June 28, 2013

Tontine : How Foochow Women saved money and bought Timber Shares

In the 50's and 60's Sibu women took part in personal investment groups called Hui.

Hui is similar to the western  idea of  tontine which is an investment plan for raising capital, devised in the 17th century and relatively widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries. It combines features of a group annuity and a lottery.No photo description available.

In those days, the Foochow Hui funds were also known as "kootu funds" among the Malays.

 Civil servants also play Kootu among themseves with raising funds in the group for specific purposes and members pick lots to collect the money. Each month they pay a specific amount. Most play kootu without interest. The luckier ones who pick their numbers earlier get to enjoy the collected funds first which they use to purchase something he or she likes. Sometimes the whole kootu group will collapse when the first few refuse to pay their month dues.

In the same way, in Sibu a huge collapse occurred when one or two women and even men collected the Hui money and ran away to Taiwan.

Some women have to sell their homes to redeem themselves. We know one aunty who lost her second house in order to pay her group mates in the major hui when a few of her other groups collapsed. She lost quite a tidy sum of money. There were lots of sad stories about greedy women who spent all their time playing hui and neglecting their children.

At one church gathering a very courageous pastor raised his concern about women playing hui.

Those ealier who played safe hui made money and used their earnings wisely to buy timber company shares.

And again these women were lucky and they became very wealthy.

Hui if properly played was a good way to save money. But to some women Hui was a dirty word.

June 24, 2013

Cocktail Reception and Cocktails

Kie Mui Jiu (literally Chicken Tail Wine)or Cocktail reception was trendy during the Colonial days in Sibu.

Bankers, business men, government servants were often invited for Cocktails by the Resident, Hong Kong and Shanghai bank manager and others.

The gentlemen wore lounge suits while the ladies would wear cocktail dresses for the occasion .According to an elder wearing suits, ties and all in those days was a little more present,even there was no air conditioning. Temperatures were much lower and there were more trees.. All the ladies would be seen wearing a strand or two of jewellery ,the most popularly piece being  pearls. And best of all, they wore high heeled shoes. Some wore gloves so that they could be at least at par with Mrs. Griffin (one of the most beautiful Resident's wife in those days). Well,one great image I had of those cocktail parties, was the reddest of lipsticks I have ever seen, as compared to muted colours won by women of today.

A cocktail party then was, after all, something like the modern definition, but it was fairly political to say the least. The community leaders rubbed shoulders with the colonial officers. A dance would sometime be organised following the drinking, to the tunes played by a good local band. Kampong Nyabor and the other kampongs would have a few bands which would present themselves in their white suits for the occasions. I remember hearing the double bass being played as I passed by the Sibu Recreation Club (now part of history..gone. Where it stood is the San Yan Building).

When Sarawak joined Malaysia men started to wear batik shirts (long sleeves) to go with the trend. Cocktail parties became less frequent because Muslims do not drink.


Today in SArawak cocktail parties are very rare. However, some events, such as wedding receptions, are preceded by a cocktail hour. During the cocktail hour, guests socialize while drinking and eating appetizers. Organizers of these events use the cocktail hour to occupy guests between related events and to reduce the number of guests who arrive late.

 


If you don't know of any cocktail..order Whisky on the Rocks or a Gin and Tonic. Vodka Lime is nice.But what about a Margarita? If you do not know how to order a cocktail, ask the bartender or a friendly guy next to you, and he would be only too happy to recommend.

Malaysians are not fond of alcoholic drinks.Hence Mocktail has been invented as a world.

However you don't get invited to a Mocktail hour in Malaysia. It will still be a Cocktail party..where you can drink mocktails.

Pina colada or Long Island IceTea would be nice..it is so nice you can have too many...Irish Coffee is not coffee. It has a lot of liquor in it. Your friendly bar tender can give you a nice guide.


Door Gods from Ancient Days

Travelling in Fujian and Yunnan--
It is common to see doors of many Chinese with couplets and pictures of door gods, especially put up before Chinese New Year.

Door gods  門神   are worshipped by the Chinese as spiritual guardians of the entrance. Many Chinese believe that they keep evil spirits from entering. The door Gods usually face each other in pairs. It is considered bad luck to place the figures back to back.



The custom originated during the Tang Dynasty (618- 907 AD) when the Emperor honoured two loyal generals by having their portrait painted on the door, due to their bravery in fighting intruders and evil spirits.
There are two types of door gods: martial door gods and literary door gods.
Martial door gods are usually generals depicted in life-size proportions, wearing full battle armour and wielding weapons, loyal men, great fighters. Commonly seen door gods of this type include "Shen Tu and Yu Lu," "Qin Qiong and Weichi Gong,""Zhong Kui", “Guan U” and “Guan Sheng”, the latter a grandfather-grandson team who appear respectively in the novels "Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and “Outlaws of the Marsh”.
The painted door god’s picture will face the visitor when entering.
Whoever the door gods may be, the common denominator of all front gate door gods is their trustworthiness, strength and loyalty, bolstered by a fierce martial countenance and impressive weaponry.
The literary door gods, inner door gods or civil door gods as they were named as well, are of a civil nature, based on scholar-official figures or historical scholars.
The door god’s picture will be painted on the doors inside the courtyard, hence going with the visitor when entering. Literary door gods can also be found on inside room doors.
Civil door god simply provided balance to the cultural configuration of the house, and encouraged the visitor to feel at peace in ones surroundings.
Popular characters of this genre are the "Fu, Lu, and Shou” or the historical scholar “Dou Yujun”, whose five sons passed the civil service examinations to become great officials.







Four Heavenly Kings

The Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王) are common Buddhist door gods and are easy to recognize by the tools held in their hands.

Duowen (多聞天王Vaisravana) holds an umbrella symbolizing rain, Zengzhang (增長天王Virudhaka) carries a sword; wind, Chiguo (持國天王Dhrtarastra) plays a pipa; and Guangmu (廣目天王Virupaksa) clutches a snake meaning 'favorable'.

Together the four gods symbolize 'favorable weather to produce good crops' (風調雨順).




June 23, 2013

Bicycles and Umbrellas

Life in the 60's in Sibu was simple. Most people road bicycles. Vehicles were few on the road and no one had heard of traffic jams. People walked to most places and even the rich also walked.

Students went to school on foot and most schools were within walking distance. Rubber tappers went early in the morning to tap rubber on foot. There was no other way.

The umbrella was an important personal item. We carried it everywhere we went , whatever the weather was. It was almost unthinkable to go out without an umbrella. Perhaps only the very poor could not afford an umbrella.


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Sibu was largely known as a town of bicycles in the 1960's. 

Drivers from other towns were scared of the Sibu cyclists who did not really follow the highway code.

What was even worst, many of the cyclists carried umbrellas when they cycled. That was really hazaduous. One girl was actually killed by a bus, when her umbrella was caught by the moving bus. She was dragged by the bus and she was thrown into a drain by the force of the bus when the bus driver knew what was happening.
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It was a horrible and tragic accident.

Sibu Tales : Little Yams or Wo Long

No photo description available.
Yams, big and small
The Foochows call small versions, "egg" or "long". So we have kuok long (the little curly fern tops), wo long (small yams),etc. What about waves which are also " hoong long"? The term does sound like "wind eggs".

When we were young, living in Brooke Drive in Sibu, we had a Foochow stove which used fire wood. We had a big kuali for frying and steaming. We also had two other stove tops for boiling of water and for cooking in smaller soup pots. This stove was our beautiful pride for a long time, until my father bought my mother a New World Gas Stove, at second hand, when a British officer returned home.

We were excited each time my father cooked for us using the wood stove. One of the most memorable dish he prepared was small




placed in the hot coals. This was a very traditional way of cooking yams in the fields. When Foochow farmers were working in their fields, their lunch might include a few of these small yams cooked in wood fires they built in their fields, to get rid of mosquitoes,etc.

My father loved experimenting with food and various forms of cooking.

It was good for us to bond with our taciturn dad, who told jokes once in a while, and far apart. We were of the generation when a) we spoke to Dad only when necessary,and always indirectly through mum b) when Dad spoke at meal times, it was only to reprimand or to warn us for certain misdeeds or to pass a moral story  c) when dad spoke we could never butt in  d) when adults spoke to each other, we had to leave the room and must not even think of eavesdropping.

My father never had to raise his voice or hand. A look from him good enough to make us shiver.

So when he made those small yams and took them out of the fire for us to try, dip into a soy sauce, we felt an unusual closeness to him and felt so loved.

I had wished and dreamed that he would bring us camping, and we would make charcoal cooked yams, cook Kim Guan Siang sausages over the real fire...and then have baked beans...

Photo from Argenta Images, the original entrance to the Leper Hospital, Mile 13 Kuching.
Juna's longhouse would have bamboo for flooring in the 1950's (Photo by Sarawakiana)

But then he passed away when we were still too young.

Parents should really take their children out to parks and enjoy some great times together and then these children would grow up and pass these social ways to their children.

Small yams may be a lowly food item, but it means the world to me and my father who grew up respecting his hardworking and frugal father. My father was truly a no frills kind of person. Very basic and very stoical.

He said, "Potato is a potato..you don't have to dress it up. Wo long or small yam is yam, it tastes best when it is put into a fire by itself..."

It is true..a "wo long" time together with family is such a great idea.

Have some wo long time with your children or friends...Have a good day.















June 20, 2013

Unforgettable Foochow Soup : Cucumber and Salted Eel

Salted muang ngii or salted eel is a delicacy to some people. However to others it is poor man's soup.

Muang Ngii or sea eel is huge and weighs anything between 4 kg to 20 kg. Found in the Asian seas it is popularly fished by fishermen who enjoy eating it in many different ways.

The Japanese call it unagi and eat it as a delicacy in sushi shops or special eel shops. Japanese customersare very discerning about the quality of the fish and its freshness.

No photo description available.




The salted eel bones are sold as a specialty ingredient to Foochows who brew them for soups on hot days when appetites are not too good. Usually considered a "cooling soup",salted eel bones brewed for about two hours with old cucumbers can also be nourishing for elders who are losing appetite.

sometimes salted eel bones are cooked with winter melons and dred squids.
No photo description available.

this whole eel measures about one metre. A fish this length is usually cut into three portions.

Salted fish are usually dried in the sun again and again if the fishmongers cannot sell them fast enough.



Sometimes salted eels are not available in the market because the fishermen in China orTaiwan face poor weather.

There is also rumour that fresh eels are now being used for other purposes. Once eels are canned, salted eels willno longer be available in the salt fish market any more.







June 19, 2013

Traditional Iban Kuih Bunga Ros


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Ingredients:

250 gm rice flour

200 gm corn flour

7 large eggs

500 gm sugar

1 can of coconut milk (400 gm)

1 cup sesame seeds

2 liter or more oil for frying



1.Combine eggs and sugar in a mixer.Sift corn flour and rice flour,set aside in a bowl .Whisk sugar and eggs at medium high speed until dissolves and fluffy light.Add in coconut milk.

2. Slowly pour in flour mixture into the eggs mixture by reduce the speed.Whisk all ingredients until well combined or to obtain a consistent batter. If there is some lump,use sieve. Pour batter into 2 different bowl or container.One small for constant dipping the hot mould into the flour mixture.Another one for sesame seeds.

3. Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer at 350 F.(Do not use non stick pot) Preheat moulds in the hot oil for 5-10 minutes. When the oil is hot enough, dip mould into batter,do not cover batter to the top. Make sure batter coats only the bottom and sides of mould.

4. Hold coated mould in hot oil. (Do not let go the mould to sit on the bottom of fryer while the batter is still attached on the mould)Keep shaking the mould to release honeycomb cookies from moulds. If needed, use chopsticks to help . Fry the cookies until lightly golden brown on both side.

5. Place the empty mould back into the hot oil.Use the next mould that been sitting in the hot oil to dip into the batter.(Do not use the just release mould to dip into the batter again.The batter won't stick onto the mould bcos it's not hot enough)

6:Each time before dipping the mould into the batter or pour the batter into the small bowl use a spatula to stir the batter first to get a consist or well balance batter.Use a long sieve to remove the excess crumb from oil if it's dark or overcrowded the fryer.It's also prevent the floating crumbs to stick to the cookies. For sesame seeds,pour sesame seeds into the second half batter.Keep stirring the batter before dip the mould in the batter.

7:Prepare clean paper towel on 2 large tray.Place cookies on it to absorb the excess oil.Leave cookies to cool completely before store in air-tight container.

Salty Grass Straw from China

The Foochows of Sibu depended on a simple grass straw for tying things when they arrived in Sibu in 1903.
No photo description available.

This simple grass straw was plentiful in the Fujian river Min estuarine area and the other Fujian coastal flats. Called Salty Grass Straws or strings, it is exactly what the name means. It is grown on wetlands surrounded by salty sea water.

I have always been interested in getting a photo of photos of these salty grass growing wild over there in my grandparents and great grandparents' original home.

Today, I can still buy this Keng Chow or straws used for tying rice dumplings, for making straw sandals, and for tying things together. One very significant image in my mind is how Kompian or Foochow bagels were strung together with these straws and grandpa(TiongKung Ping) would happily carry a "string of kompian" when visiting his sister Chang Yuk Ging in the Methodist Primary School, where my siblings and I were studying.

I like to think that Grandpa was very proud of his sister who was a Kindergarten teacher. Goo Poh's place was a very central point for many relatives to come together and have a great bonding time.The common living room had two rattan chairs for elders to sit and others would sit on the wooden Foochow stools.

Those were the "old days" when even the furniture were made from plain wood and rattan from the Sarawak jungle.

June 17, 2013

Foochow Longevity Noodles : Drying Soh Mien

Many years ago, there were very few Foochows in Miri. So whenever someone came over to Miri, he would bring a lot of longevity noodles made in Sibu as gifts for their relatives. Miri as a Cantonese and Hokkien town did not have shops selling Foochow food and ingredients.

Today it is different as many shops have been opened by the Foochow businessmen who have moved from Sibu in the late 70's.

And now it is quite easy to buy soh mien in the shops of Miri.


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This is my cousin, Tiong Nai Hung, who owns Ing Kong Drug Store in Miri. Whenever he is free, he will make "rounds" of soh mien or longevity noodles. He said, "Drying the soh mien is not necessarily a woman's job. I can do it, other men can do it. We just have to share our chores. Family members have to share their work. Sharing is caring. Sharing is love."

the noodles are usually brought from Sarikei or Sibu and they have not been dried.

The Foochows dry their noodles in a special way. First you have to break a small bundle of the noodles from the whole bunch and then make a "bun" like a woman's hair bun or sangol. That is the small amount for a bowl of noodle for one person. The Foochows call it Suoh Ji (a small bundle)
No photo description available.
When the rounds are completed, they are usually dried in a large bamboo tray in the hot sun.

These dried noodles are placed in an air tight tin and they can last quite a long time, especially if they are very well dried in the hot sun.




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This is one of the loveliest sight we Foochows love.

June 13, 2013

Sg. Teku's Methodist Clinic 1918

Emma Palm : Pang Shu Gu and Sg. Teku, SibuImage may contain: 1 person, glasses
Miss Emma Palm served in Xian You, Fujian for 28 years from 1923 to 1950 as a medical missionary. Fluent in Heng Hua dialect she was reassigned to Sarawak in 1951 as matron of the Methodist Girls' Hostel, Sibu and taught in the school.Image may contain: house, sky, tree and outdoor
In 1952, Emma was posted to work at Sg. Teku Tien Sik Methodist church to help with the Youth and Women’s ministries. As a nurse she believed that it was very inconvenient for the sick to travel to Sibu, as Sg. Teku was 10 km from the town. Thus she felt there was a need to set up a clinic at Sg. Teku.
The government favoured Emma’s request and set up a clinic in the rural area. The clinic was under the supervision of the Sibu Hospital. The Sibu District Council also granted funds to aid the running of the clinic.
At first Emma used the home of Ms Tuan Ging Hua to treat the sick. This service proved to be very popular. To cater for the growing needs of the community, Rev Ling Kai Cheng and the leaders of the church met to discuss building a new clinic. Mr. Teng Ah Den was asked to design the building. The total cost for building the clinic and Emma’s hostel was around $7,000. An American friend sponsored a thousand dollars and the rest was contributed by the villagers.
The opening and dedication ceremony of the Sg. Teku Clinic was held at 10 am on 13 June, 1952. The Acting Governor happily exclaimed, “It is the first rural clinic in Sarawak.”
The first year’s report said that 4,590 people came for treatment. Miss Palm hoped that she could spend more time treating the longhouse folks and sharing the gospel with them.
In 1957, there were 6,841 patients. In October, Mrs. Ding Lik Kiu and Miss Du provided consultation for a brief period of time and that was the first time that the clinic had a doctor to serve the people.
By 1958, the medical staff would make rounds to different longhouses at Pasai every month. Each trip would take five days. The people of Pasai also built a place to serve as a clinic. Pastor Philemon Sirait and Pastor Men Jon would travel with the medical team to evangelize to the people. Up to that year, 250 Ibans were baptised. The medical team also went to Sg Assan and Penasu. The daughter of Dr Harold N. Brewster, Betty Brewster and a mid-wife Ling Mee Ing joined the medical team that year.
By 13 July 1959, Emma had served eight years in Sibu , she retired and moved back to America.

June 12, 2013

Steamed Minced Pork, Foochow Style


When Foochow mothers could not buy fresh vegetables and meat every day, they would resort to cooking one "express" dish which we could often depend on to give a good appetite to our children.

It is the steamed minced pork, Foochow style.

As children ourselves, we enjoyed the steamed minced pork, and would scrape the bottom of the bowl. We especially enjoyed the sweet sauce of the dish which would go well with our white rice.



No photo description available.


I must say, when I became a mother myself, I did cook this dish at least once a week.

It was a very popular dish with my children.

June 9, 2013

Zhong Zi or Chang - 10 facts you may need to know.

This is from the Foochow point of view, based on Sibu Foochow Customs.



1. Do not make zhong zi or changs and give them to any family. Only relatives  and friends of a mourning family can can bring some when visiting them.

2. Every Foochow woman would tie 10 zhong zis in one DAI. Five "salty" straws or geng chow would be doubled and knotted at the middle to give ten strings. Pegged to a big nail , the zhong zi maker will start tying up the zhong zi, one by one. Once ten are done, she will start another set of 10.





3. This photo is from Fuzhou city, taken last year for tourism advert. A competition was held and these are probably the proud winners. It is common practice to have zhong zi wrapping competition as part of the Dragon Boat Festival Competition.

4. The festival is held on 5th day of 5th month of the lunar calendar. This will fall either at the end of the month of May of the beginning of June. Usually people will know that the festival is coming in other parts of the world, when Chinatown or Asian shops start selling bamboo leaves, chestnuts and geng chow or Chinese straws.
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5. In MALAYSIA, zhong zi's are as different as there are Chinese dialects in terms of fillings and styles or shapes . The most remarkable zhong zis are those made by the Nyonyas, the descendants of Princess Han Li Po and the Malacca Sultan, and other Malay-Chinese marriages in the 1500 in Malacca.
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6. Zhong zis are usually boiled in a big pot or in the past, when there were huge extended families, in recycled square oil tins. Very often in the backyard, early in the morning.

7. Traditionally Zhong zis were usually hang from a bamboo pole or string, in a room and they were to be eaten until they are finished. Different types of zhong zis were colour coded as you could not really tell from the smell. My grandmother made plain zhong zis without filling, red bean paste zhong zi, red bean zhong zi, peanut zhong zi, meat zhong zi, and mushroom + meat + peanut zhong zi.

8. The matriarch of the family will usually decide when to make the zhong zi.

9. In the past, zhong zi was made only for the festival. Today in SArawak, stores can sell zhong zi every day.

10. In the past only Foochow women made zhong zi. FAmilies with single fathers have to depend on in laws to send over zhong zis. But today many Foochow men can make zhong zis.

Leaf wrapped tofu

http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2012/03/fukushima-straw-wrapped-tofu-recipe-tsuto-tofu.htmlfukushima tofu in corn husk and lotus leaf

As suggested by Andrea Nguyen, tofu can be wrapped in different kinds of leaves and simmered in brine. the photo shows she uses corn husks and lotus leaves.

Tofu wrapped like this and cooked would be truly awesome.

June 7, 2013

Marraige Vows

Wedding Vows Sample 

Male

I _____, take you ______, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.

Female

I, _____, take you ______, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.


this is a fantastic way to profess one's love...sometime during the YUAN Dynasty!!


Married Love

You and I
Have so much love
That it
Burns like a fire,
In which we bake a lump of clay
Molded into a figure of you
And a figure of me.
Then we take both of them,
And break them into pieces,
And mix the pieces with water,
And mold again a figure of you,
And a figure of me.
I am in your clay.
You are in my clay.
In life we share a single quilt.
In death we will share one bed.

Kuan Tao-Sheng
(1262-1319) 
Guan Daosheng, also known as Kuan Tao-Sheng, (1262-1319) was a Chinese painter best known for her images of nature and her tendency to inscribe short poems on her paintings. Born to a prominent family, she is considered by many to be China's most famous female painter. Wife of Zhao Mengfu,a respected government official who was also a renowned painter, the story is told that when Mengfu was considering a second wife (multiple wives were not uncommon for wealthy men during that time), Guan wrote this poem. When her husband discovered it, he chose to not to take on the additional wife and remained faithful to Guan from that point on. This translation of Guan's poem is attributed to Kenneth Rexroth. Many other translations are available under a variety of titles including "A Song of You and Me" and "You and I."


Translated from the Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung


June 3, 2013

Sighting of Crocodile in Miri River

Lots of signboards have been posted up at significant places near rivers in Miri. There are many rivers in the Miri district and most of them have crocodiles.

No photo description available.




This photo shows a crocodile swimming pleasantly in the Miri River, which is a busy thoroughfare.





I shiver to think of the days when little boys and little girls used to sit in shallow sampans crossing the Miri River to go to school in SK Pulau Melayu from the Kampong Wireless.

Hope nothing untoward will happen in Miri.

Photos are by Steve Ling of Sibu.







June 2, 2013

Grandfather's Bomb Shelters

Grandfather was a filial son to Great Grandmother. He built a bomb shelter at the back of the rice mill in Binatang for the family after the first Japanese bombs were dropped in Sibu. He had seen how destructive the bombs were - so much damage to properties and so many lives wasted.

From many people, we heard stories about his filial piety and his courage to protect every one in his family.

Because Great Grandmother had bound feet she could not run or even walk fast. When a Japanese air plane was heard coming towards Binatang and bombs were being dropped, grand father would quickly grab the small sized and dainty great grandma and carried her on his back. He would run towards the bomb shelter and quickly placed her there.

He had covered the bomb shelter with layers and layers of rubber sheets between layers of gunny sacks. It was the best he could do. He was determined to save lives and protect his loved ones.
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The A6M Japanese Zero


Every one along the Rajang River, especially those living near the towns like Sibu, Binatang and Sarikei had some kind of bomb shelters they could use. The worst bombing was during the first few days of the Japanese occupation when Sibu was badly bombed.

However most elders were able to tell stories that after the first major bombings, Japanese planes only flew around to give warning to the people. When the Allied Army came, more bombs were dropped in various towns along the Rajang Valley.

However although the Japanese and later the Allied planes dropped bombs, none was dropped on the Mee Ann Rice and Sawmill. And although Hua Hong Ice Factory was right opposite the Sibu town, it did not suffer from any bombing. Only the chief mechanic was killed by the gun fire of the Japanese machine gun when the Japanese war boats came up the river from the delta of the Rajang at the beginning of the Japanese Occupation.

My grandfather's investment was quite in tact, protected by his prayers and faith in God.

Sibu Tales : Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Celebration

Some longhouses in SArawak still have pictures of Queen Elizabeth pinned to their walls. That would be evidence of how old the longhouses are. Built before 1953.
Image result for Temenggong Jugah and Sarawakians at Queen's coronation in London
They went to London to see the Queen
Princess Elizabeth ascended the British throne upon the death of her father King George VI (Sixth) in 1952 but her coronation was on June 2 1953, at London's Westminster Abbey.
4 Sultans (Johor, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan) from Malaya attended. Sarawak was represented by 
Tun Jugah, then Penghulu Jugah, Tun Hj Openg and Chew Geok Lin, represented Sarawak to attend the Coronation in London .

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Sibu was gaily dressed up for the occasion, the Chinese came in their white suits and the natives in their feathers and chawat, and all their warriors' decorations. The Malays appeared with their ceremonial songkok and sarongs. According to my mother, the VIPs were mainly in the streets for a street procession. It was quite a man's do as the women took a back seat by standing on the five foot way mainly. There was not apparent women's leader in those days.
The native warriors were very elegant.

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The Chinese Associations did a splendid job by getting all their members dressed in western clothes, i.e. white suits and all. I believe my father had a good photographer's outing that day.

(posted on 60th Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation)

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!!...