Pastries are not just a type of food; they are also an essential part of life rituals. Whether for celebrations or important festivals, pastries are often given as gifts. In Chinese culinary culture, pastries are said to have originated during the Han Dynasty and was a general term for wheat-based products. Depending on the region and heritage, the methods of making pastries, their flavors, and shapes vary. After early generations of Chinese migrants settled in Malaysia, the tradition of Chinese pastries, or “Han bing”, became diluted through time and cultural integration. However, Seong Ying Chai, a longstanding establishment at Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur, continues to keep the legacy of Chinese pastries alive.
The exact founding year of Seong Ying Chai is not clearly documented, but it can be traced back to a business license issued in 1935. In its early years, it was a Shunde cuisine restaurant, famous as one of the “Four Greatest Restaurants of Petaling Street alongside Bunn Choon, Seng Kee, and Yook Woo Hin. All members of the staff underwent rigorous training to master various skills, from cooking and pastry-making to performing arts, ensuring that everyone is a capable all-rounder. After the restaurant closed down a few years ago, the third-generation heir, Lee Kim Fook (Leonard), decided to shift the focus to the production and cultural preservation of Chinese pastries. The three most popular categories being bridal pastries, mooncakes, and new year cookies.
Seong Ying Chai keenly promote bridal pastries due to their profound significance. In the traditional betrothal ceremony, the groom prepares six or twelve gifts to the bride’s family, bridal pastries occupy two of them. This serves two purposes: first, to express the groom’s gratitude to the bride’s parents for raising her; in the past they were transported by carrying poles or bullock carts, the larger the amount of pastries, the greater the sincerity. Second, the bride’s family distributes them to relatives and friends to announce the joyous occasion of the marriage. The bride’s family also prepares return gifts for the groom’s family: for the pair of large pastries featuring dragon and phoenix designs, one is kept by the bride’s family and one is gifted back to the groom’s family; half of the small boxed cookies for distributing among family and friends also given in return to the groom’s family.
Mooncakes are the signature product of Seong Ying Chai, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the Cantonese have the custom of moon worship. Mooncakes were originally offerings to the moon, later evolved into premium festive gifts. In addition to traditional Cantonese mooncakes, Seong Ying Chai was the first shop in Kuala Lumpur to introduce Hong Kong-style snow skin mooncakes. In the 1950s, the second generation (Leonard’s aunt) learned from a master in Hong Kong and then developed their own unique flavors that are still cherished today. Many longtime customers, even after moving away from Petaling Street, still make a special trip to buy them before the festival.
In addition to mooncakes, “Gong Zai Bing” (mooncake biscuits) are also popular during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Made from leftover mooncake dough and fillings, mooncake biscuits come in various shapes, from deities to animals, which are attractive to children. In the era when Kuala Lumpur’s economy had not yet flourished, the average family could not afford expensive mooncakes, while mooncake biscuits were relatively affordable. The handmade piglet pastries are put into bamboo cages and hung high from the shop’s beams, and customers must tiptoe to cut them down.
With modern development, the significance of Chinese pastries and associated customs has waned, and the values and functions of traditional festivals have gradually changed. Having rooted itself in Kuala Lumpur for nearly a century, Seong Ying Chai carries the taste memories of generations, conveying emotions and blessings through Chinese pastries while continuing a rich cultural legacy.
[Set of Six Gifts] Traditional betrothal ceremony
- Dragon and Phoenix pastries
- Small cookies in boxes
- Rice crackers
- Ingredients for making tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls)
- Gold jewellry
- Dragon and Phoenix candles
[Bridal pastries fun facts]
- The bride cannot eat her own bridal pastries, as this symbolizes consuming her own good fortune.
- The filling of bridal pastries is significant: red date paste mixed with pine nuts symbolizes sweetness and convey a wish for fertility; salted egg yolks should not be included as they imply marrying due to pregnancy.
[Gong Zai Bing fun facts]
- The piglet pastries in bamboo cages symbolizes prosperity, and are hung high in the shop, customers must tiptoe to cut them down, a gesture that carries a wish for continuous success.
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