UNINESS

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

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“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

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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

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