January 31, 2010

Disappearing Miri : Grated Coconut and Copra

Look at all these coconut husks! They have been lying on the five foot way after a morning's business has been done. But don't worry they won't be wasted as they will be used to make brushes.

the mature flesh of the coconut has been scooped out and sold for domestic uses like cooking of curry or making of nasi lemak.

think for a moment. Can we Malaysians actually live without coconuts?

Grated coconut is a dominant ingredient in Malay and Malaysian cuisine.

Nasi Lemak is not nasi lemak without the coconut milk and its fragrance. But with industrial technology being encouraged in the country and in some other countries too the traditional industry of opening an old coconut and taking the flesh out for grating seems to be something of the past.

I have not even seen the traditional coconut grater for a long time. And I must say I have tried to take a photograph of it but in vain.

These photos were taken near Kampong Luak in Miri and the young Indonesian maid was sporting enough to allow me to take her pictures. The shop is one of the very few old shops selling machine grated coconut at the front part of the shop. Old coconuts or copra take up a lot of shop space according to the shop keeper. But for convenience most housewives use packet coconut milk today. I use freshly grated coconut only when I have plenty of time and for certain recipes.


This is the mature coconut flesh taken from the coconuts and is a tedious work done by a patient worker. Two types of grated coconut can be bought in this shop. There is the white one (which means the brown skin is taken off by machine) and the normal one with the brown skin still attached to the grated coconut. Grated coconut must be used on the day it is grated if possible to maintain its sweetness and freshness.


This young girl is from Indonesia and she is very adept in using the special knife to remove the mature flesh from the coconut shell.


"How am I doing?"



This is a very special knife for scouring the mature flesh out of the shell which prevents the flesh from breaking into pieces.


Palmae, the palm family, to which the coconut belongs, is one of the oldest and most diverse of the plant families. The distribution of the coconut palm extends over most of the tropical islands and coasts. In South America however it has been recorded as far south as 27° and in North America, as far north as 25°.

The coconut palm is not simply an attractive addition to tropical islands and coasts, it is one of the most valuable plants to man. In Sanskrit the coconut palm is called “kalpa vriksha”, which roughly translated means “Tree of Life”


The fibrous trunk produces a wood known as porcupine wood, which is prime building material, and the huge frondy leaves are woven together to produce roof thatches, which last up to three or four years. When the fronds are stripped they can be used for lashing logs together, making baskets, mats and many other household items. The fibrous husk of the coconut known as “coir”– which is there to cushion the inner nut when it falls several meters to the ground, produces fibers for a kind of rope called “sennit”. The meat and liquid obtained from the fruit are used for a variety of foods and beverages, and the empty shells are made into household utensils such as spoons and bowls. The empty shells can also be used to make an excellent charcoal, which works as a cooking fuel and is also used in the production of gas masks and air filters.


Perhaps many of us have forgotten the word copra. Copra refers to the meat which is left to dry in the sun and it is from this coconut oil is extracted .

The residue is used for animal feed. And a long time ago chicken farmers and housewives used to buy it at about 10 cents per kati. Chickens fed on it were fat and tasty.

But this is a disappearing business and the neighbourhood shop would no longer have this kind of service once the demand is gone! So in a way I am lucky as I live next to a big kampong.

Black bone chicken - Gallus domesticus



No photo description available.




Latin: Gallus domesticus


In China, there is a special species of rooster, the black-bone chicken Gallus gallus domesticus (var.) Linnaeus, of the Phasianidae family. The black-bone chicken is short, with a small head but a short neck. The black-bone chicken is originated in Taihe County, east of Wushan mountain in the Jiangxi province of China. It has been raised for over 2,000 years there. It has evolved, however, and is now grown in many countries. In some countries the black-bone chickens are cultivated as pets for their silky, fur-like appearance.

In China, depending on the location that the chicken is raised, it could be differentiated into different kinds, such as white-feather-black-bone, black-feather-black-bone, black-bone-black-meat, white-meat-black-bone, and so on. In other countries, the colors of the feathers are becoming much better in quality and has different variety through breeding. Other than the original white, nowadays one can spot it in black, blue, buff, grey and brown.

In Chinese folklore, there is a fairy tale that goes with the black-bone chicken. It is said that the celestial Lu Dongbing made pills of immortality on Tiger-nose Peak long, long ago. Tiger-nose Peak is also known as Two-finger Peak of the Wushan Mountain in Taihe. On the day when the pills of immortality were successfully made, Lu Dongbing invited other celestial beings to the celebration party, including Tie Guaili, Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, He Xiangu, Lan Caihe, Han Xiangzi, and Cao Guojiu.

When the celestial beings were drinking wine, a pair of wild chicken flew from the forest into the pill-making pool and ate the pills of immortality. The chickens then became a pair of white phoenix. Lu Dongbing was not glad and reported to Buddha Guanying, but Buddha Guanying smiled and said: "It's a good opportunity for them to live on earth." Buddha Guanying pointed at the Tiger-nose Peak, and the white phoenix immediately became silky fowl.

The site for making pills of immortality in the fairy tale can still be seen at the Two-finger Peak of Wushan. There is a spring, known as "pill-making pool." The pool is about 20 cm deep. The spring water there is clear and sweet. In summer, tourists and passers would come by and drink the water there. What is strange is that the Spring Pool never overflows and cannot be depleted even drunk by many people.

The orthodox Taihe Black-Bone Chicken has ten apparent characteristics: blue comb, green earlobes, five toes, bearded, feathered shanks, white silky feathers, crest, black bones, black muscles and black skin. The white silky feather is the unique feature of the Taihe chicken when compared to the other black-bone birds.

In the Tang Dynasty, the 'maifengdanyao,' which has the black-bone chicken as the main ingredient, was thought to be the cure-all medicine for the gynecological diseases. The famous medicinal book written during the Ming Dynasty titled Compendium of Materia Medica says that Taihe Old Chicken is a tonic and nourishing food to treat women's diseases. It enriches blood and builds up the health.

Taihe chicken was named 'Wushan Chicken' by Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty. The story goes that in the early years of the Qing Dynasty, there was a person whose name was Tu Wenxuan in Wushan, Taihe. This person sent the silky fowl to the Emperor Qian Long. The Emperor ate the chicken and found it delicious. Then Tu Wenxuan was appointed as an official and the Taihe Chicken was named as 'Wushan Chicken' by the Emperor.

Taihe chicken also has been distinguished and admired abroad. In 1915, China sent the silky fowl to Panama Pacific & International Fair and won a gold prize for the silky fowl due to its unique characteristics.

When the Chinese leaders visited Thailand in 1983, they presented 20 eggs from the Jiangxi Taihe Wushan Original Chinese Farm as diplomatic gifts.

Taihe chicken is also favored as food. Its muscle fiber is fine and tender. Chicken soup made with it is tasty and refreshing. Its unique flavor makes it a special dish in a banquet. It could also make a precious medicinal dish when cooked with herbs.

Why does the Taihe chicken has such outstanding nutritional and medical value? Research conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that it is due to the peculiar natural conditions in Wushan, especially due to Wushan spring water which contains various minerals. It is said that the original silky fowls drink spring water, eat worms in the forest and wild grass there. There is a local saying that it is impossible to raise Wushan chicken without Wushan water.

For many years Taihe people have made many kinds of products and benefited from Taihe chicken. They have made a series of tonic liquors and nourishing foods, such as 'Wuji Baifen Wan', 'Wuji Shenjijing' (refinement of black-bone chicken with ginseng and wolfberry fruit), 'Wuji Bujiu' (black-bone chicken tonic liquor), 'Wuji Mairujing' (black-bone chicken with extract of malt and milk), etc. The 'Taihe Wuji Bujiu' is one of the four famous Chinese gift liquors. In the Taihe country brewery, black-bone chicken mixed with Chinese angelica, dangshen and 14 other traditional Chinese medicinal herbs are steeped in liquor for three to four months, then stored for six months. It takes ten months to make Taihe Wuji Bujiu.

In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a disaster that killed almost all people and silky fowl in Wushan. In the 1930's, two scientists in Jiangxi province collected 10 Taihe Silkie, with 2 cocks and 8 hens from the peasants, in order to save the silky fowl which was on the brink of extinction.

Until 1938, silky fowls that remained in Taihe only numbered in the hundreds. In 1944, the Japanese attacked and occupied Nanchang, then bombed Taihe. The original Taihe silky fowls were almost totally wiped out. In order to protect the original Taihe silky fowl, scientists there disguised as peasants, at the risk of life, to raise the silky fowl until the end of the war.

In 1959, the Jiangxi Taihe Wushan Original Chinese Farm was established. Located in Wushan, the farm is set up with the unique purpose of raising the original Taihe silky fowl.

Wushan Chicken is the original Taihe Silky Chicken, or the China Taihe original silky fowl. Within Taihe County, other than Wushan, the silky fowl is raised in other places; but these chickens are named 'Taihe Chickens,' and cannot be named as 'Wushan Chickens.' When the silky fowl is raised in other districts besides Taihe County, it is usually named as Zhusi Chicken.

An original adult Wushan chicken weighs 1,250 grams with a growth period of 180 days on the average. It is maintained that this chicken is far more nutritious as a tonic than the ordinary chicken, especially for women.

To identify a black-bone chicken, just examine its tongue. A black tongue indicates it is a black-bone chicken.

Researchers in poultry breeding and genetics have discovered that the unusual pigmentation in the black-bone chicken breed--in the skin, bones, connective tissues, muscles and tendons, and some other internal parts--is due to the combination of two genes. It happens when the dominant fibromelanosis gene, 'Fm', which causes the black pigment (melanin) in black-bone chicken, works in combination with the recessive allele of the sex-linked inhibitor of dermal pigment gene with the symbol 'id'. As a result, modern breeders should be able to make any breed of chicken "black-boned," by incorporating these two genes. See R.D. Crawford, ed., Poultry Breeding and Genetics, Elsevier, 1990.

Also spelled as Black-boned Chicken, or called Silky Fowl, Silkie Bantam.


January 30, 2010

Cinemas of Yesteryears in Sibu


This is the Palace Theatre. It was a big theatre and very stately. Many people enjoyed going to the theatre for good movies.



the Lido was owned by the Foochows and was built before the Second World War. My grandfather was one of the first owners. Later the Foochow group sold the cinema to Dr. Chiu Nai Ding, who then sold to the Shaw Brothers. At the beginning only Indian movies were shown, and my mother lived in one of the apartments agove the cinema when my father was the temporary manager. Later my father was given a job with my grand father and my parents moved to Pulau Kerto to look after the Ice Factory, where I was born,

No photo description available.

this is the Rex Cinema of Sibu. It was considered a small cinema and was also owned by a group of Foochow men. Many film stars came to promote their movies. 

Interestingly Rex Cinema was used by the British Military Administration to raise money for social welfare. Some funds were raised to help build the MacCarthy Lodge, a home for the Aged in Sibu. In fact Dr. Chee Suk Chew led the Sibu Chinese Community together with the army personnel raised more funds through a lottery and film shows.No photo description available.

The Cathay Cinema was built much later. When it started operation, people were so happy because it was air conditioned and every one enjoyed going there. However when people smoked in the cinema every one had a head ache.

We were all very friendly with the door man so that we could sneak in with just one ticket for three or four kids. The reserved seats were very good but we often met the Roman Catholic priests who spent most evenings watching English movies.

Those were the days. Great memories.

2010 Blacksmith Road of Sibu

I had wanted to write about "Blacksmith Road" for sometime. Before writing I wished that its name would never be changed to Jalan Tukang Besi! But my fears became reality when I went back to Sibu recently. Indeed the name has been changed and the new generation would never know that the road was once called in English "Blacksmith Road".(see above photo by Wong Meng Lei)

However the name "Blacksmith Road" will remain in the minds and  hearts  of my generation for a long long time.

That's where I spent most of my primary school days : afternoon classes meant we had some extra money for a chendol. When we had an aunt visiting we could have an extra bowl of noodles (without meat which was cheaper). When grandma from Sg. Maaw came we could watch two or three movies in one weekend in the Lido or the Rex! And of course all Foochows would have their wedding feasts catered for in Hock Chu Leu. How I loved the siew mai there. And at times I would just sit in front of the Chiu Nai Ding Clinic and watch the WORLD go by.

Blacksmith Road was a happening place then!! And I think it is still that special place in Sibu.

This road has such a special place in my heart.

Jalan Tukang Besi? The Hit Iron (Literal translation) Road?

It  seems strange now to read the name in Bahasa Malaysia. But as I walked along it last week I still have the same nostalgic feelings. I had that special longing to see an old friend or two popping up at corners. Sadly  most of the familiar faces have all gone. And the Beatles' "In My Life" kept playing in my mind. Yes  there are places I remember....but most have gone.....I have loved them all.....

This is the famous Hock Chu Lou (which literally means Mansion where Foochows Gather Together)According to my sources it has been around since the 1930's. I think it should be part of our Foochow Heritage Site.

This is the Goldsmith  Tieng Aik Shop which was established by the Sii family. After old Mrs. Sii handed over the shop to the son the shop operated for a while until very recently when the shop changed its signboard I suppose. The characters have almost the same pronunciation. One of the Sii daughters went to school with me like all her other siblings and so did her  nieces and nephews. Her own children went to the Methodist School too.

(The Chinese came to South East Asia with three "knives" only - scissors - choppers or cleavers - and razors and they prospered)

This men's tailor shop has been making trousers (western style or Ang Mo Koh - have you ever wondered why?) since I was a little girl. Still there and the smell of the wool is still there as I remember it when I visited it last week. The sewing machines are still the same. But the old towkay has left this world and the new one does not know me. We have allowed a whole library of knowledge slipped through.

By the way I was told that if the shop name starts with "Kwong" than the towkay is a Cantonese. If the shop name starts with "Hock" then it belongs to a Foochow.

When I was just "one bale of material tall" I liked to put my cheeks against the wool all rolled up and standing in the shop  and feel the tingling on the skin. If I remained silent I could listen to the gossips exchanging between my grandmother and the other ladies standing along the five foot way.May be that was how I got all the stories recorded in my brain.


This is the Tian Bien Hoo Shop (so Pauline from Kanowit if you are reading this...go to Blacksmith Road Sibu and look for Hin Wuong  at the back and along an alley..) which has been run by the same family for three generations. The grand father was assistant to the original tian bien hoo towkay Mr. Yew.  Here the fish balls are always fresh. The rice flour used is of good quality. And how I love the fusion of dried squid and lily bulbs in the soup!! A dash or two of ground pepper will bring you to gourmets' heaven.



This is the alley leading to the Hing Wuong Tian Bian Hoo shop. Motor cycles have replaced bicycles today. Just before going to the shop we little girls had to count our coins all tied up in our handkerchiefs first. Did we have enough?


Tian Bian Hoo is no longer just enjoyed by the Foochows only. These two Iban ladies who sell langsat (a backyard home grown fruit ) are enjoying a quick brunch. They are cheerful customers like all the rest who patronise this shop and the operators are very friendly and courteous. Very 1Sarawak. Not halal though so cannot claim 1Malaysia.

Wan Hin is now a coffee shop. It claimed to be the earliest Kompia makers of Sibu. It was actually the Toh Family's Biscuit Shop and their biscuits and kompia were famous up and down the Rajang Valley.

The proprietors were very kind people who sold the "seconds" of kompia ( not flat and beautiful ones) at a lower price. Those who did not mind would buy them - more for their hungry children. Today most people would choose and choose the best for their children and for themselves. How time has changed.

Hope these photos will provide some nostalgia for those who are not going back to Sibu for the Chinese New Year.

p/s Thanks Meng Lei for providing the first two photos.




Aroma of Coffee Roasting in a Back Lane


This is part of my childhood in Sibu. The aroma of coffee roasting, the intricate smell of Golden Church butter and the fresh crisp small of burning charcoal remain in my mind.

This photograph is such a good reminder and we should keep it for posterity.

January 29, 2010

Eating Dog Meat and Drinking Wine

I was teased recently by a group of visitors. "Do you eat dog meat?"

This is the season to eat dog meat traditionally in South China. And with one of the coldest spells of winter in the last 30 years in Asia many people have taken special precautions to "heat up" their bodies. A traditional method is the eating of dog meat and drinking brandy or rice wine.

Caution : Those who have abhorrence of reading about dog meat eating please stop reading here......







Dog meat eating is nothing new in Asia.

Some people I know used to regale friends and acquaintances with stories of their escapades in the eating of dog meat and other exotic meats in some friendly restaurants in Sibu. I suppose officials in bygone days usually turned a blind eye and remained sporting. Some would have even joined such dog meat eating parties all for the sake of gaining some good health .


A few of my friends even took trips overseas and overland in fact to eat dog meat in Thailand and now Vietnam. Taiwanese restaurants serve good dog meat dishes too. There are no laws there against dog meat selling.





And I remember several times a long time ago my Sibu relatives could even buy black dogs to slaughter to brew some special hot pots to help the elderly gain their strength back after a bout of illness. In fact some older sinseh even suggest a pot of dog meat stew or two when strength seems to fail . Special herbs are available to cook the dog meat. However with the Sibu Municipal Council and the SPCA getting stronger dog meat eating is rarely heard of nowadays.

We Chinese have a saying "Hanging goat head to sell dog meat" which refers to fraudulence practices. But it could be literally true too as most people would not sell dog meat publicly.

In fact once in Sibu one of my black dog disappeared and I suspected that one of my "naughty" neighbours had taken him to his pot. I never would adopt any more black dogs after that. Mine are now either white or brown or spotted in black and brown. Black dogs usually end up in someone's pot (even those with license plates).

However I have heard that Sarikei is very well known for dog meat eating. Some some VIPs (sorry!)are even given special treats of the delicious and health giving meat. According to a friend they have the "jalan".

And as a cure for asthma dog meat is really good according to one old wife who continually gave her husband the dog meat treatment for several years. Finally according to her he was really cured. Believe it or not!! Saveral members of my family have asthma but they have never tried.

It is not for me to say that dog meat eating should be banned because eating of dog meat is a folk custom. I know many would condemn outright the eating of dog meat. And again some would also say that if it is really for a medicinal purpose then it is alright to eat dog meat. We have to consider animal rights and the health concerns surrounding dog meat which could be diseased etc. And please do not eat my dog.

My neighbour has a beautiful Alsatian and I do not think I could eat him. He is so lovely and he keeps good guard along all the fences. Remember the Ten Commandments "Thou shalt not covet your neighbour's dog/wife/bonzai."

But it can be one's personal choice to eat or not to eat.



All photos are from Google Images.
My sincere apologies to all those who eat dog meat for specific purposes.

January 28, 2010

Jasmine Tea and Foochow Kompia

There are many famous local legends around Jasmine Tea and Kompia the round and remarkably tastey Foochow palm sized bun which is akin to a mini baquette.





The Photo : Simple life at its best.

When the late multi millionaire Lau Nai Huat was a young and hardworking rubber tapper he collected rubber scraps besides harvesting rubber latex as early as 3 a.m. in the 50's and 60's.

Whenever he took the motor launch to Sibu it would only be on days when he could sell his rubber sheets.

The first thing he bought was a string of 10  kompia which would be his breakfast and lunch. Kompia during his time was ten for ten cents. After that he would deal with the rubber middle men at Hock Chiong. When business was done he went for his usual movie at Lido or the Rex. Again he would only buy the cheapest of seats in the front.

I can still remember as a child how he with his Fuzhou umbrella would sit alone in the front and enjoy a Huang Mei Tiau movie like "The Beauty and the Kingdom" (Chiang Shan Mei Ren) starring Lin Dai and Chou Lei. He would chew his kompia when he got hungry. Lau never sat in a coffee shop unless his friends invited him. (There is another legend involving this)

He later had big shares in timber and his children and descendants are all over the world every one of them millionaires.

Jasmine tea is well known amongst the Foochows as a cleansing drink. Jasmine tea originated in the Foochow district of the Fujian Province where jasmine flowers grow abundantly and have the best fragrance in the world. Timber workers were provided free Jasmine tea in a huge cask in sawmills. School children were also given free tea by the Headmaster . This practice was very prevalent in the 1950's and 1960's.

According to a local legend a few of the oldest Foochow men and women lived more than 100 years because of their tea drinking practice.

So do have the habit of drinking Jasmine Tea. And we used to say chewing kompia makes one as rich as Lau Nai Huat.

January 27, 2010

The Unique Lady Sape Player - Jennifer Santa Liman

Jennifer Santa Liman a Sarawak born Iban lady lawyer is famous for her accoustic sape playing. And for the record (Guiness or otherwise) she is the only female Sape player from Sarawak of good repute. Sape players from Sarawak for centuries have been men only. For that she deserves a pat on her back.

If she is in China she would be considered a national treasure and would be receiving a national pension every month.

Recently at the 2010 Legal Year Opening Gala Dinner in Sibu she staged a remarkable performance probably never seen before by most of the learned audience. Her talented and nimble fingers flew across the sape and produced some ethereal music bringing the sape to a wider world audience.

Jennifer is a friendly and soft spoken young lady from Kuching and has been playing the sape for more than five years.

She is self taught and plays by ear. But not having formal music education does not mean that she cannot play classical numbers. Her "Amazing Grace" number was most impressive.

This sape was hand made specifically for her from a single tree from the Baram.



The sape is a traditional lute of many of the Orang Ulu or "upriver people"of Sarawak and Central Borneo. Sapes are carved from a single bole of wood, with many modern instruments reaching over a metre in length. Here in the photo you can see that her sape is more than a metre long.

Initially the sape was a fairly limited instrument with two strings and only three frets. Its use was restricted to a form of ritualistic music to induce trance. In the last century, the sape gradually became a social instrument to accompany dances or as a form of entertainment.

Jennifer's sape is a four string instrument and is therefore very versatile.

You can also find her on Youtube.

ref: http://www.asza.com


January 26, 2010

Renovated Ching Ang Church as Local Museum

In 1901 the first batch of Foochows arrived in Sibu under the guidance of Wong Nai Siong and accompanied by Bishop Warne. Most of the pioneers were from the Ming Ching area of Fuzhou and they were mainly settled in Sg. Merah. When the second batch of pioneers arrived it was decided that the Kutiens should be given the Ensurai area. Later these Kutien pioneers parcelled out the land and called the villages Siong Poh (Upper Area) and Ah Poh (Lower Area) and a remarkable place was called Or Dieh(or within the river. Some people would recognise it in terms of Hanoi as I did before). Thus was born the area in Sibu famous for people with money and style. Indeed a kind of Rich and Famous area.

But more importantly the people were God fearing and orderly. Led by Ting Hing Chung the area prospered and built a church and two school . Sg. Sadit or Or Dieh became well known as a prosperous settlement with hardworking Kutiens. Ting Ing Mieng and Senator Ting Ming Hoi (to name two) were all born here.

Recently their Ching Ang Church (circa 1924) was partially damaged by fire. Within months the community leaders and congregation began reconstruction and renovation. Soon it will be completed and become a community based local museum.


This is the facade of the wooden church. There are three doors and three bell towers following the original design (Rev. Hoover). The highest bell tower has three small towers. the best tropical wood has been used .

One of the pastors reading the special 1926 Bible (published in China)

This is an orginal photo of Rev and Mrs. James Hoover saved from the fire.

Iban construction workers have taken over Foochow labourers - a remarkable change James Hoover would be happy about.


Yong Chong Chung - former Methodist School student now a leading community elder

Belian wood tiles and wooden windows in blue (original colour)

Meng Lei sharing with the others.




One of the three Church doors.

This church will be a museum and a gathering place for future church activities.


A brief history of Ching Ang Tong (Church of True Peace)

Struggles at the beginning
From 1903 to 1905 the small Methodist congregation at Sg. Sadit worshipped in the homes of members. At the end of 1906 Ting Sieng Ong and his friends Ting Tieng Soon and Tang nguong Chie proposed to build an attap roofed church . However the following year Rev Wong King Huo and the other settlement leaders with about 10 families agreed to build a church called Hock Ang Tong.

Japanese Occupation
Like all other pioneering settlements the beginnings were often a little chaotic due to economic upheaval and furthermore faced with downward spiraling of rubber prices the small congregation of Sg. Sadit worshipped in the Kwong Hwa Assembly Hall. It was in 1941 that the actual wooden church called Ching Ang Tong was constructed. But then the Japanese Occupation stopped all Christian worship until the end of the Japanese Period in 1946.

Interesting and remarkable artifacts

1. 1934 - Three wooden tablets carved on belian and then mounted on a second piece of belian. No termite could eat away these carved words. These three tablets are hanged at the front of the new church. The artist was from Sg. Merah and it did not take him long to carve the words of the Lord’s Prayer; the Apostle’s Creed and the Ten Commandments. This could be the only ones found in the world.
2. 1946 – Special candle stand with seven candlesticks (“…and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches...” Revelations ) presented to the church by Rev. Ling
3. 1950’s – the specially carved wooden altar was presented by the church elder Madam Ting Tiing Sing and the specially carved pastor’s church was present by Yong Su Tuong.

4. 1947 Ting Hing Choon commissioned local artist Lau Mang to paint Jesus in Gathesame on the reverse on glass. This huge glass painting still hangs above the door of the church.
5. 1960 – Two special rice jars made in Sibu were bought by Rev Ling Ung Lik for parsonage use.


The opening ceremony will be on 28th Feb 2010.

January 24, 2010

Kwong Hwa School of Sibu : 2010 Visit

My father did a bit of temperary teaching in this school.

It has always been a pride of the local Sibu Foochow pioneers and population.

But the school did have a turbulent history, sort of .


Kwong Hwa School was named just Kwong Hwa School. Not Middle School, or Secondary School.


Mr. Wong Hee Way - one of the nicest principals of Kwong Hua School.

(His anecdote : when he was sitting for his Middle Three Exam, he just had three more words to write when the chief examiner said "Pens Down." He wrote his three words. The Chief Examiner came to his desk and demanded that he erased those three words written after his order of "Pens Down".

Mr. Wong was traumatised for the rest of his life. As a teacher he was kind to his students but he will never forget the hurt he felt that day.

If I had been the Chief examiner I would have permitted that. Those three words might have made a difference in a person's life.


Sun Yat Sen's signature

Kwang Hua school had a special gazebo, to welcome every one arriving by motor launches. It had a special jetty too .






Today the gazebo is just an old vintage artifact which stands as a testimony to the historical nature of the school and the area.



This school was blessed by a huge bell, probably purchased by the first Foochow pioneers. A school and a church must have bells. Today the bell acts as a table leg.



The library of the school.



The new building of the school

Art in Church

This painting of Jesus praying in the garden of Gathesamy was done by Lau Mang, a Sibu artist. He was a very thin man and I remember him as a man who liked to wear white shirts and white trousers. We seldom saw him in town but before Chinese new year he would visit the rich towkays and sell them his Chinese New Year Spring couplets. That was how I came to know about him in the first place.

The Chinese towkays loved to hate him. That was what they said about him and I remember that. But they did offer him some angpows when he came around. It was really true then, artists never made enough to fill their stomachs and they could not starve to death.

This painting graced the Masland Church at Island Road and I would look at it from Primary One to Primary Six.

Many years later I returned to Sibu for a visit. The old Masland Church was not longer standing but this painting was found in Kwang Hua Church, at the back of a new church building, no longer in the front, as it was in the Masland Church.

Instead, the three tablets, carved on belian wood, are placed at the front of the church.

I was told that these three wooden tablets were carved by a remarkable artist from Sg. Merah, Sibu. Awesome.

Hallelujah.


Revisiting Su Lai Primary School

I felt as if I was visiting a studio in Hong Kong  making a 1930's movie.

It was a nice sunny and hot Thursday morning (after several days of rain)when I had a chance to revisit this old and abandoned primary school located in Ensurai the area our Foochow pioneers started their agricultural projects in 1901.

Since many of the Foochow settlers have moved to the town of Sibu the elders and community leaders thought that the Primary School should also be relocated in Sibu. Not too long ago the new Su Lai Primary School was established in Sibu.

Stepping into the lower floor with all the wooden floor having rotted away my mind was full of past images and noises...all of a sudden I could hear children's ghostly voices resounding upstairs. My imagination went on overdrive. I could even hear the voice of my relatives teaching Chinese lessons.


The lower floor was the assembly hall to commemorate the contributions of Mr and Mrs. Lau Kah Tii. (My maternal grandfather Lau Kah Chui was the second brother of Kah Tii.) The usual photos  honouring Mr. and Mrs. Lau hanging on the beam remain there for some reasons. It is a common practice for the Foochows in particular to name a hall after the benefactor. Mr. Lau Kah Tii was an exceptional man who would always include his wife in his benevolent activities.

The name of the school continues to have permanence - etched deep into the concrete. When I was small the words looked extraordinarily big and the school seemed so big and beyond my reach. Later when I went to the Sibu Methodist Primary school I realised that the two school buildings were similar in design.

The stairs going upstairs used to resound with happy feet.

The Chinese four-word slogan.The moss greened walls are dappled with sun spots made by the sun shining through the cracks in the asbestos ceiling and the holes of the belian roof tiles.

When we were young we used to feel sad when visiting friends whose roof needed repair. We were used to stories about  rain coming through  holes in the roof  and children and their mother had to use every container and aluminium buckets available to catch the rain water. You can imagine how one could pass the night if the bed was wet . And there was even a story of a poor widow who had to marry another time so that her little hut could be repaired at the encouragement of her neighbours who pitied her situation. It was a story in which a poor woman had to exchange her body for a roof over her children's head.



The jungle will soon creep into the building and colonise the whole block.

Windows are old and rotting away. Cracks on the wall are appearing and the white wash has turned brown. Everything seems so cold and decaying except for the sunbeams which penetrate the room casting shadows every where.

The bamboo which used to to so dainty and pretty are now old stumps covered with moulds and moss.

P/s Thanks to Wong Meng Lei (Rajang Basin) for arranging this one day trip to the East Bank of the Rajang River. He took time to drive us along the small roads (Lau Kah Tii Road and Chew Kung Road)  and then we "fell into the kuali" of a church man who gave a treat at Tang Kee in Engkilo. Thanks for the wonderful organic lunch!







Soh Mien on First Day of Lunar New Year

 Today 10.2.2024 is the first day of the New Lunar Year of the Dragon. Yes I have cooked the chicken and made the soh mien. Happy New Year!!...