10 Preface: MY STORY 112 SOUTH CONTENTS

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2 Frankie Anyit and his father pausing for a portrait in front of their sundry shop in Long Bedian, Sarawak. They are from the Kayan tribe. CONTENTS 10 Preface: MY STORY 14 OUR Journey 24 CENTRAL 70 NORTH 112 SOUTH 136 EAST 176 EAST MALAYSIA 196 Acknowledgements 2 3

PREFACE My Story Coming back to Malaysia in 2010, after spending the better part of the previous 20 years out of the country, was disconcerting. Everything seemed different and new.

3 PREFACE My Story Coming back to Malaysia in 2010, after spending the better part of the previous 20 years out of the country, was disconcerting. Everything seemed different and new. Trips to visit places I knew as a boy would be filled with apprehension as I wondered if I would still be able to recognise it. Would it be as I remembered? Would it even be there? I felt compelled to rediscover the land of my birth. This journey of discovery would take me across the length and breadth of Malaysia with my trusty camera and notebook by my side. The starting point of course was my hometown of Ipoh. In the 60s and 70s, Ipoh was renowned as the tin mining capital of the world. But my memories are of growing up in a small town filled with pre-war architecture, wide open spaces and most vividly of all, the most engaging characters. There was the Indian barber to whom my dad would bring me and my brother for our bimonthly haircut, the dressmaker who sewed my mother s best dresses, the breadman, newspaper man, the list goes on. I also remember my dad driving us from our home in Ipoh to places like Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore during our holidays. Along the way, we would stop in towns like Tapah, Bidor and Kota Tinggi for meals and to stock up on the local delicacies. At every stop, we would see main streets lined with the familiar shops that doubled as workshops and warehouses, where craftsmen and businessmen plied the trades passed on to them by their fathers and grandfathers. I always assumed they would always be around for future generations to appreciate. I could not have been more wrong. Sadly, most of these people and places from the landscape of my childhood have vanished. Most poignantly, I was there to witness and document the final days of the barber who had cut my hair all those years ago. For the most part however, this process of extinction is taking place without any fanfare. With highways now crisscrossing the country, we now have the choice of bypassing many of the small towns as we go about our business and most of us do because we have no time and even less desire for longer journeys however interesting they may be. 4 LEFT Roadside cobblers like this one in Penang are a familiar sight all over Malaysia 5

4 Even worse, we have become blind to these treasures, accelerating their disappearance from our communities. The crafts of yesteryear are losing the competition against the more affordable albeit soulless plastic products of the factory assembly line. The cacophony of sounds of metalsmiths and woodcarvers at work in every village and town has been replaced by the rumbling of lorries delivering ready-made goods from China! The entire spectrum of traditional crafts from the tinsmiths of Melaka to the batik makers of Terengganu is being threatened by the very efficiencies that society encourages. On an encouraging note, the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation has a programme that promotes and preserves these crafts. It is no different with the traditional trades. The sundry shop owner is losing out to the hypermarket, while the barber cannot compete with the unisex hairdressing saloons. Realistically, we cannot halt the march of progress. However, we cannot allow it to erase the myriad traditions, crafts and their practitioners which help to make up Malaysia s unique multicultural identity. That became the primary impetus for this book. I was determined to document their milieus and their stories so that they won t be forgotten. Over the course of 36 months, I photographed people from all the country the shopkeepers in their grocery shops in rural areas; fishermen who set out at first light for their morning catch; the third-generation watch repairer in his little shop; the hawker selling kacang putih (Indian nuts and crispy snacks); paddy farmers in Kedah; and so many others from all walks of life. They represent the thousands of other Malaysians who in their own way, have carved a clean, honest living out of businesses and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. Within the ambit of these shopkeepers, traders, craftspeople and salary workers stand their nearest and dearest: the daughter who has just started school, the son who aspires to be the next great Malaysian sports phenomenon and many others who harbour their own dreams. Like me, they were all born in Malaysia. And they are the keepers of our heritage. This book as well as the exhibition and website are all the fruits of the most rewarding 36 months of my life. I am so grateful to the many people who allowed me into their inner sanctums and shared their stories with me. It has been an honour and a privilege. This is my tribute to them. Kenny Loh Kuala Lumpur, 2013 Within the ambit of these shopkeepers, traders, craftspeople and salary workers stand their nearest and dearest: the daughter who has just started school, the son who aspires to be the next great Malaysian phenomenon in sports and many others who harbour their own dreams. Like me, they were all born in Malaysia. And they are the keepers of our heritage. 6 7

5 At times, I would stop my car and sit quietly, enjoying the breathtaking scenery of our beautiful countryside Paddy fields in Sekinchan, Selangor 8 9

6 FOREWORD TRIBUTE MESSAGE BY When I first held Born in Malaysia as a work in progress in my hands, I was struck by a powerful sense of nostalgia. As a small-town boy, I could relate to many of the characters depicted in the book. I could also appreciate the many great attributes of our forefathers which need to be remembered and passed down to the next generation. The foundations of this country were laid by past generations of Malayans, and then Malaysians, who toiled in the paddy fields, plantations and tin mines. Others worked in offices, taught in schools and plied various trades or crafts. Their hope was for a better life for themselves and their children. It is through such hope & effort that they were able to create the nation we are today. They were the first nation builders. Another important lesson from this book is that many jobs that were once deemed essential may have evolved into something else or faded away altogether. Yet, we have to acknowledge the significance of those jobs which paved the way for the present. Without them, we would not be here today. Looking forward, many of today s jobs will pave the way for the future before becoming equally irrelevant. What matters is that we rise to the challenges of the moment and do our part to contribute to our families, which will ultimately yield a better tomorrow for our society and nation. Whether you are born in Malaysia or not, my wish is that you are both delighted and inspired by the people and the heartwarming stories featured in this book. My thanks to Kenny Loh and his many subjects for giving us these priceless gifts of delight and inspiration. Mark Chang Chief Executive Officer & Founder 10 11

7 CENTRAL / NORTH / SOUTH / EAST / EAST MALAYSIA 12 13

Thirunavu Karusu a/l Krishnan, 2nd generation barber STAR AIR-CONDITIONED HAIR DRESSING SALON AT JALAN SULTAN YUSUFF (JALAN BELFIELD), IPOH I remember cutting your hair Star Air-Conditioned Hair

Then in 1953, Thiru, then just a young boy of 13, was brought into the business as an apprentice barber.

I used to have my hair cut at Star Salon as a boy, sitting on a smooth wooden plank placed across the armrests of the barber s chair. Today, that barber shop is no more.

8 Thirunavu Karusu a/l Krishnan, 2nd generation barber STAR AIR-CONDITIONED HAIR DRESSING SALON AT JALAN SULTAN YUSUFF (JALAN BELFIELD), IPOH I remember cutting your hair Star Air-Conditioned Hair Dressing Salon opened for business in 1927 with just two barbers, one of them the owner who was Thiru s father s brother-in-law. Two years later, Thiru s father joined the business. Then in 1953, Thiru, then just a young boy of 13, was brought into the business as an apprentice barber. Over the years, Thiru watched the business expand to 14 barbers then shrink back to just two barbers in I used to have my hair cut at Star Salon as a boy, sitting on a smooth wooden plank placed across the armrests of the barber s chair. Today, that barber shop is no more. In 2010, the entire row of shop houses where Star was located was sold for redevelopment. I took these pictures a year later. Shortly after, Thiru and his longtime friend cut hair at Star for the last time before they shut down for good. Thiru showed me around his premises. He had such stories to tell about the salon s heyday when all the barbers lived upstairs. He recalled the shared laughter and banter between the barbers and their customers. I even saw a small wooden plank that looked vaguely familiar. He mentioned that he had been offered a unit in the new development but turned it down because he realised that it was time to retire. He said that after five decades and more, he had cut everybody s hair even mine. He had raised a family and one son had even followed in his footsteps, with a thriving barber shop of his own. He had done his part

9 Things of value should last forever. Chan Kin Wah, second-generation watch and clock repairer CHOP HIN YAN, JALAN HANG JEBAT (JONKER STREET) MELAKA Chan Kin Wah inherited his Hong Kong-born father s eponymous watch and clock repair business almost 30 years ago. That tiny shop has been a feature of the world-renowned Jonker Street since the late 1950s. Over the decades, Mr Chan has acquired an extensive clientele. They come from all over the world, bringing him watches, often heirlooms, so old that very few people know how to repair them any more. His secret is to respect the watchmaker s artistry, craftsmanship and integrity. He expands his philosophy to embrace the heritage buildings that surround his little shop, asserting that restoration efforts should be respectful of the original builder s vision, saying, All this should be part of a living museum

My family has been here for four generations Wong Chor Lum, 59, owner Cheong Lee Sundry Shop, Bukit Koman, Pahang For over 100 years, Cheong Lee has been the mainstay of this community in Bukit

10 My family has been here for four generations Wong Chor Lum, 59, owner Cheong Lee Sundry Shop, Bukit Koman, Pahang For over 100 years, Cheong Lee has been the mainstay of this community in Bukit Koman, which predominantly comprises Hakka Chinese. Founded by Mr Wong s great-grandfather, this sundry shop once sold everything the community required, from meat and vegetables to cement! Mr Wong himself was only 14 years old when he began his apprenticeship in the family business, working side-by-side with his father. Over four decades later, he has seen his business downsize even as the community itself shrinks. In its heyday, the shop employed 14 workers but today, Wong manages the shop all by himself. Like most young people from rural communities, Mr Wong s children too have left Bukit Koman for careers in Kuala Lumpur. He accepts that after him there will be no one to carry on the family business saying that his life s work is done because his children have found their own destinies. However, for the moment, things continue just as they have for a century. Walking around his shop, I came across old 555 notebooks which till today, are used by Malaysian tradesman to record purchases made on credit. Other relics in the shop include old-fashioned weighing scales and huge hand pumps that were used to pump water during fires. Mr Wong s extended family, which includes his brother, Pak Fah, and his young family, lives behind the shop as did previous generations. It was Pak Fah who showed me around the village, puttering along on his motorcycle with me riding pillion, introducing me to many Hakka-speaking tradesmen and shopkeepers. After we completed the photography session, Pak Fah insisted that I have lunch with them and I drove home with a bottle wine in hand. Time and again, I have enjoyed such generous hospitality from people who live in the smaller towns and villages, who are amazed that anyone would be interested in their lives and stories

11 Boss, berapa kali tarik? * * Boss, how many times do I pull? Mohd Rudin Sulaimeen, proprietor KEDAI KOPI DIN TOKYO, KOTA BHARU Malaysians love their teh tarik, literally, pulled tea, which is hot milk tea poured from one mug to another to cool it down. The skill of the tea puller is the height from which he can pour the tea: the higher he goes, the frothier the tea. In Kota Bharu, 71-year-old Rudin is the teh tarik maestro. He has been holding court in his coffee shop, standing behind his unusual U-shaped counter for over three decades. Despite his age, he can pour tea from a full arm-span in height. People come from near and far to watch him pull tea and enjoy the sweet frothiness of the drink. how many times they wanted their tea pulled. One customer asked for six pulls and Rudin happily obliged. An astonishing multi-tasker he also prepares half-boiled eggs which are mysteriously called telur taliban or taliban eggs, toasts bread and does the washing up. Even with his whole family helping out, he is kept on his toes. The name of his coffee shop is derived from his name and that of Tokyo Hotel, which occupied the premises in the 1960s and was regarded as something of a landmark. Today, Kedai Kopi Din Tokyo is the landmark and one that is not about to vanish as Rudin s son looks like he is firmly entrenched in the business. He chats and jokes with his customers as he prepares and pulls cup 20 after cup of tea, asking his customers 21

Terima Kasih! So many people helped to make Born in Malaysia possible. First, I would like to thank all the wonderful Malaysians I photographed for trusting me with their stories.

12 Terima Kasih! So many people helped to make Born in Malaysia possible. First, I would like to thank all the wonderful Malaysians I photographed for trusting me with their stories. Some of them are featured in this book but there are many others who will make their debut on the Born in Malaysia website and subsequent books. I would also like to thank the many people who helped smooth the way for me the tour guides, heritage experts, knowledgable locals and more, whose assistance, advice and guidance led me to the doorsteps of some of the most fascinating Malaysians

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olives from calabria with love

olives from calabria with love a conversation with giulia About The Author My name is Maria Timpano and I am embarking on a journey to document methods of food preparation by people who lived in villages