Author: ycgallery

Yong Kong Haberdashery in Jinjang

In daily life, it is common to find clothes with threads coming loose, holes, missing buttons, or broken zippers. It would be a shame to discard them when minor repairs could extend their lifespan. The materials required, such as needles, threads, buttons, and zippers, may be purchased from a haberdashery. Yong Kong Haberdashery, established in Jinjang Utara for 50 years, is the only remaining store of its kind in the neighbourhood. Apart from selling tailoring supplies, they also offer services such as hemming, sewing buttonholes, and wrapping buttons in fabric. 

76-year-old Aunty Low Chon Fua always has a smile on her face, yet she is serious when working at the sewing machine, handling jobs with meticulous care. Even though customers would urge her, she shows no sign of impatience, gently comforting them that handiwork takes time. If the workload cannot be completed within a day, Aunty Low would ask the customer to leave a number, and to collect in a few days. When the customer comes back and give their number, she then magically pull out the corresponding bag from the humongous pile in the store, and hand it to the customer.

Aunty Low has been farming and taming pigs since she was a teenager. At her maternal grandfather’s suggestion, she worked at Yong Wah haberdashery in Petaling Jaya for a couple of years, until she got married and became a full-time housewife. Coincidentally, a friend of her husband wished to transfer ownership of a shop nearby Pasar Jinjang Utara, so she started a business together with her two younger sisters. When trying to come up with a shop name, she selected “Yong” from her former employment, and “Kong” from the Chinese transliteration of Jinjang back then. Her father heartily approved of the name, thus Yong Kong was established.

In the early days, Yong Kong Haberdashery merely occupied half a shoplot. Having relocated twice within the same street, Yong Kong finally secured a permanent spot at its current premises on 1st January 1980. The location is on the main road leading in and out of the wet market, next to Chen Kong Cinema, bustling with people from dawn till late night. Back then, the tailoring industry was flourishing, there were several tailoring academies in the area teaching the craft, as well as six tailor shops, constituting a steady customer base purchasing tailoring supplies. Three sisters, two glass cabinets, one hemming machine, and one sewing machine, worked from 7AM to 9PM every day.

Aunty Low’s husband, Uncle Chong Ah Yit, used to be a pesticide salesman, but had to resign due to health complications. Then, he started to help his wife in her budding enterprise. In order to increase sales, Aunty Low entrusted the shop to her sisters, and went to set up stall at various morning markets and night markets with her husband, selling sewing supplies and candied fruits. They went around Kepong, Serdang, Kuala Kubu Bharu, Kampung Baru Rasa, and even Cheras. After five years of hustling, they handed over the hawker business to her brother-in-law, and focused on running the shop.

Rapid development around Jinjang, the reconstruction of commercial areas, traffic flow diversions, plus the exodus of young people, led to a significant decrease of the local population. As times change, ready-to-wear clothing dominated the consumer market, the tailoring industry declined, tailoring academies closed for good, the demand for tailoring supplies gradually diminished. Now that Aunty Low no longer needs to support her family, the shop’s opening hours are reduced to 7.30AM till 1PM, just to pass time.

Yet another morning passed in the blink of an eye, with market vendors chatting animatedly outside the shop, while customers enter and leave the shop. Aunty Low hem and sew mundane days, moving through slowly in changing times.

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【Locality Info】

Jinjang is situated in northern Kuala Lumpur, less than 10km from the city centre. In the 20th century, it was established as a massive rubber plantation named Estate Jinjang. During the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s, the British colonial government forcibly relocated Chinese settlers from the surrounding areas into a concentrated new village, thus shaping the largest and most densely populated Chinese New Village in the country. Jinjang is divided into north and south sections, separated by a main road. In the early days, there were about 1000 Chinese households in South Jinjang, and over 3000 Chinese households in North Jinjang.

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Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
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COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Handmade Joss Sticks in Kampung Baru Rasah

Grasp hundreds of fine bamboo sticks, align them, dip in water, coat with finely ground sandalwood powder. Swirl the wrists in a “blooming” motion, the powder that float up in the air will attach to the bamboo. Repeat the above steps thrice, produce batch by batch, spread out on racks and dry under the sun. Once dried, dye the base and pack. 67-year-old Foo Kok Keong inherited the skill of handmaking joss sticks, passed down over three generations in his family, and runs his own manufacturing site – Tanyi Enterprise at Kampung Baru Rasah, Seremban.

Mr Foo’s grandfather hailed from Anxi County in China, and settled in Kampung Baru Rasah. Utilizing his skill in handmaking joss sticks, he founded a family-run workshop named Hiong Yee Teng. Blessed with a shrewd mind, apart from handmaking joss sticks, he also purchased some joss paper and praying materials, filled a large basket and went around for miles selling them on a bicycle. After getting the business on track, he started production on a larger scale in 1963, hiring numerous helpers, doing wholesale and exports. The second-generation owner of Hiong Yee Teng is Mr Foo’s uncle. Not only did he inherited his father’s business, but also his shrewd mind, expanding to import sandalwood as well. 

Mr Foo Kok Keong is interested in handmaking joss sticks since a young age. He begun shadowing his uncle when he was 10 years old, learning the craft. After a few months of hands-on, he gained approval from his grandfather, and started to get paid according to the amount of joss sticks he made. While he was still a student, Mr Foo worked hard to earn his own pocket money, and saved up to buy little luxuries at the time, such as a radio, a bicycle. After graduating from high school, he went outstation and overseas to work, nevertheless he finally chose to return to help his uncle manage the family business, and later branched out on his own.

Back when entertainment was scarce, relatives and young people from the neighbourhood would come over for fun, and gradually learnt how to make joss sticks. In the 70s to 80s, there were lots of swine farms in Kampung Baru Rasah, after facing closure due to swine fever, a dozen or so were converted into joss stick manufacturing sites. Since the 90s, machine-made joss sticks became commonly available, moreover joss sticks imported from China are way cheaper, hitting the joss stick manufacturing industry hard, only the Foo family’s businesses managed to stay afloat. Hiong Yee Teng embraced machinery, whereas Tanyi Enterprise became the sole remaining handmade joss stick manufacturer. Foo Kok Keong and his nephew are in charge of production, while his sister takes care of packaging. 

Handmaking joss sticks puts physical abilities to the test. A handful of bamboo sticks already weigh over two kilograms, becoming even heavier after dipping in water and coating in sandalwood powder, yet still need to swirl the wrists in order to “bloom”. During the process, one must pay close attention, joss sticks that are stuck together, broken, or flawed, must be immediately discarded. The procedure may seem easy, but repetitive and dull, trying one’s patience. Mastery is achieved after having endured all the above and countless hands-on practice. 

Praying with joss sticks is an important element in Chinese traditional culture and folk beliefs. Joss sticks are used to pay respects to deities and ancestors, as well as purifying the space and the mind. Joss sticks made using natural ingredients exude a mellow aroma, fresh and pure, and would not cause discomfort even when smelling up close. Besides handmaking the signature sandalwood joss sticks, Mr Foo also blends incense powders according to customers’ preference and demand, such as agarwood, kayu raja, lakawood, or even sulfur. His biggest satisfaction arises from customers making repeat purchases because they like the aroma he blended.

Nowadays craftspeople handmaking joss sticks are increasingly rare, skill inheritance is endangered. Mr Foo Kok Keong spent the better part of his life making joss sticks, and is still passionate about it, never getting tired of carrying out the tedious work in a hot and stuffy environment on a daily basis.

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【Locality Info】

Kampung Baru Rasah is the first Chinese New Village established nationwide, as well as the largest in Negeri Sembilan, spanning about 200 acres, located about 3km away from Seremban town centre.

According to folk studies research conducted by scholars, the name “Rasah” originated from:

  1. Rassak（a tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae）, a type of wood suitable for boat-building.
  2. Asah（meaning “to sharpen” in Malay）, in the early days, pioneers came upriver to this area covered in dense forest, so they sharpened their knives and sickles on the rocks by the river to clear the natural terrain. They named the river “Asah”, which gradually became “Rasah”.

In the early days, Rasah had tin mines and rubber plantations, where large numbers of Chinese labourers sought employment. The Malayan Emergency was declared by the British in Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) on 18th June 1948, they viewed the Chinese as a threat to public security, and intended to carry out forced deportation. Chinese settlers in rural Seremban, namely Ulu Temiang and Sikamat, bore the brunt. Fortunately prominent Chinese community leaders carried out negotiations with the British, and agreed on establishing a re-settlement area in Seremban for the Chinese to rebuild their homes.

In 1951, the re-settlement area was affected by floods, and had to move to higher grounds nearby, where Kampung Baru Rasah currently stands. The layout of the new village was meticulously planned by the British, comprising residences, police station, schools etc. Residential plots sized 40ft x 100ft were marked by four cement poles, labelled with numbers, and allocated through a draw. Then, residents may construct their own houses.

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Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
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COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Teochew Mooncakes in Setapak

Traditional Teochew mooncakes incorporate lard into both the skin and the fillings, the pronunciation of lard in Teochew language is “la”, hence the name “La Piah”. Its crust is thin and flaky, its fillings thick and soft; it is round and shaped like a drum, and baked to a golden hue. Another Mid-Autumn Festival delicacy is “La Ko”, a steamed glutinous rice pudding with lard, sugar, and the addition of black sesame. There is also deep-fried yam paste mooncake, consisting of crispy layered crust, filled with soft and smooth yam paste encasing a salted egg yolk.

In Kuala Lumpur, Cantonese style mooncakes are trending, Teochew mooncakes are hardly seen, except in Setapak. Established over 113 years, Setapak Teochew Restaurant not only sells hot food, but also make traditional pastries. Till this day, they do their best to maintain the authentic taste their ancestors brought over from Shantou, China. Lard is still being used in the making of La Piah, La Ko, and yam paste mooncakes. La Piah fillings include red bean paste, mung bean paste, preserved vegetable paste, mixed fruit paste, mixed preserved vegetable with mung bean paste, and mixed fruit with mung bean paste; La Ko fillings include mung bean paste and yam paste.

85-year-old Ng Soo Teng is the third generation owner of Setapak Teochew Restaurant, now that he handed over the reins to the fourth generation, namely his 51-year-old son Ng Kheng Siang, but he still helps out every day regardless of the weather. The father and son share a similar career path, started working in the restaurant after graduating from high school, and underwent rigorous training by the previous generation to learn noodles-making, pastry-making, as well as culinary skills. Their business philosophy focuses on quality over quantity, insisting on using premium quality ingredients, enforcing strict food preparation process, maintaining the high quality of foods, actively listening to customer feedback, so that customers keep returning.

Every year, from the end of the sixth month of the lunar calendar till Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes are in great demand, therefore it is the busiest period in the shop. Manpower mainly consists of family members, even though there are a few employees, the key processes are still being handled by Ng Kheng Siang personally. La Piah, La Ko, and yam paste mooncake production starts in the wee hours, happening in the kitchens on both the ground floor and the first floor. After working through the night, they move on to prepare ingredients for the restaurant, then opening and start hot cooking. Signature dishes include homemade Hokkien noodles, stir-fried white rice cakes, spicy white vermicelli, traditional Teochew fare such as steamed pomfret fish and pomfret fish porridge, as well as snacks including homemade fish ball, fish cake, and meat roll.

Over the past century, changes occur along with the times. The types of fuels used in cooking gradually changed from charcoal stove, wood-fired stove, to modern gas stove and electric oven. Each change presented a challenge to maintain the authentic taste. Uncle Ng is optimistic about the changes, as it reduces manual labor and food safety issues.  Even though some procedures are being handled by machinery, human supervision is still required in heat control, as well as adjusting the ratio of water according to the water absorption capacity of different batches of ingredients.

Setapak Teochew Restaurant has taken root in Kuala Lumpur for over a century, running both a restaurant and a pastry bakery within the same premises, continuing to serve authentic flavors over several generations, as well as maintaining a cultural legacy.

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【Establishment History】

The founder of Setapak hailed from Shantou, China. In the early 20th century, he came to Ampang and worked as both a tin miner and a pig farmer. In 1912, he took over an eatery in Setapak, and opened Song Kee Eatery in partnership with his brother-in-law, selling Teochew porridge, stir-fried noodles, and pastries. They hired fellow Teochew people as helpers, and provided them with food and shelter, helping each other out while making a living in Malaya. 

As times change, the families flourished and branched out, the brother-in-law withdrew his share. After the third generation, Ng Soo Teng, took over, the eatery shifted to the current premises in 1993, and rebranded as Setapak Teochew Restaurant. Till this day, the founder’s portrait and the original Song Kee signage are hung in the shop, carrying the family’s collective memories and core belief. 

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【Locality Info】

Setapak is located in the northeast part of Kuala Lumpur, about 7km from the city center. In the early days, it is considered an outskirt area on the way to Pahang. According to historical records, Setapak is already inhabited since 1862, strewn with tin mines and rubber plantations. In Chinese, the place name is a Hokkien homophonic with a nearby stream named Sungai Belongkong.

In Malay, ‘tapak’ means ‘step’ and ‘setapak’ means ‘one step’, probably referring to the close proximity of the suburb to Kuala Lumpur. Another explanation of the origin of its name traces to its historical roots. The earliest inhabitants of Setapak were the aborigines and the Minangkabaus. On 12th April 1884, the Frank Swettenham, the Resident of Selangor pleaded for the re-appointment of Batu Tapak as the headman of the aborigines living in that area, hence the name Setapak in honour of the headman.

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【Teochew Mooncakes Info】

『La Piah / Traditional Teochew Flaky Mooncake』

A type of Teochew mooncake that is baked, with a flaky and crispy crust, thick and soft fillings; round and shaped like a drum, baked to a golden hue.
The pastry crust is made up of water dough and shortened dough, where the shortened dough is wrapped in the water dough and rolled thinly. 
The fillings are of the sweet type, such as red bean paste, mung bean paste, preserved vegetable paste, mixed fruit paste, mixed preserved vegetable with mung bean paste, and mixed fruit with mung bean paste. 
The preserved vegetable paste is made using sweet preserved vegetables, stir-fried for two hours to get rid of moisture.
The mixed fruit paste is made using lard, candied winter melon, dried tangerine, orange peel, sunflower seeds, white sesame, and sugar.

『La Ko / Glutinous Rice Pudding』

A type of Teochew mooncake that is steamed, with a bouncy skin and soft, smooth fillings. There are black and white variations, where the skin of the black variation contains black sesame.
Made using steamed glutinous rice flour mixed with lard and sugar.
Filled with mung bean paste or yam paste, but no longer the traditional mixed fruit paste due to modern dietary changes.
Traditional mixed fruit paste: Fatty pork is marinated with refined sugar over an extended period, until the pork appears translucent and yields a bouncy texture. Usually paired with two pieces of dried tangerine and two pieces of candied winter melon.

『Yam Paste Mooncake』

A type of Teochew mooncake that is deep-fried, consisting of crispy layered crust, filled with soft and smooth yam paste encasing a salted egg yolk.
The pastry crust is made up of water dough and shortened dough, where the shortened dough is wrapped in the water dough, rolled and folded repeatedly, curled into a stick, and cut to yield spiralled layers. 
Yam paste is a traditional Teochew dessert, a must-have at Teochew wedding banquets, symbolising “sweet from the beginning till the end”. Steamed yam is crushed into paste form, mixed with sugar, lard, candied winter melon, gingko nuts et cetera.

『Five Spices』

A savory variation of Teochew mooncake, with a crispy crust, and its filling is sweet with a pleasant savory taste. Made up of flour, sesame, sugar, salt, spices, lard, and onion.

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COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Scissors Sharpening in Petaling Street

“Did you know that scissors have got a heart?” Uncle Chow Hon Meng points at the pivot screw connecting the two blades. This heart, which does not beat, plays a key role in cutting performance, as it controls the blade tension, neither too tight or too loose, in order to function properly. Sharp blades create a smooth, clean cut, whereas dull blades are inefficient, resulting in jagged cuts, or even pull and tear the material. Therefore, scissors require sharpening from time to time. 

Uncle Chow has been sharpening scissors for over half a century. At 75 years old, he is rather sprightly, and his vision is still sharp like a hawk. First of all, he inspects the wornness of the scissors. Using tools, he loosens and removes the pivot screw, and rids the blades of dirt and rust. The sharpening process starts with hollow grinding with a grinding wheel machine, later on transitioning to coarse and then fine sharpening stones. After that, he wipes the blades clean, lubricate, and reassembles the scissors, tightening the screw until achieving perfect tension. 

Apart from scissors, Uncle Chow also sharpens various items, with customers from all over Malaysia, mainly those working in industries that rely on scissors and knives, such as tailors, hairdressers, and chefs. They would invest in high quality tools, to which they grew accustomed over time, even though their tools became dull, they would not dream of discarding or replacing. Some of them visit in person, or courier their tools over to Uncle Chow, just to bring their tools back to life. The toughest job of all is the razor, as it only has one cutting edge, a uniform apex must be achieved.

Uncle Chow is born in Penang, unto a family that does professional sharpening services. His father migrated from China, established a shop named “Heng Lee” in Georgetown, and taught sharpening skills to his children. When Uncle Chow first started out, he perfected his skills through continual practice, and even sharpened scissors and knives for neighbours free of charge. As he came from a big family, he decided to move to Kuala Lumpur to seek better opportunities.

In the 1980s, Bangunan Pak Peng in Petaling Street just opened, a 13-storey complex housing shops and offices, towering above the double-storey shophouses. It was very popular back then, the ground floor retail shops were all rented out to tailors, goldsmiths, tour agencies etc. Uncle Chow only managed to secure a shop on the first floor. He chose to continue his father’s legacy by using the same trade name “Heng Lee”. 

Salon products are displayed in the shop windows, the rear end is partitioned into a tiny workshop, brightly lit and well equipped with a wide array of tools and sharpening stones. In Heng Lee Trading Co.’s early days, Uncle Chow hired salespeople to sell salon products, his sales team even had three to four vans covering Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. His only focus is on sharpening services. Later on, his staff members gradually left in pursuit of their personal goals. Even though Uncle Chow is alone in the shop, he does not feel lonely as there are scissors talking to him. 

For over four decades, Uncle Chow is punctual at work, and delivers satisfactory results. He prefers appointment-based jobs, not urgent orders, as he requires sufficient time and energy in order to achieve optimal sharpening. Uncle Chow has been through professional training, his charges may be higher, but the quality of his job is guaranteed, hence building a strong and loyal customer base. 

As the saying goes, good tools are prerequisite to the success. Even as technology advances, scissors and knives are indispensable. However, nowadays in Petaling Street, very few skillful sharpening craftsmen like Uncle Chow could be found.

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Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
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COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Apam Balik in Petaling Street

Uncle Hon Tin Long is a daily fixture among the hawkers of Petaling Street. He pushes a trishaw cart onto Jalan Hang Lekir, and sells freshly made apam balik and nyonya apam balik under a colorful umbrella. Uncle Hon is always jovial, and can chat with passersby. Now over 70 years old, he has been in Petaling Street for almost six decades, running his own stall for over 40 years. 

A cast iron pan with a diameter of about two feet is preheated, filled with pancake batter that immediately fluffs up and bubbles. Uncle Hon scatters sugar across the surface, and covers it with the lid for a while. Upon lifting the lid, the sugar has caramelised, then he scatters crushed peanuts onto the pancake. Using a metal scraper, he carefully peels the pancake away from the pan, moving in a circular motion until the center point, folding the pancake over and removing it from the pan. Such is the making of a favorite street food — Ban Jian Kuih, also known as Man Chian Kuih, Ban Chang Kuih, Dai Gau Min, or Apam Balik in Malay.

At the age of 15, Uncle Hon left his hometown Seremban to make a living at Kuala Lumpur. He worked at one of the “Four Greatest Restaurants of Petaling Street”, Seng Kee, for quite a few years, becoming experienced in making dim sum and pastries. After having a family, he found it hard to make ends meet, therefore he decided to start his own business. Uncle Hon did some market research within Petaling Street, and found out that nobody was selling apam balik in the vicinity, the closest stall would be at Bukit Bintang. Therefore, he underwent research and development, and mastered the making of apam balik after a few attempts. With satisfactory results, he started his own business.

Uncle Hon used to rent a room in a shophouse on Jalan Hang Lekir, storing his trishaw stall in the back lane, pushing it onto the streets to do business during daytime and put it back at night. After the year 2000, the shophouse was rebuilt into Tang City Food Court. He moved to Cheras, but still stores his trishaw stall in the same back lane. Every morning around 7AM, Uncle Hon takes the LRT to Petaling Street, enjoys breakfast with his friends at the food court, and opens his stall at 8AM. Procedures such as boiling pandan water and mixing the pancake batter are carried out beside his stall, so that he can always replenish throughout the day.

In recent years, Petaling Street has become a famous tourist spot in Kuala Lumpur, Uncle Hon’s business is flourishing. Mrs Hon used to work her own job and take care of their children. After they have grown up, then only she starts to help Uncle Hon selling apam balik at the stall. As she has problems walking, she rides a taxi to and fro, returning home around 1.30PM, a Myanmar helper takes over her duty at the stall. With their assistance, it’s easier for Uncle Hon to concentrate on making apam balik, and he also gets to chat jovially with friends, passersby, and customers.

Despite being busy at work everyday, and even keeping the stall open during Chinese New Year, Uncle Hon is optimistic and cheerful, and never feels tired. He enjoys interacting with people on a daily basis, and has no plans for retirement at the moment, continuing to work as his health allows. Slices of apam balik and nyonya apam balik, cheers and laughter, his life is full of sweetness and aroma.

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【Apam Balik Info】

The origins of apam balik dates back to 1855, during the Qing dynasty, when General Zuo ZongTang (also known as General Tso) led his troops to FuJian to repel the Taiping Rebellion. 

“In order to feed the army, he (Tso) gave them salty pancakes improved with cane sugar and peanuts that were plentiful in Fujian, making it easy to carry and eat.

This pancake gradually spread in Fujian, becoming an affordable and convenient street snack, and was brought to Nanyang (Southeast Asia) with the early Hokkien immigrants,” – Xie Yanwei, food writer, as translated from Hong Kong Economic Journal

The Peranakan (Straits Chinese) improvised using local ingredients, namely rice flour, coconut milk, eggs, and dessicated coconut, familiarly known as Nyonya apam balik. 

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COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Kien Choon Restaurant

To bypass the congestion on Rawang’s main street, local residents would use the back lane of Jalan Maxwell. As one drives past, most of the rear doors and windows are tightly shut. Towards the end of the lane, there is a unit embellished with plants, a hand-carved wooden stand by the roadside and a banner on top of the entrance inscribed with “Kien Choon Restaurant”.

Peering in from the wide-open back doors, the restaurant occupied the rear end of the shop, housing a drinks counter and a simple kitchen, three to four tables of different sizes, and a mix of wooden and plastic chairs. On one side is a time-worn altar table and a lazy chair, indicating the owner’s long-term residence, inadvertently creating a sense of “dining at grandma’s home”. Decorative elements are highly visible in the surroundings, including several wooden handicrafts, exuding artistic vibes. 

81-year-old Lim Kit Chu bends over the stove, her 56-year-old nephew Lim Yuan Hing is in charge of making drinks, and helps in the kitchen from time to time. The restaurant’s menu is simple, for almost 50 years only serving three styles of noodles: curry, clear soup, or dry-tossed. Customers may choose from rice noodles, vermicelli, laksa noodles, or yellow noodles. Sides include chicken, barbecued pork, fish cake, and minced pork. Daily opening hours are from 7AM to 2PM, or till sold out.

The premises belong to the Lim family, in early days it was a family residence instead of conducting business. At the front entrance is an engraved plaque bearing their great-grandfather’s name Kien Chooon. About half a century ago, Mr Lim’s mother ran a noodle stall at the front end of the shop, while his aunt helped out. At the time, they open around 4AM to 5AM, serving the local community made up of mostly rubber tappers and tin miners, and close around 4PM to 5PM. Unfortunately Mr Lim’s mother passed away when he was still a child, his aunt took over the noodle stall and helped to raise him and his siblings.

After achieving adulthood, Mr Lim sought a job in Kuala Lumpur, like most young Rawang folk. About 20 years ago, due to illness, he resigned and moved back to his hometown. Then he returned to the family home to help his aunt, and started preparing beverages. Occasionally he came around wastewood and would repurpose them into decorations in the shop. The wooden stand is handcrafted by Mr Lim, and the surrounding greenery is also transplanted by him. 

About 10 years ago, Aunty Lim was immobilised due to her back went out, the shop had to cease operations. Two years on, the front end of the ground floor was rented out to another shop, thus the door between the front and rear end was sealed. As she gradually recovered, the family decided to renovate the rear end and reopen as a restaurant. Up till the present, Aunty Lim and the senior Mr Lim are still living upstairs. She woke up at 3AM to prepare ingredients: dice the chicken, braise the barbecued pork, stir-fry the minced pork, as well as cook the curry soup and anchovy broth. She works alone in the kitchen, until her nephew comes in at 7AM and open the shop.

They do not usually take a day off, unless they have other dealings or go on holidays. Their customers are mostly regulars, some of them have been here since their childhood, or even came back for the familiar fare after they moved elsewhere. Sometimes customers would drive-through, during weekends there would be plenty of hikers and tourists. 

This backlane restaurant in Rawang old town is an intriguing intermixture of simple life, rustic flavours, artistic sense, and family warmth.

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COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Chinese Herbal Tea

A few decades ago, there was a Sentosa Cinema in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. In its immediate surroundings, there were plenty of roadside stalls, a wet market by day and a food court by night, fulfilling the community’s living needs. After the cinema burned down in 1997, the site became a carpark, until Seventeen residence and mall was constructed in 2014. Beside the building, Petaling Jaya city council offered a sheltered space for the hawkers, many of whom had been there for over four decades, standing witness to the changes in the neighbourhood, and frequented by local residents. Among them is Chinese Herbal Tea.

The stall owner, Uncle Ngui Pong, is in his seventies. Hailing from Bukit Kepong in Johor, at 17 years old he moved to Selangor to learn martial arts and Tit Tar from Master Chow Tin Sang in SEA Park. Master Chow sold herbal tea for a living, and taught Uncle Ngui the traditional recipes for him to start his own business at the neighbouring Section 17. There are a few types of herbal teas: Five Flower Tea, monk fruit tea, Prunella vulgaris tea, and bitter tea (also known as “Wong Lo Kat”). One may opt to add Chinese medicine powder to bitter tea, to help relieve bodily discomforts. Later on, Uncle Ngui studied Traditional Chinese Medicine, and made minor adjustments to the recipes according to the therapeutic properties of medicinal herbs. 

Selling herbal tea is a tedious task that takes up the entire day. At 8AM, Uncle Ngui starts preparing to boil herbal teas in the kitchen at the rear of the house, one large pot of each type. In the past, he used charcoal stoves, the heat was not stable, hence requiring close attention and the need to add firewood. Now that he uses gas stoves, the heat is stable, and Uncle Ngui is able to make time throughout the several hours of boiling to attend to patients who visit his Tit Tar clinic. Around 3PM to 4PM, the herbal teas are ready, and it is time to set up the stall. He travels back and forth between the food court and his house to bring the herbal teas, tables and chairs, and the stall itself. His wife also helps him to set up and do sales. Meanwhile, if there are patients, he returns to the clinic at home to attend to them. The herbal teas are prepared fresh daily and sell out. Uncle Ngui used to sell until late night, but in recent years he closes around 10PM.

Uncle Ngui usually sports white attire, the signboard of his stall is written in red on a white background, such is his appearance from youth to elderly. Day in, day out, he set up his stall in Section 17 regardless of the weather, the local residents drop by for herbal tea whenever they feel “heaty”. Many of his regular customers used to study at Universiti Malaya, and have been supporting him since they were students. Whenever they meet Uncle Ngui and his wife, they greet them with respect. The city council did not provide a dining area in the sheltered space for hawkers, therefore Uncle Ngui and his wife bought dozens of tables and chairs with their own money, providing convenience to fellow hawkers as well as customers, without demanding any return for their extra efforts. It would be great if customers could order a cup of herbal tea priced at RM2.50 as a gesture of appreciation. 

Despite always looking serious, Uncle Ngui is honest and selfless, his herbal teas are authentic and priced reasonably, enabling him to blend into an unfamiliar neighbourhood and stay for decades. Each cup of herbal tea not only helps promote health, but also acts as a relationship bond between Uncle Ngui and the local community, a sweet sight in this Chinese new village within the city. 

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【About Herbal Tea】

Herbal tea originated from LingNan, which encompassed the modern regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Due to being located in the subtropical monsoon climate zone, the combination of humidity and heat causes discomforts to the human body. Herbal tea is a herb-based healthy drink based on Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge to relieve such discomforts. Herbal tea formulas can be divided into single and compound formulas, namely utilising a single type of medicinal herb and multiple types of medicinal herbs, which have therapeutic properties, such as honeysuckle and Prunella vulgaris.

Boiling herbal tea requires careful control of heat and time. The herbs need to be boiled just right, neither overboiled and lose all efficacy, nor underboiled and less efficient. Put the herbs and water into a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for at least three hours. After that, it is left to stand for a period of time, to enrich both the flavor and the color of the herbal tea, before it is considered done.

Herbal tea is not only a drink, but a health-preserving wisdom based on Traditional Chinese Medicine originating from the general public and passed down over thousands of years. Drinking herbal tea to stay healthy is a major feature of LingNan folk culture. As our forebearers migrated to tropical Southeast Asia, herbal tea became widely popular due to its remarkable efficacy, and people of all nationalities and ethnicities could drink it. Herbal teas may be light or dark in color, and sweet or bitter in taste, yet each offers benefits that support one’s well-being. 

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Ling Lam Tit Tar

Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city, Kampung Baru Seri Damansara is adjacent to Section 17, Petaling Jaya. Nestled within this new village is Ling Lam Physical Training and Treatment, founded by Master Ngui Pong since 1979, and has not relocated since. Back then, the spot was quite lively, folks come to learn martial arts and lion dance. In recent years, the focus is on administering Tit Tar (Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopaedics and Traumatology) treatment. Master Ngui has almost 50 years of experience, the reasonable fees he charges and his skilled techniques earned a good reputation. Ling Lam Tit Tar is rather well known in the area. 

Tit Tar is a method to treat injuries that originated from among the populace, based on scientific knowledge such as anatomy and physiotherapy, combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to help recuperate, it proves to be effective and therefore commonly accepted. Tit Tar techniques involve using hands to touch and feel the afflicted area, in order to examine the exact location of the injury and its severity. Appropriate force is applied to perform bone realignment, then rub on medicine and bandage the affected area to limit movement. After a couple of days, the patient revisits to change the bandage and receive some physiotherapy. If there is no abnormality, the course of treatment can be ended and let the bones gradually recover. 

Master Ngui was born in Bukit Kepong, Johor. After finishing primary school, he went to work in Batu Pahat as an apprentice. At the age of 17, upon recommendation, he came to SEA Park in Petaling Jaya to learn martial arts, as well as Tit Tar, and sells herbal tea to earn a living. After a few years, his master brought him to Muar to visit his grandmaster, who hailed from LingNan, China. The grandmaster imparted a number of TCM prescriptions to him, from there he learnt to make trauma wine and balms. Master Ngui is grateful for the precious knowledge gained, when he started his own venture, he chose to continue the legacy of the brand “Ling Lam”.

The rented village house in Kampung Baru Seri Damansara originally comprises one small cottage, surrounded by open space, ideal for practicing martial arts and lion dance. Later on, it expanded into the current appearance. It used to be the family house of Master Ngui’s wife, Ng Siew Lian. Here they started their relationship, and subsequently built a family together while working hard to make ends meet, for over 40 years they never left the place. The front part of the house is the Tit Tar clinic, the kitchen for boiling herbal teas sit at the rear end. After their marriage, Madam Ng helps Master Ngui to run both the Tit Tar clinic and the herbal tea stall, and both of them studied TCM courses together to improve their knowledge. 

Master Ngui and Madam Ng each perform their own duties: He focuses on giving Tit Tar treatment while she oversees the operations. Nicknamed the General Affairs Officer, she takes care of everything from procuring, preparing, handling, to selling the medicine. Due to regular manufacturing homemade trauma wine, balms, and pills, Madam Ng knows all the recipes by heart. At the same time, she insists on using the traditional way, which is to grind medicinal herbs into fine powder form, instead of buying patent medicine. 

The Tit Tar clinic is jointly managed by Master Ngui’s family, his children also chose to continue his legacy. They learned the basics of TCM, and practises Tit Tar under their father’s guidance. The eldest son, Ngui Kok Feng, has 20 years of experience, and recently branched out at Berjaya Times Square to expand customer reach while offering more comprehensive forms of treatment. Two younger sons are still working at the old site, and the eldest daughter comes back to help from time to time, lending their parents a helping hand.

Over the decades, Master Ngui persists to administer treatment with integrity and kindness, helping patients to recover, and maintaining the musculoskeletal health of the local community.

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【About Tit Tar】

The place name “LingNan” came into being since the Tang Dynasty, and was one of the ten prefectures, which encompassed the modern regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan. Throughout history, several instances of mass migration occurred, as well as foreign invasions, therefore it is common practice to learn martial arts for self-defense and to protect the family. In olden times, the founder of a martial arts school would need to be proficient in three skills, namely martial arts, lion dance, and Tit Tar – due to people practising martial arts are prone to musculoskeletal injuries, they developed methods and remedies for treating such injuries.

Before healthcare facilities became widely available, people suffering injuries from a fall, a sprain, or bone dislocation would seek Tit Tar treatment. Nowadays modern medical facilities are everywhere, but not everybody want to wear a plaster cast or undergo surgery, hence the demand for Tit Tar.

Trauma wine consists of dozens of medicinal herbs soaked in distilled white wine with high alcohol content, and fermented over several months. Balms are made of medicinal herbs ground into fine powder form, and appropriate medium is added to cook into a paste. 

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【Martial Arts originating from LingNan】

The system belong to Hung Gar, which is prevalent in southern China, forms include “Taming of the Tiger in Gung Pattern” (Gung Gee Fook Fu Kuen) and “Tiger Crane Double-Form Fist” (Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen)

Tracing the master-disciple lineage:

Master Wong Fei Hung
A martial artist under Hung Gar system, renowned lion dance master, and a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
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Master Lam Sai Wing
One of Wong Fei Hung’s most successful and influential disciples, he is proficient in both Hung Gar martial arts and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
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Master Sung Siew Poh
One of Lam Sai Wing’s most prodigious disciples, he not only learned Hung Gar martial arts, but also mastered Traditional Chinese Medicine skills. In the 1950s, he moved to Malaysia and established the “Ling Lam Martial Arts and Fitness Academy” in Muar, Johor.
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Master Chow Tin Sang
Born in Yong Peng, he is among the first disciples of “Ling Lam Martial Arts and Fitness Academy” under Master Sung Siew Poh. Master Ngui Pong is his disciple. 
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Master Ngui Pong
Born in 1956, he is full of passion for Chinese martial arts and sports since a young age. In 1979, he founded “Ling Lam Physical Training and Treatment”, and also serves as medical consultant to numerous organizations both local and overseas. 

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

“Maestro of Paper Shadows ” — Toh Ai Hwa

Teochew iron-rod puppetry originated from Chinese shadow puppetry, where puppeteers animate paper cut-out figures on a translucent screen with the aid of an illuminated background. To adapt for daytime performances, the puppets were refashioned: using tightly packed bundles of hay to form the torso, moulded clay for the head, paper and wood for the limbs, dressed in costumes, with iron rods attached to the back and limbs. The translucent screen was replaced by a glass screen. The stage structure was then changed to mimic the Teochew opera stage, complete with bamboo curtains and miniature props, and the puppeteers remain behind the curtains while manipulating the puppets to perform onstage. Those working in this line of industry are usually referred to as “Maestro of Paper Shadows”. Madam Toh Ai Hwa (a.k.a. “Zha Bor Jie”), now in her 70s, is well-known in the Teochew Puppet Opera industry in Malaysia. The special stage performance entitled “Maestro of Paper Shadows” is organized by her daughter to mark Toh Ai Hwa’s 61 years of dedication in her career.

Toh Ai Hwa is born into a family of Teochew opera performers. Her maternal grandfather, Yeoh Beng Kim, migrated to Malaya in the 19th century with his Teochew opera troupe “Lao Sai Yong Hong”; her maternal grandmother, Lee Gek Hong, was an accomplished actress playing Lady roles in the 1920s; her mother, Yeoh Cheng Im, was an accomplished actress playing Young Man roles in the 1940s; her third elder brother, Toh Ah Hock, is famous for playing Old Man roles. Traditional perceptions of opera performers were negative and disdainful. Yeoh Cheng Im did not want her children to suffer the same fate, therefore her husband brought up Toh Ai Hwa outside of the troupe, but the Teochew opera genes run deep.

By chance, Toh Ai Hwa joined “Lao Rong Xiu Chun” Teochew puppet troupe at 12 years old. Due to the puppets being too heavy for her to handle, she poured her heart into learning the musical instruments instead, and became the lead percussionist and chief conductor at the tender age of 15, which is a rare feat especially for females at the time. Besides playing percussion instruments, Toh Ai Hwa also did double duty to recite and sing the lines of various roles. As she was familiarized with Teochew opera since her childhood, she recited and sang brilliantly, having been blessed with a warm and rich voice. Being illiterate, she was unable to read manuscripts, yet she managed to memorize the lines of all the roles as well as the drum parts of nearly a hundred different Teochew operas.

In 1989, Toh Ai Hwa took over the Teochew puppet troupe as the manager retired, and rebranded as “Kim Giak Low Choon”. Her unwavering strength and determination, with assistance from her husband and four children, improved the business of the troupe, and secured plenty of performance bookings. Later on, Toh Ai Hwa’s daughter-in-law and grandchildren also joined the troupe, committed to uphold the family legacy for the fifth generation. As the rhymed spoken parts in “Emperor Ming of Tang cleanse the theatre” goes: The high platform is elaborately decorated, the number of opera performers are countless, each sentence is written by imperial scholars, singing about the vicissitudes of life – may the art pass down through the ages.

Teochew iron-rod puppetry is usually performed during traditional rituals or to honour deities. In a time when entertainment was scarce, it was also widely enjoyed by the general public. The seventh month of the lunar calendar is the busiest month for the puppet troupe, in conjunction with the Zhongyuan festival, community groups and temples would host streetside puppetry performances to pay respects to spirits. As times change, so did social perception, puppetry is no longer a performance carried out in temples but rather a form of performing arts. The puppet troupe gained opportunities to perform and share their experiences abroad. Although Toh Ai Hwa mostly stayed behind the scenes, she played an important role in passing on the legacy of Teochew opera and puppetry, and she was awarded the title of “Penang Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor” in 2008 and received the “George Town Knowledge Contribution and Heritage Award” from the George Town World Heritage Incorporated in 2020.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Grilled Fish in Broga

Fish wrapped in aluminium foil packets are neatly arranged on the brick stove, getting licked by bright flames from the charcoal fire. The chef is unable to see through the packet, and therefore can only determine whether or not the fish is fully cooked from the duration and degree of heating. When deemed ready, the foil packets are transferred to stainless steel oval plates and served to customers. Upon ripping open the steaming hot packets, one is greeted by the mouthwatering aroma and the delicate, tender flesh of a whole fish. The freshwater Tilapia fish takes about six months to grow from fish seeds to about one kilogram in weight, yet was caught, gutted and scaled, then cooked and served in the blink of an eye.

The grilled fish restaurant founded by Kok Sack Swee is situated within the hilly countryside of Broga, surrounded by verdant greenery, where one can listen to chirping birds and insects, view glimmering ponds, and embrace the tranquility and serenity. Uncle Kok lives in a small cottage on the plantation grounds. Early in the morning, he busied himself tending various fruit trees and medicinal herbs, as well as feeding the fish in the ponds. Although the work is tedious, he finds enjoyment in it.

Ancestors of the Kok family migrated from HuiZhou in GuangDong, China to Broga in the 1910s. Kok Sack Swee was a Broga lad born and bred. In his youth, he started his career in the agricultural sector, including a stint in oil palm cultivation at Kuantan, which he afterwards returned to Broga and developed fruit plantations. In the mid-90s, he started a fish pond in his durian plantation, and opened it to recreational fishing. As a way to attract more customers, Uncle Kok and his wife decided to offer cooking services.

Inspired by the relaxed charm of picnics, the freshly-caught fish are gutted and scaled, coated in homemade paste, wrapped in an aluminium foil packet, and grilled on a charcoal fire. Due to foil packets absorb heat relatively quick and distribute it evenly, as well as effectively retaining the food’s moisture, lending the grilled fish a delicate and tender texture. Captivating the customers’ taste buds with fresh ingredients, and charging a fair price, Uncle Kok gradually gained popularity. He is the first in Broga to offer grilled fish in aluminium foil packets, attracting foodies from near and far. 

In 2000, Uncle Kok shifted to the current premises inside a rubber plantation, built additional fish ponds, and established a grilled fish restaurant. His wife, sister-in-law, son, daughter-in-law, and daughter readily help with operations. The entire family work together to serve up the freshest delicacies. Earlier on, while at the old premises, his son, Kok Chee Yee, used to only help out during weekends. Upon Uncle Kok founded the restaurant in his 60s, Kok Chee Yee decided to stay home to help, and took over the reins shortly after.

Now aged 81, Uncle Kok is no longer in charge of the grill, but he is still actively helping in the restaurant. From time to time, he worked in the fruit orchard behind the restaurant, tending various fruit trees and medicinal herbs. Whenever regular customers visit, he would converse with them in the Hakka dialect. Sometimes he would help to gut and scale fish, chop vegetables, and wash the dishes. In the evening, after business hours, is his time to relax and play with his grandchildren.

Kok Sack Swee leads an idyllic lifestyle in the countryside, Kok Chee Yee also shares his father’s sentiments, keeping a distance from the hustle and bustle of city life, relishing in the natural environment and his culinary pursuits. Living a simple life, surrounded by beloved family members, is the epitome of happiness.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD