The outmoded layout of the shop, with classical glass displays on either side, coral colours contrasting the white walls, highlighting the shop’s vintage appearance. Apart from two coral red shutters, there were no conventional doors, exposing full view of the shop’s unsophiscated style. Freshly out of the oven, the kaya puffs emit wafts of aroma. For donkey’s years, relentlessly making fresh kaya puffs in-house from scratch on a daily basis, with no additional preservatives, this is what makes Teng Wun Bakery and Confectionery popular with locals and a must-try for tourists.
Forty years ago (in 1979), Hoo Jee Suan and his wife leased the shop lot and partitioned the shop front into two: on the right is a female salon managed by Mrs Hoo, whereas on the left Mr Hoo bakes pastries and cakes to sell. Husband and wife worked hard together to make a living, as life is not easy back then. In the early days of the startup, he only baked cakes and bread. The favourable kaya puffs was afterwards learned from his father-in-law who runs a Hainanese coffee shop, as a result of several improvisations, the current version of crispy and fragrant kaya puff was introduced.
In the small town of Kuala Kubu Bharu where Hakkanese made up the majority, Mr Hoo was a true-bred Hainanese who migrated southwards to Malaya when he was 12 years old, and adopted his foster family’s surname “Hoo” instead of his birth family name “Yun”. Mr Hoo was born in Kuala Selangor, but spent most of his childhood years in Hainan, China. When the liberation war broke out on Hainan Island, civilants fell into poverty, rice and cassava were their only food. As the health of Mr Hoo’s birth parents deteriorated, they entrusted his elder sister who got married in Malaysia to bring him out of Hainan Island. That was in the second year of Malaysia’s gaining independence.
Under his sister’s arrangements, Mr Hoo embarked on a vessel setting sail to Malaysia. It was perilous to travel by sea in those days, as it took about one week to disembark at Singapore, and continue the journey northwards to Kuala Kubu Bharu. Having endured hardships, he understood that survival is undoubtedly difficult, the only way to face the ups and downs of life is by being practical and self-sufficient.
The meaning behind the brand “the rising sun a scarlet spot among the clouds” not only illustrates the beauty of dawn, it also aptly describes Mr Hoo and his past 73 years.
Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen
有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Video Editor : Evon Pang
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Music : Tenderness from Bensound
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