A Day Out

Nostalgia

My parents are fortunate to live to this ripe old age. Though aged, they can get bored with mundane routine and still are up to it for short trips here and there. So, yesterday we decided that a trip to the Chinese Museum in Seri Kembangan might interest them. We were right.

This building is everything to do with the Malaysian Chinese community from politics, economy and culture. My centurion father is obviously excited about the place as it has much to do with his past. Located in the heart a former New Village in Seri Kembangan , the museum is only part of the many portfolios of the Chinese agenda. 

There is a private school housed under the same roof and much more. 

 The truth is my parents are aged and need to be wheeled around for the lack of balance . When I was young they used to bring me to the cinema for midnight shows. Now it is my turn to entertain. 

Sundays are precious. We will give them the precious moments. In their state even the ticketing officer gave us the permission to use the lift and found our way by the back door.

They were elated to receive the guests.

I asked him if he came using that vessel. He said he came in a simpler one . He made the journey to the South seas for weeks before hitting the shores of Malaya. He bade farewell to his mother and never saw her again. He was fourteen and had only ten cents. He was to be made a coolie in a trade and pay back to the master through the meager salary. I believe he settled that after 3 years of service.

That was the accounting style then; using the abacus. My father self taught himself to use that device to transact business. He is very clever but often times say he lacks the acumen for big businesses. Actually, he is smarter than me because he sees things in the greatest details and his figures are sharp and accurate. He confuses me when he asks for answers on bank interests. Everyday, mum will hear him rant on money matters. At this age, he is still wanting to be independent and find ways and means not to burden others. He is blessed with good health because of his outlook at life.

Gazing at the games the Chinese engaged in for leisure... gambling.

Of all the games he is best at, it is of course the mahjong game. Mahjong has benefited him much. Hardly suffering from dementia, he is gleeful at the table conquering his opponents. Perhaps this mind battling game is a factor in him being youthful in the mind. He is fortunate as his children and grandchildren entertain him in the game these days to remove his boredom and keep his mind agile. Mum used to chide him in his younger days as he crept home sheepishly in the nights. He often silenced her rantings by buying supper on his winnings. But he admitted that discipline is needed to control his appetite for the game as he could gamble away his precious monthly wages.

Goldsmith. That was the first and only trade he indulged in. Started as a peon in a relative's goldsmith shop, he took the bull by its horn and obeyed instructions well. Sweeping, cleaning, cooking and then to sit beside a master in making gold ornaments after major chores were done for the day. As an apprentice, the diligent man made it a point to succeed and sent money home through agents. He told me he left his mother and younger brother behind in search of greener pastures in the Nanyang lands.

This man later sponsored the younger brother to Canada and ever since then they have only met a couple of times outside their homeland. 

A fate beyond their control. 

I wondered what my father was reminiscing as he looked at the figurine in the act of hitting gold slabs. Did he enjoy those times? Was there a tinge of regret ? Maybe it was gratitude that the vocation saw him through life in good stead. He has had a relatively smooth ride through life's journey. Thanks to the livelihood he was attached to on arrival in Malaya. His other contemporaries attempted other vocations like rubber tapping, tin mining, retailing and coffee shop attendants. In his talkative state, he blurted out that all his friends are no more living. He still wants to be in the know.

Have you heard of this practice? Caponizing. Commonly done in China, the rooster is castrated so that it grows big fast. Apparently, the meat is more tender too. My father says that the practice was brought to the then Malaya among Chinese homes. Some practices die hard. Well, I would believe that it is obsolete now. But it was good to gain knowledge of that act.

Letter writers was a very valid job as many Chinese immigrants were illiterate or had very little writing ability. The letter writer acted as their mouthpiece as they penned thoughts and feelings of the homesick. The letters connected the lonely immigrant with home. How times have changed. China is into 5G technology. Who would think that the countries take their turns to be masters in rotation? What would have happened if my father had stayed behind? He toyed the thought and said that he could have died of starvation.

 

Away from home, the immigrants need to vent out their love to the womenfolk. Romance and feelings are real and many landed up with more than a wife and visiting brothels. Ailments related to unprotected sex led to death including his relatives. 

So, like in Chine, the trade was a common practice.

Comfort women. My mother related that the women had to always had boys' hair cut and blackened their faces with charcoal to avoid being caught by the Japanese during the occupation. My parents went through the first and second world war and the atrocities of Japanese rule. Father escaped many bombs that were dropped by the Japanese planes and had to be on the run each time the siren came. Lorry loads of passengers were ferried to the jungles to avoid being captured by Japanese soldiers. When caught, the womenfolk became comfort women and many suffered in shame and pain.
 Horror stories were related.

Yesterday, father told me that trenches were dug by victims themselves and later to be pushed in and buried alive. Some of his friends were caught and buried alive. He hid in secret chambers to escape the Japanese. Today, the Japanese culture is envied by many for their politeness and humility.
What a difference.

Mum is familiar with the sewing machine and tailoring service. With little education, the people then were all vocational and life was about living skills. They thrived on provision of services and that was really not too bad. See how such services are highly regarded nowadays as many have not opted for such vocations. You pay a huge sum for getting a dress fixed.

Foot binding is very much a part and parcel of the elite among Chinese homes. When your feet are not bound it may mean you originate from a lesser class and perhaps you have little chance to marry into an upper class. But the agony of pain and diseased feet is the price.

Wooden clogs too were a familiar reminder of my younger days. Mum used to wear those when she did her wet chores in the home washing, cleaning and cooking. They can be prettily designed and I got excited each time mum brought me to the neighbor's shop and bought me a pair or two. They were memories still freshly etched in  my mind and I felt that I was rewarded for behaving well. 

At the museum too were details of the Chinese involvement in politics. Back then there was already the constitution on citizenship. Born before 1957, my older siblings and I were not granted citizenship status and we held red identity cards for a period of time. 

Father was adamant that the right be given to us since we were born in this land. 

Items of the past in Chinese homes. They are still available today. Physical records were common household articles for us to listen to songs. Everything is digital now.

Typical coffee shops where small talks took place. Some malls today also feature such set ups to attract customers and provide the old ambiance. How we still long for things of the past.

The Lion dance was made famous internationally by the group from Muar. Believe it or not, it is form our hometown. Father took pride in the troupe as he read about its history and success.

Sister curry mee. The cuisine was already a household favourite then. 

The teacher. Father said he only had 3 years of formal learning. Every other new word was picked up on his own through reading the newspaper. An ardent newspaper reader, my father acquires knowledge about science, medicine and politics through reading. he puts to shame the younger generation which seldom read and are reluctant readers.

The typical cabinet to keep books. The design is rekindled again today.

He read about the rich and famous and pointed out to a particular man saying he used to deal with him in gold matters. Today the man is a multi millionaire and he lamented that his little knowledge in the business world made him what he is today. But he is blessed with health and a loving family; what more can a man ask for?

The trip to the museum gave him much joy.

He said he wants to visit again.