“Spread fame far and wide.”
With a grand vision in mind, Yeo Kian Lam set up a book rental shop—Yang Trading and Books Company. Officially launched on 27th October 1978, after almost half a century, it is the last remaining traditional book rental shop in the town of Batu Pahat. Lining the walls are eight-foot-tall bookshelves, displaying a vast array of books, predominantly martial arts fiction, alongside science fiction, horror, thriller, literary fiction, and more.
Uncle Yeo is really into martial arts fiction. In his late teens, when he was working in Johor Bahru, he frequented book rental stores there, and on weekends he would stay up all night reading. After he moved back to his hometown, there was not a single bookstore in town, so he pooled resources with a bunch of friends to buy a full set of martial arts fiction, and swap to read. As he acquired more and more books, his friends simply started borrowing directly from him. Given his meagre income, he discussed the possibility of his friends chipping in to buy more books. As his collection grew, one of his friends jokingly suggest he start a book rental business.
Just to give it a try, Uncle Yeo piled his books into a wheelbarrow, went onto the streets, set up a canvas canopy at the roadside, thus began his career in book rental. Initially, he collected a deposit according to the number of books borrowed, then deducting rental fees from the sum based on the rental period. Later on, he adopted an accounts system, where customers pay a fixed deposit to open an account, and he uses small notebooks to keep their rental records and calculate rental fees. Uncle Yeo did not mind if regulars return books late, and he never charge penalties.
After a couple of years of operation as a mobile vendor, Uncle Yeo had saved enough money to rent a small shopfront. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Uncle Yeo’s book collection grew increasingly diverse—arguably the largest in Southeast Asia—and his shop stocked as many as 58 different magazines, to the amazement of visiting media and booksellers from Hong Kong and Taiwan. At the time, he dominated the book rental business in Batu Pahat and was quite popular. Open for 12 hours a day—from 10AM to 10PM—the shop sees a steady stream of customers, with long lines frequently forming at the counter. Even if there are five copies of a popular book, customers still have to take turns to rent it.
Uncle Yeo is undoubtedly fortunate to have perfectly combined his hobbies with his career, with countless books accompanying him along the way. When there are no customers in the shop, he would seize the pleasant opportunity to enjoy me-time reading. Over the years, he shifted shops for various reasons, constantly seeking out new premises to accommodate his ever-growing collection of books; it was not until he purchased the current location twelve years ago that he finally settled down. Even so, a number of the older books still requires separate warehouse storage.
Following the rise of smartphones and the internet in 2010, reading physical books was no longer the top choice for pastimes, fewer and fewer people frequented book rental shops. Therefore, Uncle Yeo and his wife set up a small stall in front of the shop to sell sliced fruits and snacks. Students attending tuition nearby would come over to satisfy their cravings. The best-selling item is homemade vegetable pancakes by Mrs Yeo. Even when students further their studies in other regions or abroad, they always long for this particular taste, and would seek it out whenever they return home.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the book rental shop operates from 10AM to 6PM. Current rates for a week costs just RM1, possibly the lowest rate in Malaysia. Uncle Yeo continues to lead a simple life, following a daily routine of opening and closing the shop, reading, and sleeping. In recent years, he has stopped acquiring new books and is gradually clearing out his collection of 30,000 books. A regular customer has been purchasing them in batches, and has already acquired half of the shop’s martial arts fiction.
Day after day, Uncle Yeo tends to his rental bookstore, still immensely captivated by martial arts fiction. For decades, his world of books has accompanied many residents of Batu Pahat as they grew up, enriching their inner lives.
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【A Brief History of Shop-migration】
Yang Trading relocated numerous times; the entire process was akin to a wandering journey through the small town of Batu Pahat. Uncle Yeo remembers with great clarity exactly how many times the shop moved, the size and characteristics of each location, and the tenure at each one.
❶ Roadside Stall
Initially started with a wheelbarrow and canvas canopy on the roadside for two years.
❷ Old Bus Stand
Rented a small shop measuring 10 feet wide and 8 feet deep for two years.
❸ Near Ma Chor Keng or Lim Sz Chong Su Temple
Forced to relocate by the city council, moved to the area near Ma Chor Keng, subletting a quarter of a canvas shop for less than two years.
❹ Wet Market
Rented an entire shop measuring 14 feet wide and 50 feet deep for four years.
Got married around that time, partitioned a room at the rear end of the shop to live in, eldest son was born there.
❺ Jalan Pantai
Rented an entire shop measuring 15 feet wide and about 100 feet deep for six years.
Located next to a salted fish shop and opposite a food court, customers frequently complained about the lack of parking space available.
❻ Near Bus Terminal
Rented an entire shop (now occupied by Toto) measuring 22 feet wide and 80 feet deep for 18 years.
❼ Current Location
The previous owner put the property up for sale, therefore bought and moved in almost twelve years ago.
有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen
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