighters are also idle, because there is nothing to do, and every year the king will call to the palace to water the flowers and trees.
Passing by a traditional wet market, on the banks of the Brunei River, which sells a variety of vegetables, fruits, flowers and traditional handicrafts, is a favorite spot for locals.
The welfare of Brunei people is unbelievably good. Not only are the roads free, all taxes are exempt, and only a symbolic one dollar is paid for medical treatment, and all expenses are paid by the government. If the disease is not cured in Brunei, the patient will also be allowed to go to Singapore for treatment, all airfare, accommodation, medical expenses are borne by the state, the patient can also bring a family member to accompany, the full cost of the family is also paid by the state, and the daily subsidy is 50 yuan.
Such a good welfare, and such low consumption, the happiness index of Brunei people can be imagined, no wonder everyone loves the king.
Some people may think that Brunei is so good, then simply apply for immigration, but Brunei does not accept immigrants. If I remember correctly, the tour guide said that foreign girls who marry male citizens of Brunei can be naturalized, and if foreign men marry Brunei girls, they must be married for 10 years and have been living in Brunei to obtain permanent residency in Brunei, but they can never be naturalized.
Brunei is good, but I guess many Chinese people will not stay, especially men. In layman's terms, it's boring to be a place with good mountains and water. Brunei is a Muslim country, no drinking, no bars, no entertainment and pornography, no karaoke, no massage parlors, five prayers a day, looking at the blue sky during the day, taking an early break at night, and I don't think anyone will go crazy in a few days. [Laughs]
There are only a handful of dynasties in China's history that can exceed 300 years, but Brunei's current dynasty is 600 to 700 years old, and the current king is the 29th king. Historically, Brunei was also once a powerful country, covering the southern Philippines and the present-day island of Kalimantan. Brunei has always maintained very friendly relations with China, and during the Ming Dynasty, the king of Brunei also visited The Ming Dynasty ancestor Zhu Di, who later died of illness in Nanjing and was buried in Nanjing, where his next king also ascended the throne. Now Bruneians come to China visa-free, and from this point it can be seen that the relations between the two countries are not ordinary.
Brunei's prosperity is due to its abundant oil and gas reserves, which currently have proven crude oil reserves of 1.4 billion barrels and natural gas reserves of 390 billion cubic meters. We could see the raging fires rising from the sea on the sea in Brunei, which the tour guide said was an offshore oil field. In addition to oil and gas, Brunei is rich in resources, and its forests account for 39% of the country's land area, which is really enviable.
Brunei has a very small population, with only 420,000 people in the country, of which 70% are Malays and 15% are Chinese. The city of Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei, but this capital is so small that you accidentally cross it. In fact, for a monarchy, it does not matter where the capital is, what matters is where the royal palace is. The King of Brunei holds eight positions, from Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other eight most important positions of the country. Don't worry about the king being too busy, because Brunei has nothing to worry about. I think the king's biggest concern is how to spend his tens of billions of dollars! [Laughs]
Finally, I asked the tour guide if he had seen Wu Zun himself, and he said that he often met at the airport, and Wu Zun generally stayed in Brunei when he was not filming. Wu Zun can be regarded as a rare high-quality idol, who can sing and act, speaks gently and elegantly, looks handsome and sunny, has not yet scandalized, and his wife is the first love girlfriend of 18 years together, which can simply endorse Bruneian men. Although I am not a fan of him, because of Wu Zun, I have a little more affection for Brunei.