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Bahau has an intriguing name in Chinese. Literally translated, it means the 'horse’s mouth'. Interestingly, Mahsan, which is about 4km away, simply means the 'horse's body' in the Cantonese dialect. It is a constant source of merriment to the locals when an outsider, could not help but pose the question "Is there a place call the 'horse's tail ?" It would be puzzling that there are locales named after a horse's head and body but not the tail. Logic warrants that this equine trinity should be completed. As a matter of fact the 'horse's tail' does exist. Situated about 25kms to the north is a place named after a river, ‘Air Hitam’. Many believed that this is the ‘horse’s tail'. In the late 19th century, there was a massive exodus of Chinese into South East Asia with hopes of a better future. When they reached Malaya, they found themselves stranded,  having traveled hundreds of miles through the streams and rivers looking for a suitable place to settle down. Passing through what is now Bahau and Mahsan, they finally reached a place called Air Hitam. Based on the route that they have navigated they discovered that it was shaped like a horse, and thus they named Air Hitam, 'Mawei' or ‘horse’s tail'. However, as the inhabitants comprised largely of Malays who usually called the place ‘Air Hitam’, the name Mawei was eventually supplanted. Besides this strong association of the horse with town's name, there is another version given by some elderly folks in town. It is generally believed that, during the exploration of the town in the early 1900s, the primeval forest and its  swamps was a fertile breeding ground of many diseases and epidemics. Most of the pioneers are from Hakka and when asked about one’s health would reply with “Mang Hau” which simply means 'unhealed'. Interestingly, the word "Bo Ho" in Hokkien also carries the meaning "not good". Over the years the name has evolved into 'Bahau'.    [back to top]

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