Justice of the Peace (J.P.) Henry Bong Lian Hin, CEO, Founder & Curator, Pucuk Rebung Royal Gallery-Museum
Step inside the Pucuk Rebung Royal Gallery-Museum and you are immediately immersed in a world of textures, scents, and stories that celebrate Malaysia’s living heritage and the past history of the Malay World that intertwined to form this modern Nation. Warmly lit and packed to the rafters with heritage pieces, fine antiques, and contemporary art, the space hums with ancient and recent history. The scent of hand-dyed fabrics fills the air with a warm, earthy richness. The carved wood whispers of generations past, and polished brass catches the light like quiet applause. Each corner invites you to pause, to notice, and to connect with traditions that live on through skilled hands and patient craft. At the centre of it all stands J.P. Henry Bong Lian Hin, the founder and curator of Pucuk Rebung Royal Gallery-Museum, a man who has spent decades of a lifelong endeavor turning Malaysia’s heritage into a living, breathing, and meaningful culture of Unity in Diversity. It was also in recognition of this lifelong endeavour to create greater awareness as to who we are as Malaysians that Henry was appointed as Justice of Peace by Royal Decree of the late Sultan Ismail Petra of Kelantan under the sub Magistrates Act of Malaysia in 2009, an honour he highly cherishes.
The Rich Cultural Roots That Sparked a Passion
Born a British subject in Kuching in 1953, in the Crown Colony of Sarawak, Henry grew up surrounded by stories and artifacts of Malaysia’s layered history. The youngest of six siblings, he was raised in a true-blue Peranakan household, where tradition and family legacy ran deep. His father, Henry Bong Jepoon, served as the last regional postmaster under Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, the final White Rajah of Sarawak. His mother, Nellie Lim, was the matriarch — replete with her sarong kebaya and Chanel No. 5, meticulous in her household management and skilled in the cross-stitching and crocheting traditions that Nyonya women were known for. Her landowner ancestors had fled Shanghai during the Boxer Uprising, being converted Catholicscourt scribes, bringing with them a legacy of resilience and craft. The Bong family home on Rubber Road in Kuching was a world of its own — a sturdy Sarawak-Malay house made entirely, right up to the roof shingles, of belian wood, a material known for its strength and endurance. The house itself held meaning: Henry’s paternal grandfather had once been a belian wood merchant and pawnshop owner, making the home a nod to family trade and legacy. But it was his paternal grandmother, whom he believes instilled in him the entrepreneurial spark. He still recalls how ‘the thin granny,’ as he fondly calls her, sat in her man-pulled rickshaw through Kuching’s narrow lanes, selling Nyonya jewellery set with rose-cut diamonds and Indonesian batik to Peranakan and Malay women. Only recently did Henry realise how long his paternal grandmother had been on the Island of Borneo between Sambas, Lundu and Kuching… 14 generations, making him the 16th generation Peranakan there, since 450 years ago. The Malaysian Government’s recent recognition of the Peranakans as a subset also reminds Henry of the recognition of Malaysia of his regional ancestry’s contribution to the cosmopolitan mix we have today.
Even Henry’s first collectible came from his maternal grandmother’s best friend, a Eurasian lady Mrs Janet Cox with Brooke links — an Italian majolica ink pot on an ornate brass base(entrusted to him at the age of nine), which was identified by William Willets, the then curator of the Asian Arts Museum, University of Malaya, where the young Henry was an undergraduate. But it was his mother’s tepak sireh that truly ignited his love for antiques. “My first encounter with antiques was my mum’s tepaksireh, a fine brass receptacle with BrookeDynasty coins as wheels,” he says, amused that his mother had her prime heritage piece sitting on the coins of the Brooke Kingdom for whom her husband worked for. “It’s still at the gallery, filled with betel leaves and lime paste — just as she kept it.” Not long after, he inherited another tepak sireh from his father — this one once belonging to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei. “When the Rumah Brunei in Kuching was closed, the senior civil service had a field day at an auction of some of the Royal contents. My dad bought the tepak sireh. Can you imagine?” he says with quiet relish. These heirlooms, layered with stories of trade, royalty, and craftsmanship became the foundation of a collection that would one day shape Pucuk Rebung. The young Henry, would never have imagined that one day in 1999, he would curate and walk his Royal Patron Her Royal Highness the Raja Perempuan of Kelantan and her Royal guest His Royal Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei for 3 hoursat the “A Glimpse of the Glory of the Brunei and Kelantan Sultanates” exhibition at the Kelantan Palace Museums, which featured, among other artifacts, that very same Royal Brunei Tepak Sireh of the Sultan of Brunei’s late father.
The Journey from Finance to Living Heritage
Though raised amidst these tangible histories, Henry’s career began far from heritage. After completing his early education in Kuching, Sarawak, he pursued further studies in Agriculture, majoring in Agri-economics at the University of Malaya. Over two decades, Henry built a successful senior career in banking across Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with Agro Bank, Hong Leong Finance, Citibank, and Citicorp in Malaysia, and Maybank and Bank of America in Singapore, and back to Pacific Bank in Malaysia. The corporate world provided structure, strategy, and operational discipline, but Henry always felt the pull of his cultural roots. By the early 1980s, he decided to leave banking to pursue what he calls his “true calling”: preserving Malaysian and Nusantara heritage, going in the opposite direction to his 2 elder brothers, who had much earlier migrated to Canada, in search of greener pastures.
Bringing Pucuk Rebung to life required immense courage, considerable financial muscle, and blind willpower. Coming from a long line of civil servants—his father, grandfather, and others in the maternal side of his family—with the exception of his convent-educated mother, the pressure to conform and remain in stable, conventional roles was immense. Even just being in banking felt like a quiet rebellion. To leave it entirely for his own venture after a solid career might have seemed reckless to anyone else. But having lost both of his parents in the final year of his banking career—his father passing on his final day of service—he was left with nothing but cherished memories, Pucuk Rebung, and a collection of art and heritage that had been generations and decades in the making. He devoted all his energy, resources, and knowledge to realizing this offshoot of a lifelong passion for all things Malaysiana and Malay Archipelago. His ambition was to create a private museum that could stand among the best in the world, a testament to the spirit of Malaysia Boleh—that anyone from Malaysia, with determination and vision, could succeed. Beyond personal ambition, Henry hoped Pucuk Rebung’s collection of Malay-world civilisation art would spark dialogue about shared histories, build bridges between peoples, and reconnect a society increasingly absorbed in industrial growth with the artistic, cultural, and heritage treasures that form its soul. Today, Pucuk Rebung hosts exhibitions for Kings, Royal families, helps curate and/or talk on the subject of Arts of Malaysia, crafts corporate gifts for heads of state, and serves as a touchstone for Malay-world civilisation art, all while remaining firmly rooted in its founder’s belief in Malaysia’s potential.
Pucuk Rebung: A Lifestyle Brand Celebrating Malaysian Craft
Pucuk Rebung (Malay for “bamboo shoot”)was never meant to be just another gallery. It was conceived as a unique Malaysian and Malay world lifestyle institution to celebrate the rich cultural diversity and aesthetic richness of all Malaysians past and present. A space where old world charm and sensibilities find companionship with modern artistic aesthetics, bound together by culture and history, with contemporary art, antiques and artefacts.
But launching and sustaining Pucuk Rebung was never an easy endeavour. Establishing a presence in one of Malaysia’s most expensive retail spaces, Suria KLCC, was widely considered impossible, yet Henry embraced it with determination. The business demanded more than knowledge or skill; it required unwavering belief—in the products and in their cultural significance. This conviction, coupled with a strong sense of trust among his team, became the foundation that held the business together. “We had to redefine art,” Henry reflects. “Here in Kuala Lumpur, art has long been synonymous with contemporary paintings and sculptures, while traditional art forms are relegated to crafts, almost unworthy of serious attention.”
Every day brought a dual task: running a company with precision and educating a public unfamiliar with the richness of Malay-world civilisation art. To Henry, an 18th-century brass tepak sireh (sireh quid set) or a handwoven textile carried as much artistic weight as any modern sculpture—but convincing others of this required patience, persistence, and passion. Over the years, awareness has grown. Today, more than half of Pucuk Rebung’s clientele are locals, balancing repeat collectors with new enthusiasts. The influx of tourists has shifted—Western visitors replaced by Arab, Chinese, and Indian travelers—but the mission remains unchanged: to place Malaysian heritage at the forefront, proving that art and culture are not relics to be shelved, but living legacies to be cherished.
Henry often reminds his team, “We are not selling souvenirs. We are curating heritage.” Even the more commercial items— cards, books, and small trinkets — are handpicked, one-of-a-kind pieces. Nothing is machine-pressed, nothing is impersonal. The gallery’s Fair Price Award from the Ministry of Domestic Trade stands as a quiet validation of its philosophy: fair craftsmanship, fair trade, and respect for tradition.
The Guggenheim Vision for Malaysia
Henry’s vision goes beyond a single gallery. He envisions a “Guggenheim effect” in Malaysia—a network of private museums that complement the public sector, elevate the country’s cultural landscape, and become sustainable institutions of knowledge and tourism. For him, museums are not static repositories but living institutions of knowledge, where education, culture, and commerce coexist in harmony. He recalls attending the First ASEAN Museum Directors’ Symposium in Singapore in 2007, where Dato’ Dr. Adi Taha, then Director-General of the Department of Museums, spoke passionately about government support for museum development. That moment crystallized Henry’s belief: Malaysia could have world-class private museums, but only if there was collaboration, dialogue, and regulatory foresight. With the Museum and Private Museums Act being drafted, Henry sees an opportunity for the private sector to co-create frameworks, ensuring compliance while fostering creativity. Yet he is mindful of pitfalls. “We cannot import a concept wholesale,” he cautions. Any global model must be adapted to local culture, values, and expectations, ensuring that Malaysia’s heritage is celebrated authentically rather than commodified.
Guiding Malaysia’s Cultural Legacy Forward
Henry’s influence stretches far beyond Pucuk Rebung. As a curator, designer, and advisor, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Malaysia’s national narratives in art and architecture. His own creations are held in permanent collections, including Maybank Berhad and the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, which commissioned his celebrated Lifestyles of the Peranakans series. From royal palaces in Kelantan and Kuala Lumpur to the Malaysian Embassy in Washington, D.C., the current gift to the United Nations from Malaysia, which he designed and fabricated, working with selected Malaysian artisans, Henry has been entrusted with shaping visual narratives that weave identity, history, and design into living spaces.
Now in his seventies, Henry’s work remains both deeply personal and profoundly communal. He continues to shape exhibitions, mentor younger curators, and build bridges between public and private initiatives. His insistence on authenticity, coupled with a pragmatic business acumen, ensures that his projects endure well beyond individual involvement. Perhaps the most enduring lesson of Henry Bong’s journey is philosophical: heritage, he reminds us, is not simply to be preserved—it is to be lived. Every artifact, textile, and piece of metalwork carries within it a story, a skill, a memory. Pucuk Rebung does more than display these objects; it nurtures their meaning, offering Malaysians—and visitors alike—a space to connect, reflect, and engage. In a country still navigating its identity amid rapid globalization, Henry’s vision provides a clear template: honor the past, engage with the present, and build bridges to the future. “We are fully dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the best traditional and artistic endeavours across the cultural landscape of Malaysia, reflecting the dynamic unity in diversity of our peoples through art and cultural heritage that transcends all communal, religious and social lines, expressed as the universal language of timeless ART and BEAUTY, in this harmonious multicultural land of ours,” he adds.
Having visited most major museums all over the world, Henry has selected his collection to be displayed as a truly differentiated product bundling that gives culture lovers, art historians, collectors, and corporations a niche and curated assembly of treasures to enrich their own knowledge, I.D., and corporate acquisitions.
Now, relocated to swanky Bangsar, an upscale and upmarket suburb of Kuala Lumpur, PucukRebung Royal Gallery-Museum has been blessed to be currently appointed as the Main Project Leader for a truly Malaysian centre to be built for the dissemination of knowledge, eradication of poverty, and promoting local vernacular tourism. Please wish PuculRebung luck in this dream benchmark project!