Ripples: Yap Hong Ngee at 80 – Looking Ahead

A touch of red at the end of the golden-green spiral sparked curiosity in the sparrow and it hopped over to take a closer look. Mr Yap Hong Ngee’s Chinese ink paintings are bright and funny, reflecting his inner child. In conjunction with his 80th birthday, “Ripples: Yap Hong Ngee at 80 – Looking Ahead” was held at the Oriental Art & Cultural Center in Kuala Lumpur from 4th to 12th November 2023, where 138 paintings were put on exhibition, both old friends and new ones were welcomed to meet and exchange views.

Three years ago, the epidemic hit and disrupted our peaceful lives. Mr Yap likened it to a huge stone thrown into the lake of the heart, causing ripples in the form of concentric circles. When he stayed at home in compliance with the movement control order and was bored, he expressed his feelings through his paintbrush, which resulted in a series of works. Later, when he planned this exhibition, he used ripples as the theme to connect three recurring elements in the paintings: stones, sparrows, and flowers.

Mr Yap draws inspiration from trivial things in life, blends personal experience into the paper, and imbues them with deep meaning. Stones symbolize solidity and permanence; sparrows are lively and chirping; flowers and plants symbolize the changing seasons, fragile and fleeting life. The painting that seems to be completed in three or two strokes within moments showcases the artist’s skills accumulated after years of experience. The subjects of the paintings are easy to understand, and the inscriptions are made up of straightforward or inherently funny words, which not only attract the attention of the audience, but also trigger them to think and explore.

Looking at a painting from different perspectives will give you different views. Although Mr Yap has been famous for many years, he has always remained humble and believes that his works do not need to be perfect, just as his conduct in life should be moderate. He does not seek to fill up the picture when he paints, as he believes that there is the possibility of development if there is space, leaving blank spaces for the audience to fill in. In Mr Yap’s opinion, if a painting can attract people to stop and take a second look, reflect on it and make their own assumptions, it is a great piece of work that touches people’s hearts and resonates.

Despite being elderly, Mr Yap still looks forward to the future with a positive attitude. In conjunction with his 80th birthday, this exhibition serves to invite people from all walks of life to celebrate his continuous efforts in art and painting. He set a personal goal to hold at least one art exhibition every year to motivate himself to stay active Having been painting for more than sixty years, Mr Yap has never intended to retire. Even if he can no longer hold a paintbrush, he will find another way to express and present his artwork. Perhaps this is why his paintings always reveal a tenacious vitality and contain strong emotions.

Ripples encircle stones, sparrows and flowers. One after another, color and ink paintings gather the ordinary bits and pieces of life to create meaning. Paintings notwithstanding, Mr Yap Hong Ngee’s excellent advice is “be yourself”. Experience and cherish every moment in order to lead a fulfilling and happy life.

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

COPYRIGHTS 2023 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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Kim Hock Bakery

The morning mist gradually dispersed under the gentle sun rays, at the same time in Ayer Tawar New Village, thick white smoke slowly rose from the rear end of a double-storey wooden house next to the community garden. Locals are familiar with this sight, knowing that it is not a fire, but a sign that Kim Hock Bakery is open today. The second generation owner, Hwa Kia Hwa, piled rubber wood and dried coconut shells into the wood-fired oven, then lit the fire at 9A.M. for four hours of pre-heating.

The oven stands at two metres high, three metres wide and three metres deep. It is built with red mud bricks and cement. Its inner insulation layer is made of heat storage materials such as broken glass and coarse salt. Firewood is kindled within the oven, the temperature rose, allowing the oven walls to absorb and store the heat. After cleaning out the remaining ash, the residual heat is used for baking. Unlike ordinary ovens with adjustable heating elements, it is heated only once to sustain the whole day, which is only enough to bake a few batches of bread.

Hwa Kia Hwa grew up surrounded by the bread aroma, and helped his parents after school. After graduating from high school in 1968, he intended to pursue other careers, but at his father’s request, he inherited the family business and learned traditional bread baking skills. His father passed away in 1979, his mother continued to work until she breathed her last, Hwa Kia Hwa and his three younger sisters (Puah Yuat Mooi, Puah Guat Soon, and Puah Juan Nam) jointly manage the bakery for decades. It is still a family-run production, without employing workers. Hwa’s son Alvin worked outside for some years before choosing to return and take over as the third generation successor.

The wood-fired oven is difficult to handle due to inability to measure or control the temperature, relying on accumulation of experience to gauge the temperature and to predict how long the baking process may take. Puah Juan Nam uses a long-handled wooden peel to transfer proofed bread into the oven, fully utilizing the space to neatly arrange 42 baking pans. When baking is completed, she has to endure high temperatures to slowly and skilfully removing the breads. She alone is able to master this important task, hence nicknamed “The Oven’s Nanny”. 

Due to limited capacity and heat efficiency, Kim Hock Bakery bakes four rounds of bread daily, at a fixed production rate using 75 kilograms of flour plus other ingredients. In early days, bread dough is mixed by hand, a toilsome task. In the 1970s, a custom-made mixer was installed to ease the burden. The remaining procedures are still carried out manually, such as stir-frying desiccated coconut fillings on the wood-fired stove, bread shaping, placing onto baking trays to proof, inserting fillings and packaging. Such is their way of bread-making. The best-sellers are Hainanese white loaf, coconut buns, and red bean paste buns. Recently, new items such as pumpkin buns and muffins are also introduced.

Apart from regular customers and occasional tourists, Kim Hock Bakery established long-term business relationships with traditional coffee shops, mamak stalls, and traditional grocers in the vicinity. In the past, the founder had to deliver breads on a bicycle, riding more than ten miles in distance. It was not until they acquired a car in the 1970s that the delivery process became easier. Roti Kok has a high market demand, which they find it hard to meet despite daily production of minimum 200 packs.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, tight market competitions caused sales to plummet. Fortunately the siblings work together hand in glove to overcome the difficulties. Trending food nostalgia coupled with media exposure drove up demand for traditional bread. Although the wood-fired oven has become a signature attraction, Kim Hock Bakery now faces another challenge: firewood shortage. What once were vast rubber estates in the nearby areas are now planted with palm instead. Rubber wood has to be sourced elsewhere, which led to increased costs.

Food aroma is comforting. Kim Hock Bakery, as the only Hainanese family within Ayer Tawar New Village where FuZhounese makes up the majority, keeps up a comfortable daily life by baking bread with their wood-fired oven, allowing nostalgic flavours to continue their legacy.

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

COPYRIGHTS 2023 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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Fuzhou Mooncakes in Ayer Tawar

The old-fashioned paper package is topped with a festive red brand flyer, tightly knotted with a thin string. Untie the string, remove the flyer, unwrap the paper package to reveal 12 small, round savoury mooncakes. Grab a piece and break apart layers of flaky crust, the filling is packed with umami, mildly oniony, with a hint of sweetness, yielding a springy texture. In Ayer Tawar, a small town in Perak where most of the population originated from FuZhou, savoury mooncakes are a Mid-Autumn Festival staple, perfect for gifting or own consumption, selling out fast when the season draws near.

The moon is exceptionally bright in mid-autumn, signifying a bountiful harvest in ancient agrarian societies, hence people pay homage to the moon, and mooncakes were originally an offering for the moon deity. Since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the custom of admiring the beauty of the full moon while indulging in mooncakes, as well as gifting mooncakes, gained popularity and imbued mooncakes with cultural significance. To the FuZhounese pioneers of Ayer Tawar, traditional festivals sustain their earnest longings for their hometown. Back when resources were scarce, mooncakes were a precious delicacy, sharing among family members symbolizes unity and togetherness.

Most commonly seen are Cantonese-style mooncakes with soft glossy crust and sweet dense fillings. However, savoury mooncakes are SuZhou-style with flaky crust and savoury fillings, baked in a traditional grill oven. The savoury filling is made using pork containing both fat and lean portions, which is chopped by hand to ensure a supple texture instead of a sticky mince. Seasoned with salt, pepper, five spices, peanuts, sesame seeds, and green onions, it imparts a rich aroma after stir-frying. Lard is incorporated into the pastry dough to form a layered flaky crust, then manually insert the filling. The wrapped mooncakes are transferred onto a charcoal grill pan and covered with a charcoal-fired lid, baked on both sides for about 10 minutes until well done. 

Apart from savoury mooncakes, lard shortbread cookies are also a festive treat in Ayer Tawar. Made using steamed flour combined with castor sugar, eggs and lard to form a crumbly dough, pressed into wooden moulds, knocked to dislodge the pressed cookies, which are then neatly arranged onto trays to be oven-baked. Lard shortbread cookies can be eaten on its own, or made into a drink by adding hot water.

Fried glutinous rice sticks is a must-have during Mid-Autumn Festival family and friends gatherings. It is nicknamed “Mice Biscuits” due to its resemblance to newborn mice. Cute, crispy, and highly enjoyable, its production process is in fact cumbersome and time-consuming, with various factors affecting the success rate. The dough is made of glutinous rice flour, water, and yeast. After fermentation, the dough is rolled out and manually cut into inch-long strips, which are deep-fried until puffed up and golden in colour, then set aside and let cool. The fried glutinous rice sticks are first coated in a boiling maltose and sugar syrup, immediately followed by a layer of steamed flour. Excess flour is sifted off and it is ready.

Siew Hua Biscuits is among the few bakeries still producing traditional Chinese pastries in Ayer Tawar. Mid-Autumn Festival goodies such as savoury mooncakes, lard shortbread cookies, and fried glutinous rice sticks are only produced and sold in the month preceding the festival. Due to all items being freshly made with natural ingredients and no preservatives added, the shelf life is quite short, therefore orders need to be placed in advance, be it local pickup or interstate delivery. The second generation owner, 71-year-old Yak Sing King, said that he has retired and his son Yak Chou Liong is now in charge, yet he still toils away in the kitchen. The family members and a couple of workers start production from the wee hours till around 10P.M.

Gifting savoury mooncakes, lard shortbread cookies, and fried glutinous rice sticks together, the bulging paper package is full of delicious treats and sincere wishes from the giver.

Nowadays, these traditional foods do not conform to mainstream healthy eating habits, however they retain Fuzhou folk customs and etiquette, and reflect the cultural significance of traditional festivals.

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

COPYRIGHTS 2023 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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