This is a special story of Japanese times in Sibu.
During the Japanese Occupation, rice was a special commodity which no one could sell freely in the market. The Japanese had full control of rice selling, and rice milling was monitored closely by the soldiers. Furthermore rice was also heavily taxed by the Japanese.
Wong Sing Fong had only arrived in 1941 in Sibu at the tender age of 18 when the Japanese occupied Sarawak. He was a very compassionate man with a good heart for his fellowmen. He had settled down in Kapit where he started to earn a living.
He was imprisoned by the Japanese because he secretly sold rice to those who needed food. When he was imprisoned for half a year in Sibu , he learned to make rattan baskets.
He made many different kinds of baskets including the traditional Fujian styled tiered baskets as he missed Fujian, his homeland.
His family gifted his handiwork of a tiered basket to the Foochow Association of Sibu. It has a special meaning to his surviving members of his family.
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