Category: Traditional Trades

Walking downstream of the Melaka River, passing by Jambatan Kampung Jawa with 130 years of history linking Jalan Kampung Pantai and Kampung Jawa, a wooden bridge rebuilt with metal by Chinese businessmen Tan Oon Guan and his two brothers in the late 19th century, who also restructured Kampung Jawa into a “New Street” with well-planned brick houses and developed lanes. Ever since, business activities on both shores got along closely, during daytime the “New Street” is a bustling trade zone, whereas turning into a pleasure-seeking and extravagant entertainment spot upon night-time, an area combining both work and amusement.

A century since, the flourishing “New Street” is long gone, its lanes (Jalan Jawa and Kampung Jawa) receded into serenity, leaving behind double-storey shophouses built in a fusion of Asian and Western styles which was popular back then, housing several traditional shops with over 100 years in existence, taking a sneak peek at former local cultural scenes. Among them, Sin Hiap Hin, a bar established in the 1920’s, maintaining its original British-influenced appearance, the solid wooden bar countertop with a rounded arc is still in use to date.

Pushing apart the red iron shutters, a variety of liquor bottles are arranged on layers of wall racks, the wooden bar countertop is full of marks where liquor glasses were set down over the hundred years. The antique furnishing and interior is never renovated, in the bar sits Aunty Lee Lian Suan, also known as Doris, wife of the 4th generation successor of Sin Hiap Hin. She pours out the customer’s choice of liquor with a smiling face, be it traditional Chinese herbal liquor such as Notoginseng liquor, Acanthopanax bark liquor, Perfect Tonic; beers popular with Caucasians, novelty rice wines, or rose liqueur. The most special type of liquor served being rice wine manufactured in Malacca by Tay Miang Guan Priquor Distillery established in 1908, with a range of innovative flavours such as pandan, lychee, coffee etc.

Sin Hiap Hin holds a liquor retail license granted by the British colonial government, legally selling liquor by the British colonial measurement unit peg, where half peg is equivalent to 30ml and one peg 60ml. Pure liquor is being sold, not mixed with other alcohol, water or soda, only a few ice cubes may be added. In the olden days, this type of bars were popular with fishermen and labourers making a living near Malacca River due to low prices. These customers often got drunk, wreaking havoc and owing credit which they never repaid. Moreover, the upper storey of the shophouse was an opium den where people used to gather to smoke. Sin Hiap Hin survived tenaciously throughout the years despite the turbulent environment, having experienced the British colonisation, the Japanese Occupation, the Federation of Malaya, to finally independence and the forming of Malaysia, still operating in its original site.

Since Aunty Doris married into the family in 1973, besides doing household chores, she also helps her husband and father-in-law to manage the bar. A few years after her father-in-law passed away, her husband’s legs became incapacitated, therefore she has to shoulder all responsibilities on her own. Turning 69 years old, Aunty Doris is probably the oldest bartender. Although selling an array of liquors, she barely drinks, merely looking upon as others enjoy. With a liquor bottle in one hand and steel measurement cup in the other, Aunty Doris pours either amber-coloured or clear liquor into glasses while chatting brightly with customers, making them feel at ease.

Over the forty-odd years, Aunty Doris handles her husband’s family business while taking care of her ill spouse, enduring various hardships to raise four children, as well as purchasing the shophouse they once rented. Eventually elderly regular customers passed away, changes in lifestyle and spending habits caused business to drop. Fortunately in recent years, the bar gained popularity and internet exposure, introducing slight improvements. Aunty Doris witnessed the flourish and decline of “New Street”, former neighbouring hardware shops, gold shops, wooden clog shops, vegetable shops, and barber shops are mostly closed for good. As her children grew up and moved out, the business that she once relied on now helps her to kill time.

In the century-old bar, each cup of liquor sold contains precious memories, accumulated into the ups and downs of a city. Be it tourists with a fleeting visit or regular customers with frequent visits, Aunty Doris does not hesitate in sharing life stories in the historical city.

Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Music : Oakwoord Station – Kind of a Miracle from YouTube

COPYRIGHTS 2020 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Charcoal is the first among seven daily necessities, the rest being rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea. Since ancient times, charcoal has been important as fuel in daily life. Cooking food using traditional charcoal-fueled stoves is tricky and laborious, requiring constant attention to the heat and doneness of the food. As the dishes are heated evenly, charcoal fumes lent a special aroma to the food. Besides, charcoal has absorbability properties, therefore water boiled with charcoal is velvety and odorless. Once a must-have in every single household, with the advent of gas and electrical appliances, charcoal has now fallen out of favour, charcoal stores are barely seen nowadays.

On Jalan Trus in Johor Bahru, among the row of shophouses opposite the ancient temple, the large signboard of Yong Heng Charcoal Shop could be seen clearly, the sole remaining charcoal shop in the region. The daughters of the late founder, octogenarian Madam Chong Shen Chen (transliteration) and sexagenarian Madam Chong Lian Chen (transliteration) persisted to work, currently helping their nephew, who is the third generation owner to run this seven-decade old family business.

When Chinese forefathers migrated to Malaysia, they sustained this ancient wisdom of utilising natural resources, for instance mangrove wood, to produce fuel thus solving the most crucial daily needs. In earlier days, street peddlers sold charcoal door-to-door on bicycles or tricycles, some merchants also distributed charcoal from local kilns so that customers may purchase in-store. Upon stepping into the corridor of Yong Heng Charcoal Shop, the mottled wooden plaque hanging on top of the entrance brings you back in time.

Towards the end of the 1940’s, when this plaque was newly hung, charcoal was the mainstream fuel used in cooking. Except for the table in front, the entire shop was filled with bundles of charcoal, the floor and walls stained with charcoal dust. Before plastic packaging became popular, charcoal is delivered in loose piles on lorries from the kiln, requiring scooping manually to transfer the stock into the shop. The charcoal is then sorted according to sizes and tied tightly into paper-wrapped bundles to prevent humidity absorption. Working ceaselessly, the family’s clothes and fingers are smothered in black dust.

Hanging on the wall at the rear of the shop are uniquely-shaped charcoal, a collection by the two Chong sisters, full of fond childhood memories where they work happily together as a family. Since a young age, they have been helping their father in packaging charcoal, therefore whenever they came across charcoal pieces with special shapes, they would keep these natural artwork. At present, charcoal stock comes with complete plastic packaging, without any need to sort, just unload and arrange. As gas stoves and electrical appliances gained popularity due to being more convenient, demand for charcoal declined steeply, only hawkers and customers who persist in using charcoal will make regular purchases. During festival celebrations, sales increase due to preparing customary cuisine. Their usual pastime is looking after the shop as well as chatting with customers and old neighbours, leading a simple and joyful life.

A daily necessity, a traditional industry, a specialty store. Improvement in living conditions meant elimination of certain elements, the kitchen evolved from a dusty environment into a clean and convenient place. There is still demand for charcoal despite its being outdated.

Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Music : Invisible Beauty

COPYRIGHTS 2020 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Cities developed around waterways, people settled along canals. Sungai Segget, the “Mother River” of Johor Bahru, has been an important marine transportation connection since the city’s cultivation in 1855, the basis of the city’s economic growth. In the earlier days, Chinese forefathers who migrated to Johor Bahru settled along the shores of the 4-kilometre long Sungai Segget which naturally split the city into East and West shores. Spurred by famous entrepreneur Mr Wong Ah Fook, the East shore is full of commercial buildings where consumer and entertainment services prevailed, while the West shore is pioneered by the most powerful Kangchu in Peninsular Malaysia Mr Tan Hiok Nee, its longest avenue Jalan Trus is where the local Chinese community mainly convene.

Johor Bahru underwent drastic changes over the past century. Under the Sungai Segget Rejuvenation Project carried out by the city council, merely 300 metres of the river course remain. An ancient temple and most double-storey shophouses were retained on Jalan Trus, however as Chinese guild halls and enterprises gradually moved out, the area transformed into “Little India” with Indian clothing shops, gold shops, and a few old stores which stood for decades, such as Sin Keng Wah Mattress Shop.

Established in 1964, Sin Keng Wah is known for handmade pure cotton pillows, bolsters, baby cots, and other bedding items, as well as customization services. Formerly, the shop was operated by a Singaporean, whom the father of the current proprietor Mr Yeow used to work for. During the economic malaise leading to Singapore’s separation from Malaysia, he decided to sell out, thus Mr Yeow’s father and elder brother bought over and renamed it to Keng Wah. Now the second generation owner, Mr Yeow Sien Soon prefixed a “New” to the shop name since his succession. All the while, they rented the same shoplot from an old landlord who knows them thoroughly, maintaining a fond relationship as he lives upstairs. The ancient plaque bearing “Eng Seng” which hung on the upper left corner of the shop entrance was the signboard of a grocery store the landlord used to operate.

Founded over half a century, Sin Keng Wah earned a good reputation for quality bedding that are fluffy, well ventilated, has thermoregulation effects, as well as absorbs moisture. Mr Yeow uses natural kapok cotton imported from Thailand, without mixing any impurities. Lately there has been a raised awareness of health benefits using pure cotton bedding, especially people with backaches or night sweats, and even newborn babies. Thus they accumulated regular customers including the Johor royal sultanate. By chance, Mr Yeow accepted plenty of customized orders from the royal family, and often visits the palace to measure the respective furnitures, as well as seeking audience with the Johor sultan. He said in jest that despite facing pressure from the stern guards and His Majesty’s grandeur, he is touched by the sultan’s friendly attitude, greeting him with “Ah Pek” in a sonorous voice.

In this era of mechanization, traditional handmade items are getting increasingly rare. Mr Yeow persisted to manually sew bedding, ensuring that kapok fibres are distributed evenly without bulky bits, so that users could fall asleep comfortably. Moreover, the ability to customize different shapes and angles could not be replaced by machinery. The skills involved in manufacturing bedding could not be mastered within a short timeframe. From picking cotton, pinning threads into place, cutting fabric, measuring inlet, to using a sewing machine, the procedures are very challenging. The flexibility of the fabric needs to be taken into account in order to ensure the finished product meets the correct size. Besides, delicate kapok fluff may cause respiratory irritation. To avoid absorbing moisture during storage, kapok is kept in a stifling storeroom. Poor work conditions increased difficulty to hire employees.

63-year-old Mr Yeow inherited the family business for 46 years, recollecting how other two fellow tradesmen in Johor Bahru closed down due to no successors, he is glad that his eldest son Boon Teck takes over this traditional mattress shop. From being an uninterested layman to getting guidance from his strict father, and taking the initiative to explore this trade, Boon Teck is able to work independently after about ten years. Since graduating in 2000, he gave up his ambition of being a painter to stay and help his father in the family business. Moving on, he recognises the cultural value of this trade and sparked interest in designing new products, as well as utilising social media to expand customer base.

The Yeow family passes on the skills of crafting bedding from father to son, the dented sides of the century-old workbench in Sin Keng Wah is where three generations of tradesmen sharpened needles, witnessing that mastery is achieved from experience. The bedding is not only stuffed with pure kapok, but also cultural heritage and warm feelings.

Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Music : Tido Kang from YouTube

COPYRIGHTS 2020 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD