bullockcartwater 牛车水

Starting tomorrow, 21 Jul 12, with the Heritage Fest, at the Kwong Wai Siew Li Si She Shut Clan Association, 25 Ann Siang Road, over two weekends, many people will get a chance to listen to Lee Dai Soh's tales. For the young, it would be a chance to hear what their grandparents used to enjoy when there was no TV and even radios were rare. For the older, it was like being transported back to the old days.

What better place to have this event than at the Li Shi She Shut Clan Association where Lee Dai Soh was a member. Go and spot his photograph, lined amongst the many elders of the Lee Clan.

When I was very young, being a Hokkien, I was not conversant with Cantonese. But sitting and listening to the Rediffusion was one way to pass the time, especially, sitting with the old ladies and men. By and by, some words would get into the head.

I always remember that very familiar sound in such a warm tone starting his session in the Rediffusion, "Cham Mun gor de kong tho ... " (Last night we were saying till ...). Somehow, when the time was almost up, he would be able to end with us all hanging "on the cliff" furious that we would have to wait for another 24 hours to know what happened. I remember that it was a daily programme of about 45 minutes (or was it less?) during the weekday.

From a pack of CDs of Lee Dai Soh's stories

Rediffusion has a few storytellers who had their faithful followers. There were Ong Toh, the Hokkien storyteller, again, with his own familiar tones, somewhat higher than that of Lee Dai Soh. And there was Ng Chia Keng, the Teochew storyteller. And a couple more (if you can remember, please add to the comments. (^^) )

For me, faithfully, every night, at about 9pm (or slightly earlier?) I would sit on the ground in the open air-well in the middle of the "pre-war" house, where I grew up, feeling the cold damp ground (of granite) while my grandma would sit on a chair with the landlady (a very strict Peranakan Matriarch), all listening intently to the story. Most of the stories would be gongfu stories.

I remember that there were also some erotic parts, described in such a nice way that would leave everyone to his or her imagination. One particular that I could remember goes like this, "Chew jit eh yet, huay jit eh sit, .. " (with a wave of a hand, the light went out ...) During those times, we could not ask the old ladies what happened then? (^^) Children were meant to be seen and not heard.

In those days, for me, in the 50s, storytelling was a favourite programme for many. In the wet and dirty market place off Craig Rd, in the night, benches would appear, lining around a small table (made from boxes). On the table was a tin converted into a lamp with a chimney like tube going up from the cover. This tin was probably made from used Ovaltine tins, a popular beverage then. This was the carbide lamp, where pouring water into the tin of carbides would create a flammable gas. So with a match stick, the end of the tube will light, providing quite a good light, at least good enough for the storyteller to read from his book.

Most the people, I think all men, probably the coolies ending the hard day sitting, somewhat more like squatting on the bench, would gather around the storyteller. I did not get near to watch or listen but was told that they would have a joss-stick lit just before the story telling. The listeners would pay (5 cents or was it 10 cents) for the length of the story determined by the burning joss-stick. I suppose if there was a draft, that joss -stick was going to burn out faster. (^^)

In the early 60s, when there were still storytellers around, I remembered seeing community centres providing such storytelling sessions to the old men who would gather there. The storyteller would probably have to compete against other distractions especially in terms of noise that he would have a very primitive loudspeaker with a microphone to work with.

The last time I came across a storyteller was a couple of years back when a chain selling "Pau" (dumplings) invited a Hokkien storyteller from Xiamen to come to tell stories. Alas, I could only attend one of his sessions before he had to rushed home on some domestic emergencies (we were told). He was explaining, as part of the storytelling, the Hokkien idioms and the differences in the way of pronounciations of the Hokkiens from Xiamen (Amoy), Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Imagine pigs being call Ti, Tu, Ter. I cannot remember which is from which area now.

For the experience, register for a session in the heritagefest website. Chinatown Visitor Centre is also having an exhibition of Lee Dai Soh's storytelling.

Tell me your experience, or what your granny told you. (^^)

Some were amazed that Lee Dai Soh of Rediffusion Cantonese Storytelling fame was going to tell a story. Well, it was only a recording of his storytelling. To those who have heard his stories before, it was like a journey back home in time. To those not old enough to have heard him, it was probably curiosity. In either case, a number flocked to Kwong Wai Siew Li Si She Shut (Lee Clan Association) over the two weekends (21 & 22, and 28 & 29 July 2012) at 3pm to check it out.

Lee Dai Soh, a name he coined himself, was a member of the Li Shi She Shut. His photo hung on the wall of this association was probably better known to his fans and their children and grandchildren. And hence the most appropriate place to listen to his stories. What better place too as this Association has its old world charm with the beautiful old chairs to sit on. We sat by the long table, which was and is still probably being used for the Association's meetings, enjoying Chinese tea with great Cantonese pastries (like the famous Tan-Tart - egg tart - from Tong Heng, one of the heritage shops still standing in Singapore's Chinatown), and listened to the story.

ack: Li Si She Shut

For those of us who have heard his stories before, it was like listening to an old friend again. It was like yesterday, for many. It was like a scene repeated from days gone by, be it the tenants of the house squatting or sitting together to listen to the small Rediffusion box or the men drinking coffee in the local kopi tiam (coffee shop). It was delightful to see how each had his or her own ways of listening to the verbal descriptions and imagining them. Closing one's eyes would be the most probable case although some would be staring blankly into the space.

Where there were different people turning up for each sessions, there were some die-hards who were there on every of the four occasions. In the beginning of each session, the President of the Association, Mr. James Lee, would welcome the visitors in Cantonese and explain a little about the Association. At the end of the Storytelling, when the other participants came for the URA Clan Association Heritage Walk, he would explain in Mandarin the history of the Association.

Listening to the tales told by Lee Dai Soh, in his own style with humour and invitation to his audience to feed back to him, I discovered that much of what was shared in the storytelling was about the history, legends and folk beliefs of China. It is through such stories that our folks of the old days, many of whom were illiterate, learnt and shared with their grandchildren. Do you know why in the Southern Lion Dance, there was that guy with a mask of a monk and a fan? Listen to Lee Dai Soh's story on "Drangon Dance, Lion Dance" (this was told on 28 Jul 12).

It was an interesting four days of storytelling that I attended faithfully, although my comprehension was at best 40%. But it was like a refreshing revision as I suddenly could recall some of the Cantonese words long embedded somewhere in my skull. A friend was so excited listening to the stores, akin like a dehydrated fish finding water. Suddenly one program in her brain was activated and her Cantonese came rushing out.

Many asked if they could buy a CD of Lee Dai Soh's stories. Alas, they could not be found. I hope that there could be some way of making the stories available, be it in CDs or downloadable MP3 so that we could play for our grandparents who might get to listen to them again. It would not be a great business proposition but perhaps, a great heritage initiative. It might be great if Cantonese associations and even Community Centres organise (as they had done in the past) such Storytelling sessions in one of their Audio rooms for the senior citizens. Some local or even foreign storytellers could also be invited to drop by to tell. It could be a fringe or part of the heritage festivals or even Storytelling festivals!

Kudos to Kwong Wai Siew Li Si She Shut, National Heritage Board and URA for the great initiative and collaborations to make this possible for us to experience. Looking forward to repeats with more stories.

To many tourists and locals, the 7th Month or the Zhong Yuan Jie is probably better known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. But to the local Chinese who observe this traditional customs, it is an important time of the year. On the surface, one would see neighbourhoods, temples, offices, industrial complexes, hotels and malls organising community based offerings for the ancestors (in neighbourhood and temples) and the "Good Brothers", meaning the wandering souls and the "visiting souls".

Because it is almost impossible to translate all Chinese terms (and even for each Chinese dialect, sometime, they defy accurate translations), the English words used here would be loose translations or what is commonly used, even not meaning exactly the same.

In the old days and as much as today, although because of urban renewal, much could not be seen in Chinatown, certain business activities go into overdrive. Chinese traditional products, ranging from joss papers, joss sticks, candles to many paper offerings for the departed (from traditional parcels to iphone lookalikes and even OSIM lookalike chairs) were in big demand. In the Cantonese part of Chinatown (generally speaking), there are at least two traditional shops of such kind, one at Smith St (now better known as Food St) and the other in an HDB flat facing the Tooth Relic Temple. Business is brisk at this time of the year, other than Qing Ming and other minor Chinese traditional events.

Apart from the Cantonese who do their "public" offerings (by the side of the road) on 15th of the 7th Month, the other dialect groups such as Teochew and Hokkien would do it on the first day, 15th and the last day of the 7th month. Food offerings were also made. So, you can imagine that the shops and the wet markets (and supermarkets as well) are also doing brisk business, from fruits to meat (some would buy back to cook while others might just buy ready cooked ones like roast pork, roast chicken and duck), and even Chinese Rice Wine and Tea.

For the organised community based prayers, the organisers would buy them bulk from shops or even supermarkets which have identified this market demand. Supermarkets from Sheng Siong to Carrefour could be seen offering 7th month offerings. Specially prepared forms were prepared for the organisers to tick and place their order according to some set "menu".

In the old days, in a kampong (village) or street, there would be organisers who went round collecting subscriptions for this event. Today it is still happening. Because of the urban renewal and migration of people from different villages, you could see more than one organisers for this 7th month event in the same group of HDB blocks. Interestingly, you might find similar events organised in some faraway HDB estate where the participants are from another part of town or kampong which has become history. But the community spirit and the sense of belonging continues. At least, maybe until the people involved leave this world?

In Chinatown, it is interesting too to note that a number of similar 7th Month celebrations were being organised. There was one organised by the wet market and food stalls, another by the Chinatown Business Association and yet another by the stalls at the Food Street. And as in traditional practice, those shopkeepers who believe would also make offerings from outside their shops.

The bigger organised events might engage the Taoist Priests to conduct rituals. For the temples, they would include a Chao Du (Salvation ritual) for the ancestors of the participants. Some temples might have street wayang (opera) or marionette. Others might have getai (variety show). Getai since the days of Wang Sar Yeh Fong has come a long way and attract thousands of fans. Getais are probably the main medium with which dialects are kept alive, through songs and the skits managed by the MCs. In Chinatown, there could be more Cantonese songs, where others would have more Hokkien songs, bolstered with Mandarin and others that could range from Teochew to Malay! Singers flock from the region, from Indonesia and Malaysia and could be as far as Taiwan, the pace setter in many ways in getais.

In many of such events, there would be the traditional 8-course dinners where participants of the 7th Month prayers - the Hokkien call it Por Tor (Pu Du) - would join. Local leaders such as the MPs are also invited to grace the event. This is an important event where members of the mall or neighbourhood come together to eat, drink and do their bit, getting to know each other better in the process. There would be items raised for auction during such dinners, that sometimes irritate the neighbours who do not appreciate this community event, that helps to provide the funds to manage the next year's event. These days, most people who bid for the auctioned item would pay immediately, whereas in the old days, they have one year to pay, just before the next year's event. The difference in these two changing models must be the economic condition today compared to the past. In the past, especially in the neigbourhood, some might bid in the belief that Por Tor Kong would help them get some money to pay for it when the time comes.

Not in the public would be the remembrance of the ancestors by the Chinese families. In this month, families would offer prayers for their departed. Extended families would gather. Where there are Chao Du in the neighbourhood or temples and the families participated, you can see the extended families come together. In the old days, much of such activities could well be in the home, for some with simple offerings and meal. These days, with better organisation and the lack of time for many, many opt for such activities organised for them. Some families might add more to the offering by bringing the favourite food of their departed.

It was a time when sometimes, grandma would introduce her grandchildren to the departed whom they have not met. It is a time when customs and traditions are reinforced and imprinted onto the young.

While many might think that this is a month that ghosts or spirits roam wild on the streets, it is the month when families remember their roots, it is the month when community comes together - be it in the neighbourhood or the office complex.

Unknown to many, the 15th of the 7th month is when Taoists offer their respect to Di Guan, the official responsible for the Earth Realm. Hence the term Zhong Yuan Jie.

Zhong Yuan Jie can be considered as one of our intangible heritage.

As the headlines on the Straits Times go.

I couldn't help thinking of the decades before when probably the only hostels (if you can call them) in Chinatown were those "stopover" places where one would spend a night or two enroute back to China. Probably on the way back as well.

No personal experiences but I hope to gather information from the older folks who might have lived near to such places - I heard of one at Telok Ayer St - to know more of what life was like then. There were such places, probably with each such place - catering to transit passengers, shipment as well as money transfers - according to the destination. I would imagine that one might cater for GuangDong area while another might be for Fujian.

Such stopovers were definitely not for Singaporeans as they could easily go to the port on time for departure. I could imagine that it might for people from the neighbouring countries, notably Malaya (then), Borneo and Indonesia? The journey to and from China would be easy ones as mode of transport then were ships, probably cargo ships.

Transforming those days, probably also double-decked beds to current modern and chic ones and for different customers, it is indeed a far cry.

While many of these folks on transit or who sent things and money to China (and even receiving some goods from China, notably tea?) might have not intended to stay long in Nanyang, many finally did and died on the distant shores, in Nanyang (southern oceans or S.E.Asia) that is. It is through them, and many others, that built what Singapore is today. Many saved for their loved ones back home, eating whatever small crumbs that they could gather. There are also success stories where one could see such "Malay" houses built in China to show the wealth brought back together with the Nanyang culture. I saw some magnificent ones in my recent visit to Jin Men, which is an island just off Xiamen, but currently part of Taiwan.

Modern hotels provide for any who wants to visit their ancestral homes enroute Singapore. But for most, there are direct flights to their homeland. Modern "sinkeh" (new guests or newcomers) still send back money and things. But there are the modern transfer centres which could be found in the People's Park. On a typical Sunday, the place is abuzz with the "sinkeh" (mainly workers) sending money back and having some good mainland Chinese meal in the stalls around the place. Unlike the old days, probably the transfers are almost instant.

In the old days, chances were the sinkehs would be mainly of Fujian or Guangdong - covering the main southern dialects of Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka and Hainanese, with a few Shanghainese and even those from Wenzhou. While Mandarin was the common language (putong hua) of the elites, chances were that these folks would speak Hokkien and Cantonese, two of the major groups. Interestingly, one might need to use Hokkien when taking bus and Cantonese in the restaurants. Of course, going to the wet market in Chinatown (Smith-Trengganu St, that is) one has to speak in Cantonese. But if you were to go to Kiao-Keng-Kao (Outside the Gambler's den), then, it would be Hokkien. These days, most would be from the mainland north, based on my observations of their relish in tucking in the Dong-Beh food - the mala that numbs the lips of the southern Chinese.

A new wave has long begun. How many will stay, like the old sinkeh? Putong Hua has become all the more important amongst the Chinese. But the challenge is that now they will also have to speak English as this is Singapore's putong hua. As the children of the new sinkeh sink their roots, this will happen. (^^)

Thanks to Victoria, she set me thinking about the number of wet markets there were in the greater part of Chinatown. I will try to recall here and if you know of any more, please add in your comments.

The inner Chinatown (as we call it based on the Kreta Ayer Rd to Upper Cross st) has probably the most well known wet market, apart from the equally popular Tekka Market in Little India and the other at Geylang Serai. Interestingly, these three wet market covers about all the fresh food for the three major ethnic groups in Singapore. For those more inclined to western food, then, it was the Cold Storage supermarket, then at Orchard Road.

Back to Chinatown, many of the Chinese in the old days would flock to this inner Chinatown before festive days to get the necessary fresh food and other specialties of the particular festival. This inner Chinatown wet market could be considered as the Cantonese part as the communication then (and a little today) was in Cantonese. And of course, anything one needed for the Cantonese cuisine, one could find it here.

There was also the other wet market at China St area, known as Kiao-Keng-Kou (literally translated as the entrance to the Gambler's Den - and maybe the elders could share with us if there were one or many of such dens then) where the Hokkiens would flock to.

Apart from these wet markets, there were also two probably known more of their wholesale as they also supplied to restaurants. One was the Maxwell Market and the other Ellenborough Market. A little towards the coast was the Lau Pa Sat (Old Market) which was also another bustling market, said to cater towards wholesales as well. Around Elleborough Market were also the shops selling the dried food, ranging from the hay-bee (dried shrimps) to dried ikan bilis (anchovies) and others like dried shark fins and dried sea cucumber.

I remembered walking along the street next to Ellenborough Market in the 70s when I saw the stallholders throwing away big baskets of cabbage leaves (and others as well). To make the cabbage look nice (as you would see in the markets today, then, probably only in Cold Storage), the stallholders stripped away the leaves with yellow ends. Many old ladies would come to this place in the night to cart away these leaves. After cutting away the yellow edges, they could sell the cabbage leaves at a fraction of the price of the day. I suppose that was how the "lower end" of the society survived then.

Apart from these wet markets, there were also others, somewhat for the neighbourhood. One was at Narcis St (no longer around) and Tanjong Pagar. Along Narcis St, shops along Tanjong Pagar around this area and a lane cutting into Craig Rd, this was the wet market for the residents from Craig Rd and Duxton Rd to those at Wallich St, Tras St and Peck Seah St (all residential then). This was the market my Mum would bring me to. Always coming back with my feet all wet and black, it was a wonderful trip each time, not just to watch the marketing - bargaining and bantering - but also to buy breakfast that could be you-chia-kueh (you tiao) freshly made and deep fried or deep fried radish cake. And more. Surrounding the wet markets were stalls selling cooked food, mainly for breakfast.

On the other side of Chinatown, where Tau-Fu-Kai (Upper Chin Chew St) was, there was also a wet market along Upper Chin Chew St and the neighbouring shops along South Bridge Rd. From pork butcher to fish mongers to vegetable sellers.

Come festive days, many, including my Mum would head for inner Chinatown or Kiao-Keng-Kou. And for the Peranakans, it could mean going as far as Tekka, Geylang Serai and Tiong Bahru to get the necessary ingredients.

It was a wet season that welcome the Chinese Lunar New Year. Business in Chinatown was in some ways dampened by the rain, but this did not dampen the spirits of the shoppers who braved the rain and the wet grounds to check out what's latest in Chinatown. The crowd was like what used to be decades ago. Of course, these days saw more tourists who wanted to soak in the atmosphere. For Singaporeans, almost every new town has its own Chinese New Year bazaars. But the atmosphere will not be the same as that in Chinatown, even though it does not have much of its original old-time sights.

It was a nostalgic walk along the streets of Chinatown (particularly in Temple St, Pagoda St, Trengganu St linking them through to Smith St), with the crowds being drawn to whoever called the loudest with the best offers. On the eve of Chinese New Year (CNY) eve, prices were beginning to drop, particularly the tidbits with short shelf lives. Certain tidbits just have to be there for visiting relatives and friends - kueh-chee (melon sheets) that now come in various flavours and groundnuts. Kueh-kueh (local pastries) come in big varieties ranging from love-letters (Kueh Belanda) to pineapple tarts. Most of these are influenced in many ways by Malays and Peranakans. There's the Taiwanese mochis that have been making big impact during pre-CNY sales.

What seems less obvious these days are the Dui-Lian (Couplets) that traditionally, most Chinese would get them to be pasted on both sides of the door-way and one on top. In the old days, and probably now, one would buy from the calligraphers. Letter writers in the old days are trained in calligraphy and hence could make the additional bucks from such sales. Every couplet is different because it is hand-written. These days, chances are one could buy printed ones. With most living in HDB flats, it would be a challenge to paste these Dui-Lian. My neighbour (who hails from mainland China) has his Dui-lian pasted on the door way between the living room and the kitchen, the only place where it is possible.

Food - an important part to the Chinese
Grandmas would be fussing about what to buy from the wet market to cook for the Reunion Dinner on the CNY Eve. Chinatown wet market is a favourite destination for many, especially for the older folks who used to shop here. Atmosphere in the basement market is different from the wet and dirty roads when the wet market stalls were along the Trengganu St area. No more pulling out the live chicken or ducks to check out if they are fat or not (or rather if they are meaty enough). In the old days, many would buy these poultry live and bring them back home. In the downtown houses, they could be kept in the bathroom or toilets. For those with bigger spaces, they could at least be in the kitchen courtyard. I remember the days when I had to fight with the chicken and ducks just going to the toilet. Or rather they were so alarmed by my presence. We would feed them with cockroaches in the belief that it fattens them up. Once my landlady decided to invest early with a few turkey chicks. Imagine the alarming calls each time I went to the toilet.

Then, came the stage when one would choose the live chicken or duck, have it weighed and price haggled and decided, pay for it and leave it to the stallholders to kill and de-feather, while one carried out with her shopping, to collect later. I remember the days when I had to help my mum to kill the chicken or duck by either holding the struggling bird's neck so that we could slit its throat and drain the blood. Yes, blood was also food. Then came the bird-flu and SARS and it was decided, no live birds in the market. We had to settle for chilled birds (at best).

Fish is another important item to buy. Nian Nian You Yu is one of the favourite greetings. Just similar sounds, but fish has always been an important dish for CNY dinner. For the Hokkien and Teochews, the Rabbit Fish (Peh Tor Hu - white belly fish) is one to look for. But alas, it is terribly expensive. It seems that during this time, the Rabbit Fish would be in its mating season, full or role. And it is less fishy in taste. One such fish could be about S$20 each, or more, from the wet market.

I suppose for other important ingredients, the existence of the supermarkets has somewhat dampened the prices in the wet market. Without fail, one would hear the housewives complaining that the prices "this year is higher than the last!".

For the Cantonese, the dried sausages are a must. many would flock to Chinatown which will have a bigger selection. During this season, a few stalls would be set up along Smith St to offer a range of sausages, waxed duck and the famous Yunnan Ham. The fact that sales were good indicate that many are still preparing them for meals at home. A simple steaming of the sausages on top of the rice is good enough for those of us who grew up with "Lap Cheong", the Cantonese name for the Chinese Sausages.

Everything Red
While the accountants see red in red, the Chinese just love them. Red packets in the old days were simple red paper cut into small enough sizes to wrap over the coins (yes, coins then). And then, red packets were for sale. These days, thanks to commercial marketing, one could get these red packets for free. And of course, the red packets were joined in by the gold packets, thanks to some innovative marketeers.

There seems to be the eternal "clash" between mothers and daughters (is this still true?) about wearing red and not black on CNY eve and CNY day, at least to please Ah Kong and Ah Mah (a good enough excuse), Kids, especially girls (well, up to a certain age) would be dolled up in the traditional Chinese clothings, especially cheongsam for the little girls.

It is always heartening to watch families all dressed in red, to a certain extent, arriving to visit relatives in the HDB flat where I live. Depending on their dialect groups, the senior members would be greeting in their respective dialects. Each dialect has its unique CNY greetings. You would hear Teochew greeting each other, Shin Jia Lu Yi.

Chinese New Year Eve Reunion Dinner
To the Chinese, the Reunion Dinner is probably the most important gathering of the family, more so in the extended family where there are the grand parents. Many daughter-in-laws make it their practice to have reunion dinners with their own parents earlier, a few days before the CNY. In the current families in Singapore where there are less children in the family, such gathering becomes more meaningful.

Given the small apartments (HDB flats) in Singapore, it is often a challenge to have extended family reunion dinners. Even when we split the tables into the elders and the children (a time for cousins to catch up). Grandma would often insist on cooking, maybe with some willing daughter-in-laws? But given that most are busy working and living separately, the younger grandma might not be keen to preside on the cooking of traditional dishes .. ahh ... Ah Mah's cooking, often the grandchildren's favourite. A trend that is probably sliding on a very steep gradient. And so, many now opt for reunion dinners in the restaurants. No more days of having to do marketing, lugging the buys back home, planning of the menu, cutting and cooking and after that washing. Big families, no problems, many restaurants have private rooms for a couple of tables if you want a private reunion dinner. Restaurants are also serving traditional dishes, and chances are also that these dishes will transcend across dialect lines.

Chances of all members attending the reunion dinners are certainly not a hundred percent. With the mobile Singaporeans, catching up is still possible thanks to technologies, such as Skype. For many studying overseas, this must be the time of homesickness as they will miss home and the re-nao (arousing) atmosphere of home. More so when they are staying in the northern hemisphere where dark, dreary and cold weather add to the gloom.

For the traditional Chinese families, there are rituals to be followed to welcome the new year. It is believed that if one stays awake longer into the Chinese New Year, the lives of their parents would be lengthened. Which kid does not like the idea of staying up longer? To welcome the new year, there will be offering of mandarin oranges and huat-kueh (traditional Chinese cake with the name "huat" that sounds like growth) to the Gods.

For some, it would be going to the Chinese Temples to offer the first joss sticks. In the Chinese tradition, 11pm is the beginning of the new day. And so, by this time, many would converge to their favourite temples. In Chinatown, Thian Hock Keng and Wak Hai Cheng Beo are two temples busy with devotees.

With a new year comes new hopes and new aspirations. And so, Singapore Chinese, with their fellow Singaporeans, look forward to a brighter future in the year of the Snake. Some of us reminisce the old times of Chinese New Year.

Today, feeling the oncoming of an attack of flu, I decided to drop by a neighbourhood clinic, rather than travelling far away to my "company clinic". It was great in that I could call to "chope" (reserve) a number and be given a time to arrive. My domestic help made the arrangement for me. She knows the neighbourhood better than I do. Efficiency in practice. I could remember the days when I had to wait hours for a doctor, and in a "company clinic" too.

The first impression was that the clinic is small, not so "professional looking" as one would see in the high end ones. Apart from the visuals, my next impression was the friendly "customer service". "

"Ah you are living nearby," was the comment from this middle aged lady as she registered my name. It is the first time for me to visit this clinic although all in my family, including the domesitc help, have their medical records here. My professional brain was working, despite the flu bugs swimming in the head and elsewhere, observing and wondering if I could help improve in the IT part of it.

Today, the main doctor, and apparently the owner of the clinic, was off and I learnt that he's off on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Many of his "loyal" patients asked for him. Many would rather come on another day, when they found out over the phone. For me, it does not make any difference as my case is rather straightforward, hopefully, and I need some medication to suppress the reactions to the bugs.

Sitting and waiting for my turn, I observed that most of the patients were repeats and the counter staff knew them well. They would be bantering in dialects. Reminds me of the old days. Two or three of them came in to register and then went off to do marketing in the nearby Sheng Siong supermarket. Sure, some of them missed their numbers. I heard that they would have to wait for another 5 number calls before they could be called when they return. But there was no anger and no admonishment from the staff. Compared to the very old days when we were worried being scolded by the missy (nurse).

An old Malay man came in to see the doctor. He had weak legs and the ladies quickly got him to sit down before taking out his appointment card. That kind of kampong spirit that I see, very spontaneously.

Looking around, I noted that except for one, the rest of the patients had greying hair. Ah, but of course, I am also in this category of senior citizens. Two older ladies came with their domestic help to assist them.

A pleasant and smiling lady doctor attended to me. She explained to me the medicine that she was about to give me. She noted that my blood pressure was above the normal. I explained that I had a history and was taking medication but I missed them every now and then. She empathised with me when I said that I am taking my medicine every other day instead of cutting the pills into two, saying she would have the same problems. But she encouraged me to remember.

I could remember some decades back when I also went to a neighbourhood clinic that my impression was whether it was a senior citizen centre. It turned out, as I was to learn later, that they were amahs who had since retired and were being taken care of by the doctor, who probably was taken care by them when he was young. I guessed. This friendly old doctor was in no hurry to send me off. And so, a consultation could lead to more than just the immediate problems. I could vividly remember his encouraging me to have children (I did not have any then) to make a family more complete.

My name was called to collect my medicine. The lady who was giving me the medicine advised me not to taken chilli during this period and not to take too much salt considering my blood pressure. All in a friendly manner.

Ah, I think I can adopt this clinic for my retirement years. If the medical bills do not shoot up, that is. Or it might be trips to the local Chinese medicinal shops for self treatment. (^^)

As I sat having my dinner, the strains of the Teochew operatic singing came up the storeys from the ground floor. No, I am not complaining about the noise. In fact, I am "enjoying" the music, in a way. I should not be saying that I enjoy as this is part of a Teochew ritual in a funeral wake. This is part of a "journey" of the deceased as he/she leaves this world.

The Teochew operatic style singing reminds me of the many Teochew street operas that one could find along the streets in the old days. Yes, in the old days in Chinatown, there would be some kind of events - temple or community - almost every other week.

In the old days, when someone in a Teochew family passed away, there would be such a ritual performed by members of a Sian Tng (Shan Tang in Teochew) that the family could have been a member of. The interesting attractions to the neighbours would be the young children choir singing the Teochew rituals in their sweet voices against the playing of the strings, gongs and cymbals. These days, they are rare but there are still enough older teens and adults doing the rituals.

Where I live, it is a community of Teochews and Cantonese. Interesting in that together, they form the little Guangdong. Yes, in the apartment block where I live, the original residents were actually resettled from the Teochew area such as Teochew St (but of course) - of what is now Central Mall and the Chin Chew Rd area (where Upper Chin Chew St was known as Tau Foo Kai in Cantonese). It was a vertical community of two communities. Traffic between floors was high because of the extended families and old neighbours. Almost everyone would be greeting someone in the lift.

As days went by, such greetings seemed to lessen. The old wrinkled faces that wrinkled even more with their smiles seem to be getting less. I would be meeting more younger and fresh strange faces. I would still be meeting some familiar old faces, but they would be recent victims of stroke or with a walking stick supporting their weak legs. Greetings in dialects decreased. If any conversation in the lift, chances are it will be in Mandarin (of various accent) or English (also of various accent).

As the children moved out leaving their parents, the population here grows older. Some have moved out (yes, we are bombarded with record breaking offers of buying of our flats) bringing in new residents. For some of the older folks, they have found a space in the coffeeshop downstairs for coffee, and maybe beer, as beer seems to be the mainstay of coffeeshops these days. Some gathered on some discarded chairs to chat, listening to the Teochew Operas from a mini player. They would have been sitting along the Teochew Street in the evenings as their parents or grandparents would have done. That was history.

This scene could well become history soon. (^^)

A few decade ago, on the 7th day of the 7th Moon (lunar month) and you are likely to see the celebration in hour of the Seven Sisters, known to the Cantonese as "Chart Jie" (Qi Jie). There would be big displays as the young ladies would celebrate.

In the book written by See Cheng, there was a chapter on the Seven Sisters.

Poster at the Chinatown Heritage Museum

On the eve of the 7th of 7th Moon, as I was walking home along New Bridge Road, I chanced upon this offering being placed and prepared for prayers. In the Chinese concept of time, 11pm of the day is the beginning of the next day.

Some friends commented that they remembered that "Chart Jie" celebrations were commemorated on the actual day of the 7th. Interestingly too, in the old days, most temple events would start on the beginning of the actual day, meaning perhaps, dawn. These days, most would do it at 11pm on the night before. But we know that we welcome the Chinese New Year on the even at 11pm. A trend for other celebrations perhaps.

I am looking for more tales of the celebration of the 7 Sisters.

As if to chase away the "yin" energies away, Chinatown Singapore will welcome the Mid-Autumn festival with gusto, plenty of "yang" energies.

As I strolled through the streets of the "inner" Chinatown, also known as Gnau Chair Shui or Bullockcartwater this evening, I noticed that lanterns were being displayed. A couple of moon cakes too. I could not help reminiscing the olden days as I strolled down from Sago lane through Tregganu St into Pagoda St and the along New Bridge Rd. How much had changed other than the remaining standing shop houses?

For a start, my wife and I decided to have a picnic in Chinatown. Yes, with Bratwurst, Gherkin and Sauerkraut with Stiegl Weissen! At the only Wurstelstand in Chinatown, just above the equator. In my younger days I would not have even imagined about this meal! Enjoying the wurst (sausages) and listening to the chattering of Hokkien (interestingly, I would have expected Cantonese) in the coffeeshop, I noticed quite a mix of population. There was Austrian, Thai and Chinese food. There must be at least some four to five languages being spoken at any instant. In the old days, at this place, it would have been only Cantonese.

After a fulfilling meal, we decided to take a slow stroll back. Ah, the old Wurstelstand has become a perfume stall! And just across from it were hung new plastic inflated lantern lookalike. Now, what would be the new additions this year. You can guess as much when you see the picture.

In the old days, my wife and I (well, we were kids then) would run to this small stall with kindergarten chairs to have our favourite yau-yi-ong-choy (cuttleflish with kangkong) but those would only remain in our memories. I am trying hard to remember the crunch of the jellyfish and the taste of the dark red sauce with chill, and visualising the ever fierce and strict matriarch overseeing her daughter and daughter-in-law. It is becoming cloudy these days. What I saw was Tiger Beer and Chilli Crab. In Chinatown!! Yes, in the old days, it would be difficult to see any foreigners in Chinatown at night, but these days, it might be the reserve. One small kid was stopped just in time by his father from erasing the chalked writing on the menu-board. Ah, the wan-pi (mischievous) kid, who would have risked a thrashing in the old days.

Wow, the romantic red lantern with the Chinese characters "Double Happiness" beaming the soft rays on the foreign couples as they enjoyed the Singapore food.

More lanterns, these time some of the old versions similar to those in the 50s. My wife was complaining that they are not adding the gills to the goldfish! Why did you know, I asked. She remembered being paid five cents to paste the gills onto these fish lanterns.

In the old days, Chinatown would have been the place to buy moon cakes, especially the Cantonese moon cakes. These days, while famous old names like Dai Chong Kok (Da Zhong Quo) still thrive, most of the moon cake businesses seem to be centred around hotels selling them as corporate gifts. Vivo City has become one of the biggest Moon Cake fairs!

Chinatown is going to usher in the 8th Moon (lunar month), which begins on 5 Sep 13, with a light-up on Saturday 7 Sep 13. Many activities have been planned. You now almost don't need any paper to know the schedules (well we still have any senior citizens who have yet to get into the net) as all the details could be found here: Chinatownfestivals Well, this young man came to offer me a pamphlet and invited me to the event. Down the road, he might tell his own story of our Chinatown. (^^)

And soon, kids and adults alike will be reminded of the stories centering around the Moon and Autumn (which has not climatic bearing in Singapore), yes, with food as well such as moon cake (but of course, and with it history and stories of ancient China), water caltrops, small yams and pomelos.

As I came home, I spotted a red piece of paper pasted on the wall between the two lifts. Hmm, someone has passed away I thought to myself, but there was no sign of a wake downstairs in the limited space within my block of flats.

Later, the son came to inform that his father has passed away. Since suffering from a stroke and gradually recovering, we have seen less of him. It was still a shock to learnt of his passing in the hospital, not from the problem that he went there for.

Last night we went to the wake that was put up in a neighbouring cluster of HDB flats that have a bigger space for the wake. It seems that the neighbourhood (if there is still the same impression, and the neighbours who really know each other) got to meet each other and sit down to chat only during wakes. Koptiams are no longer the watering holes of the old, save a few. So, at best was "a good morning, wah your children have grown, how's your parents?" ... the usual questions, often waiting or inside the lift, where more of the people are strangers. Kids and pets are usually the ice-breaking points.

Back to our neighbour. We must have been neighbours for a good 40 years, since the urban renewal when many people from the old pre-war houses of the Teochew community (around the then Ellenborough Market that is not wiped out of the area and replaced by the Central shopping mall) and the Cantonese & Hokkien community (in the Chin Chew St to Hokkien St area). I was "married in" to stay with my later mother-in-law because of the HDB policy. But that's another story.

I remember this neighbour as a strict and yet doting father, as his son-in-law described him in his facebook page. More so as a grandfather as he tried to balance being a strict and yet dotting grandpa. As we are next door neighbours, there was more than the passing conversations. The ladies of the row of apartments between the lift and the end of the row were probably the main communicators. And then, the children. Imagine in this row, we have Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hokkien. No problem, we could communicate, in one of the dialects.

In the early days, my (would be) mother-in-law was very frugal. She knows what is poverty and would not spend more than what is necessary. When we treated her to a meal outside, and she found out that they "yau-choy" (you cai) cost much more than what she could buy from the wet market and cook, she chided us for wasting money. I remember those days when we wanted to watch live telecast of the National Day parade, we would hop over to his house to watch. His kids were still young then.

In 1976, I was sent to Japan for training. I was given a 20 minute "collect call" (meaning I make a call from Japan and Singapore pays, in this case, my company) back to Singapore. But I had no phone at home, or my then girl friend (now my wife). We found out that our neighbour had a phone and so we asked to use his phone. Imagine the trouble we caused to him and family each time I called back, once a week, for some 16 weeks!

And when he went shopping for his favourite Teochew kueh, he never forgot about us. We got to eat the best Teochew Png-Kueh (the pink cake in the same of a peach but flat) and Tsu-Kak Kueh (the black version of Ang Ku Kueh using the leaves of a plant for the flavouring of the skin).

When our kids came, they would often pop over next door. Interestingly, just at about meal time. Kids are great in their art of getting what they want. They would tell the wife how her cooking smells so nice. And when they returned home, they announced that they already had their dinner!

While he has seen our kids grow from babies to what they are now (hovering around 20s), we have seen his kids grew, got married and have kids.

As modern vertical communities do not have much common facilities for interactions, unlike a kampong or a street community, where there is always the inevitable coffeeshop or temple, communications amongst neighbours are few and sometimes far in between. Like the Chinese would say, we probably meet and communicate more during red (weddings, baby month old celebrations) and white (death) events. Despite the short and few communications, we appreciate the neighbourliness and care of our neighbour and his family.

With sadness and acceptance of the inevitability, we thank him for all the wonderful times and for taking care of us and our children in many ways and wish him a smooth journey ahead. To his extended family, we offer our sincere and deep condolences.

How time flies, and when such festivities arrive, it triggers a flood of memories. One could help looking at the present and comparing with the past. Nostalgic memories came flooding, and these days with social media and more heritage gatherings, there were more sharing. I realise how little I know about the Chinese New Year (CNY) festivities.

In the Cakap Heritage organised by the Singapore Heritage Society (SHS) and Urban Renewal Authority (URA) on 25 Jan 14 at the URA Centre, many participants shared their experiences, as well as what they heard from their parents and grandparents. We all know that buying flowers was always part of CNY, but I never gave it a thought about the symbolism of different flowers, of which some soothe sayings could be found. And it might differ from say, Cantonese to Hokkien. If the older folks could be persuaded to such events, it would be a great gathering, but then, even four hours would not be enough as torrents of memories flowed as each participant began sharing their younger days.

What what has changed? For sure, to me, getting the traditional Chinese New Year cards is quite challenging, In the old days (say in the 60s, and even later), one could find the Chinese New Year cards in almost every other stalls lined along Pagoda St and the other streets. Many came glittering with the golden specks. Cards of 15 cents to 30 cents are now more than a dollar. Yes, there are still cheaper ones if you look hard enough. What has replaced them? There was the SMS (short messages) that came with words being formed to give some pictures. Then, it was pictures over MMS. Now with new mobile apps, it would be animations over the likes of whats app. The trickle of such messages would start early on CNY eve and breaks into a rush as the clock reaches midnight.

Chinatown, to many would mean the "inner or Cantonese part of China" is still very much alive comes Chinese New Year. This year, it seems to me that the streets were especially crowded. The Taiwanese mochi probably took the main stage with their offerings. The sackfull of kuah-chi (melon seeds) and peanuts were found in different stalls with similar set up, a franchise or chain? The Farmer brand peanuts are still there, my favourite as I like the boiled nuts.

Surprisingly, amongst the stalls were those offering Wedding packages and yes, mobile phone package promotions! From the look of it, they were getting interested customers.

There are the traditional "waxed" products, meaning the Chinese sausages, waxed ducks & chicken, Yunnan Ham and an assortment of the salted pork. There are so many kinds of Chinese sausages that one can find. You can find them at Smith St where there are two. In the old days, not sure if it is still being practised widely, some of these products could be bought as gifts to the in-laws or well, the future in-laws. Apart from these would be the popular canned abalones, dried Shitake (mushrooms) and deep fried fish maw. And for sweets, for many tee-kueh (or Nian Gao in Mandarin although they could mean other things) is a must. For the traditional Chinese, tee-kueh (sweet cake) is a must to offer to the Kitchen when sending him off to the Heavens for his annual reporting - 24th day of the 12 lunar month. The tee-kueh is sweet and sticky and so you can imagine what effect it has. (^^) For the traditionalists, they would look for tee-kueh (lin koh in Cantonese) in Tai Chong Kok and Tong Heng. Authentic tee-kueh should become hardened after a couple of days. And later, they make great desserts, be it being sliced and deep fried with batter or steamed and eat with freshly grated coconut.

Probably a decade or so ago, lohei became very popular (the tossing of various types of vegetables symbolising all the great things in life with fish, which is also a symbol) and it has become a must, first in the restaurants, and then, takeaways to do it at home. And then, because of time (or is it because of kiasuism?) lohei starts way before the start of the new year! This year, in Chinatown there is a new addition in special offer - German sausages! Won't the kids love it. I suppose you can still toss them, but label them with some special meanings first. (^^)

Chinatown only becomes crowded and bright in the month before the CNY day. The two weeks would probably be the start of the rush with the crescendo reaching on the eve of the eve. Of course, on CNY eve, after reunion dinner, many would flock to Chinatown to look for cheap sales. On the morning of the CNY eve, the wet market would be a place of chaos as many would be shopping all the fresh stuff for the cooking on CNY Eve Reunion dinner and the days to come. In the old days, the town would be dead from CNY Day to as long as fourth or fifth day. For some longer, for others shorter. Some might consult their fengshui book (Tong Shu) to see which day is good to open the door of the shop or office. Many Chinese would tell you that they start CNY with Chinese food and then follow with Malay or Indian food because many Chinese stalls would be closed. Not today!. Many reunion dinners are held in the restaurants and said to be in the Food Centres too. Besides, there are so many kind of restaurants available these days.

With the active participation of the community organisations more events are organised in Chinatown. There is the lights-up, the crossing into the CNY and the Cap-Goh-Meh (15th Night of the CNY). And so, crowds wanting to have fun and see the sights and sounds would be going to Chinatown for it. There's nightly getai at Chinatown Square. It was always crowded with the people, mainly the middle-age ones, who would sit and enjoy the Chinese songs, that could be in various dialects and Mandarin. There are also Chinese dance performances.

This year's decorations on the streets of Chinatown - along Eu Tong Sen St with New Bridge Rd and along South Bridge Rd - can be said the best collectively. This probably also brings in crowds who want to capture them with their cameras or phones, both in the daytime and at night. A great atmosphere as we are ushered into the year of the Horse. But what will it bring? We don't know but for sure, we cannot afford to be horsing around. :)

Many older folks in Singapore would know Haw Par Villa as Haw Par Bit-su (in Hokkien). To probably the English-speaking world or the tourists, maybe would know it as Tiger Balm Gardens. What an innovative way to introduce one to the garden and to the world famed Tiger Balm. It is a "cure-all" that my grandma and mum would use, from mosquito bites to bed bugs (in the old days, they were our constant companions) to headache and sniffing noses. We would use the white cream (although the red cream is said to be stronger, they stained the clothing) and oil. One could almost never get away from it, be it in a bus or even in a plane when the old folks travel!

Haw Par Villa is a favourite place for us kids in the old days but we got to visit it only during the Chinese New Year holidays. That's the time when our parents would bring us there, probably the cheapest to go because there was no admission fee and all we needed was bus fare. Although I have been to this park for many a times, I could not fully understand all the characters there. Apart from the marketing part of it (which was also great for us to see miniatures of other countries), it was Chinese mythologies and teachings. Grandpa (interestingly, in such a case, grandpa would take over, well, in my case, it would be my father who came from China) would be seen as the authority on the stories of ancient China.

Ancient China has three teachings (I would consider them as teachings, to be closer to the Chinese description of them as san jiao, meaning three teachings, versus religions) that cross-influence society since a long time. As a result, we have the best of all worlds in having a better society. If we were to adopt, that is. In modern times, much of the teachings have gone down the hill in a rapid and frightening diminishing rate. Haw Par Villa might help to arrest the slide and kick off an interest in our young and not so young about our cultural heritage, which is part of Singapore's cultural heritage.

But I leave the discussions on Haw Par Villa, its colourful history (the park and the original owners) and characters to the forum at this facebook group known as Friends of Haw Par Villa.

The Chinatown Connection
In the greater part of Chinatown, you can say that it is just at the outskirt of Cantonese speaking Chinatown, at the corner of Craig Road and Neil Road is an iconic building. This is the building that has seen many different tenants in succession over the years. The residents of Craig Road, which was where I enjoyed my childhood, called this building simply as Eng Aun Tong or Aw Boon Haw (after the person who ran this business with his brother, Aw Boon Par - more stories about them can be found in Haw Par Villa facebook page or in a recently published book on Aw Boon Har (in Chinese) by the Char Yong Association.

The Aw Family stories span from China to Burman (Myanmar) to Malaya and Singapore, and HongKong (which used to have a Tiger Balm Garden as well, but I understand that it is no longer there). More information can be found on Aw Boon Haw from the National Library.

Back to this iconic building. In the 50s, when I was still a kid, running up the length of Craig Rd, oblivious to the existence of any secret societies or gangsters, I used to go to the Aw Boon Haw building, especially in the evening. In front of the main office, which would have been closed, would be placed a charpoy (a rope weaved bed on strong wooden frame) where the Indian Jagas would be sleeping or rather lying down and ensuring that no one tried to break in. As kids, we could sit and lie on the charpoy much to the amusement of the jagas.

I remember one of our neighbours (we were just a tenant family in this house along Craig Rd which had many tenants with a rather strict Bibik - Peranakan lady) was working in the Aw Boon Haw building. I think on the upper floor was a factory or assembly plant. The ladies would be wearing light blue samfoos to work. At 4pm each day, they would end the day and that was when we would see them streaming out of the building.

There seemed to be a warehouse (we were not so curious in those days) on the other side of what used to be the railway track (long before my time) which was then a basketball court and park on which the Chin Woo pugilistic association would have their martial arts (including Taiji) and lion dance training. At that time, it seems like Chin Woo was the only association with the northern lions. Oh yes, the warehouse was the place where the jaga would live during the day. Where the warehouse was, today it is part of the huge Pinnacle flats.

When I was much older and could take a bus to Pasir Panjang Road where the Haw Par Villa is, I would sometimes meet the same jagas there.

Diagonally across from the Aw Boon Haw building, on the row of shop houses, is the Eng Teng Association which was supported by Aw Boon Haw. The Aw family came from Eng Teng (Yong Ding) in Fujian province, I wonder if they were a member of this association. You can see the names of Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par inscribed in many stelle in Malaysia and Singapore, as they donated generously to the society. In another Hakka Guild in Singapore, the Nayang Khek Community Guild, you can also find the connection.

Will Singapore remember Aw Boon Haw's legacy? I think the Haw Par Villa and the Eng Aun Tong building probably will be the visual memory, with much information kept in the National Library and the related Hakka associations.

In the old days, apart from the temples initially being the place for worship, they were also community centres for the Chinese to meet to seek help or employment (kind of employment centre as well). Soon as more people from the same town or village arrived, they started to form clan associations so that they could look out for each other. And then, in each clan, they would worship their ancestral patron Deity. As time went by and the members become well to do, arts began to flourish. Opera (of the dialect of the clan association), music group, Lion and Dragon dance troupe were formed. This gave the members activities where those who had the skills could share with the other members, especially the children as families began to form.

Schools became another necessary facility for the children to go to. Many early Chinese schools were started by the clan associations. Here is one posting on the Ning Yeung School set up by Ning Yeung Wui Kuan 宁阳会馆, probably the earliest clan association in Singapore.

And then, as the people got old there was a need for mutual help. Mutual Aid funds were started to help look after the old, to help the bereaved family in the expense of the funeral when they pass away. Some of the Teochew clans are well known for their "Kong Kuan" (percussion group) that would be performed during festive events, including temple celebrations, as well as for funerals. At that time, they would only perform for members only. In many clan associations, there are also a "Tang"堂 (hall) where there is an altar where the tablets of members who have passed away are placed. Many clan members in the early days, especially the single coolies and majie, would reserve a tablet in their clan association knowing that they might not make it home (back to China). Sadly, many died without their friends knowing that they had already reserved their own tablets in the clan association. You could see fading red papers still covering these tablets in the Tang.

At the last count, through my walk along the streets of the greater Chinatown (Dai Po in Cantonese, Tua Po in Hokkien/Teochew and Da Po in Mandarin), I have counted some 55 of such clan associations in this area alone. While there are much more all over the older parts of town, that spans from Geylang Road to Jalan Besar and Beach Road (check out this facebook group on clan associations), most of the oldest clan associations were set up in Chinatown.

Because of urban renewal programme in the early days, some of the clan associations have moved. The Cantonese ones moved into the inner part of Chinatown, such as Ang Siang Hill or Keong Saik Rd. Some moved to Geylang which seemed to be the next concentration of clan associations. Some Hokkien clan associations could be found in Telok Ayer St and Amoy St area. For the Teochew clan associations, they are probably found more in Geylang and Upper Serangoon (Hougang), that was known to be where the Teochew live (more of the country side). These are my very general observations that would need deeper studies.

The Chinatown portal provides some information on the clan associations. The URA has also been active in promoting heritage and conducts tours to clan associations during events like Heritage Fest and the coming Chinatown coLAB event (which is an interesting project between CBA - Chinatown Business Association - and STB - Singapore Tourism Board which brings together interested participants to come up with ideas on how to leverage digital technology to record, store and share knowledge, experiences and information on our Chinatown heritage).

While quite a number of clan associations are hoping to get more younger members to join and be active in the activities of the association, there are also a number of the associations which are active with many activities. There are some associations where you can find the old people gathering each day to meet up old friends and chat (how many could speak the beautiful dialects?). There are some with programmes such as opera singing, wushu (martial art) and lion/dragon dance that are bringing in new members of various ages. The younger members are beginning to make their associations known in the cyberspace work, notably in the facebook where most of the youngsters "meet", and probably moving to Instagram as well. Events were uploaded to these sites almost instantly to be shared with friends. Some went viral within minutes.

In the old days, clan associations were there to serve many purposes. Self help within the community from the same place back home was the main objective. In later days when businesses were growing, clan associations provide the linkage to fellow clans around the world. These days, various clan associations in different parts of the world take turns to host international conference of the same clan associations. Singapore has been one favourite place and many of our local clan associations have hosted such events. When you see fellow clansmen (similar with women) meet and greeting each other in their local dialect, you can see and feel the familial warmth! Of course, in conferences, the official language would be Mandarin (the putong hua) and the dialect, as many descendants could not longer speak their "mother tongue".

Today, most of the young who are born in Singapore do not see any need of the clan association, unless they have been brought there when young and appreciate the linkage to the ancestors as well as fellowship with the same clansmen. Hence, there is a challenge for the associations to see renewal in membership and leadership. But it could be seen that there is still hope as some clan associations have shown the way.

Of the buildings conserved in Chinatown, probably, some of the most outstanding ones are those of the clan associations. Sadly, some were demolished before their heritage values could be appreciated.

Well, not really. But it was interesting in the past week to see STB (Singapore Touristm Board) with CBA (Chinatown Business Association) coming together to sponsor another interesting event, the Chinatown coLAB (now I learnt about the use of hashtags #chinatowncolab ). Here, anyone interested in the heritage of Chinatown could participate in the weekend event to come up with ideas leveraging on digital technologies to create more access into the history and cultural heritage of Chinatown.

A workshop was held on Tuesday, 25 March 2014 at the Tooth Relic Temple auditorium where interested public turned up to understand more about this Hackathon. First timer like me was curious on what a Hackathon is all about. Ah nothing to do with hacking that layman like me thinks. By the end of the two hour session, for those of us attending the first time, we were clearer now.

Momentum took up on Friday, 28 March 2014, when various speakers talked about Chinatown, from history to culture to technologies. I was fortunate to be invited to give a 15 minute blast on what Chinatown has. For a long winded person like me, bursting to share, from one end to the other end of the greater Chinatown, 15 minutes was impossible. Nevertheless, I tried and hopefully, it caught the attention of the audience, if not all, at least some, as they had fed back me. :)

To walk the talk, well, at least part of the talk, I led a group underground to look at the wet market of Chinatown. There were quite a number of walks so that participants could select the walks that they were interested in to come up with an application idea. My walk started with the Food Street Walk, led by Wallace and Mei Ping of Select. Alas, it was a little early at 9.15am and so the group could not experience the atmosphere and got to see the stalls preparing and serving their food. The names of the food stalls were impressive as they were specially invited to set up shop here.

At the Food Street

We went into the cool with a faint smell of what a wet market should be. For the wet market enthusiasts, and if you are a cook or chef, you must be enjoying the smell, wet floor (hence wet market) and the chattering of the customers. Nothing like chatting with the stall holders, exchanging notes about not only the things they are selling, be it vegetables, eggs, fish or poultry, but also the mutual friends who could be just customers. "Ah, here are the fresh vegetables just arrived," the stall holder would call out to his regular customer, in Cantonese. "How to cook it?" asked the customer.

A wide array of vegetables

I was challenging my group, consisting of members from ITE (with their lecturer who is an expert on Asian cooking!) to A*STAR researcher, if they could identify all the vegetables being sold. The friendly lady stall holder responded almost immediately, in English, that I would give a prize if they could! I replied suggesting getting some fresh chillies as prizes :)

The Chinatown wet market of today is certainly more friendly to tourists than in the early days, although in those days, there would be excitement of snake killing along Trengganu St, when the wet market was on the streets. I hope that if we do more wet market tours, especially, with locals, we could generate more business for them. I remember the last time when I brought two restaurant friends from Sydney who were keen to know the local wet market scene, one fishmonger actually took up a huge fish to show them! Pictures were taken and certainly one plus point for us Singaporeans! :) To add to that experience, I brought them to enjoy one of our signature dish, the Fish Head Curry, where they could see how the head of that huge fish could be cooked and served. Another Italian friend, a Scientist visiting Singapore to share his know-how was so impressed by the Fish Head Curry that when he went back home, to US, where he is living, he actually cooked a Fish Head Curry for his friends. Ah, Singapore is not made known to more people. And the wet market was his favourite haunt, given his love for cooking!

Dried ingredients in the wet market

We meandered from row to row, looking at the dried ingredients so important to Asian cooking, then the vegetables, the poultry (alas, no live chicken to see - I always love to ask anyone whom I bring to the wet market what is the colour of the feather of the black skinned chicken - meat too), fish - certainly the place with the most smells (could not see the killing of the Toman or Snakehead), eggs (how to identify the salted eggs and century eggs), pork, yong-tow-foo and fruits.

We were running late but the participants seemed more interested in staying longer in the market! I hope they get to visit it again, and again. And if someone could develop some interesting mobile apps, it might help them identify the many things sold there. Of course, there is nothing like shopping and chatting with the stall holders, which my wife did, shopping as we went along, and sharing her stories with the group as well. Many of the stall holders speak Mandarin and English. Of course, nothing like chatting in Cantonese and seeing the animated face as the stall holder shares with you all kinds of stories.

Back to the Chinatown coLAB venue which had been shifted from the Tooth Relic Temple on Friday evening, this former OCBC (Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation as it was once called) has a very interesting and nice atmosphere that I thought was conducive to creative ideas. After another round of presentations, the teams that were formed on Friday night (I was told it is like speed dating except that you are looking for someone to complement you in forming a team so that you have the content providers and the techies who will develop applications for the POC - proof of concept). Wow, first time I was watching strangers approaching each other to seek them out, after the initial 1 minute pitch of his or her ideas to the audience on Friday night, after my supposed-to-be-inspirational-talk. :) Although I was not involved in the team, on hindsight, I should have joined. But maybe, it would be too stressful for me. :)

Nevertheless, it was a great time, meeting the young people and getting to know them. Some asked me for more input and also bounced their ideas off me. Someone fed back to me that my blog posts were too few and too far in between. Ah, I must work harder! :)

All gathered, excited to see the ideas

On Sunday (30 Mar 14) afternoon at 2.30pm, the teams were ready! 16 ideas were presented, some complete with demonstrations of their applications! 3 minutes to present and demonstrate their ideas was certainly very challenging but all managed to put their ideas across, with proof of concepts demonstrated too!

She came, she saw, she joined in .. presenting her team's idea

The guys at Chinatown coLAB certainly did a great job, with the support of members from CBA and STB. And with the objective of making heritage of Chinatown more accessible to both the Singaporean and foreign visitors, it looks like we are certainly on the way, the right way. I look forward to the fruition of some of these great ideas. Of course, a living heritage needs more than technologies. We will get to see more developments coming up. I like the comments that if Singaporeans find interests in Chinatown and through their more often visit makes it vibrant, the foreign visitors will be sure to follow. They want to know why the Singaporeans (not just Chinese) visit Chinatown. There are many interesting nuggets waiting to be discovered, not to mention that many associations such as the clan associations and arts groups are waiting for new members - young and old. Want to know more about the Chinese heritage? Come to Chinatown. Many of these organisations are already open to any Singaporeans.

Qing Ming this year falls on 5 April. It is one of the important time when Chinese would take time off and make efforts to remember their departed loved ones and ancestors. In some traditional families, their family members would travel vast distance, from where they might be in, be it studies, work or even living in, to come back to join the family in going to the tombs of their ancestors to pay their respect. In some small towns, the local hotels could be fully booked.

In modern times, especially in crammed cities, many Chinese are opting for cremations and hence the ashes of the departed would be placed in niches. Some might be placed in temple halls of ancestors. Others in public columbariums.

In the Singapore tradition as I know (not too sure if this is the general Chinese tradition), the Chinese would observe Qing Ming ten days before and ten days after the Qing Ming date. Because of the high concentration of tombs in the cemetery vicinity and niches in the columbarium, there is expected traffic congestions. Some people would go as early as 5am to beat the crowd. There are also some who would go one week before the ten days limit. Pragmatism prevails.

Rituals and offerings evolved over time and place. Where the tradition is to put coloured papers on the tombs (hence the Hokkien term of De Mong Chuah, meaning putting the paper onto the tomb), when there are no more tombs (as in the niches), this practice becomes non-existent in the columbarium.

Other traditions of the family gathering together in the bigger space of the tomb to have an extended family picnic, eating traditional food (such as popiah, Hokkien spring roll which seems to be the Hokkien tradition) and the offerings - usually including the favourite food of the departed loved ones and traditional dialect food - becomes almost impossible. I remembered following the Zhong Shan Clan to Peck Shan Teng (Bishan) in the old days during Qing Ming, where the clan members would go to pay respect to their respective ancestors and came back together to have a picnic at the main clan tomb memorial. There would be more than half a dozen huge roast pigs in the offering to the collective ancestors of the Zhong Shan Clan. The butcher members would later chop up the roast pig for us to enjoy with the traditional Chinese in the picnic. I could not understand the Zhong Shan dialect, but I enjoyed the roast pork. :) With the removal of the tombs in Peck Shan Teng, this annual tradition stopped.

Offerings to the departed and ancestors continued, food, tea and wine (for some, which could range from XO to beer), and of course, joss papers and other worldly goods to be transported across the realms. As in life, with evolution, so would be the offerings. The lookalikes of mobile phones, ipads and tablets could be found being sold in the joss shop. Dishes too. And if one needs some medication, they are available too.

In the Cantonese quarter of Chinatown (where most people would know as Chinatown), there are still two joss shops meeting the needs of the people in Chinatown and anyone coming into town. One is at Blk.5 off Banda St and the other at Smith St. If one wants to look for traditional Chinese joss papers, Chinatown shops are surely the best place. Over time, some of them are also getting rare. And many of the offering are becoming "mainstream" with all the dialect groups.

While the congestions might be as far as Choa Chu Kang/Lim Chu Kang area (where the cemetery is) or Mandai (where the huge government built columbarium complex is), a number of clan associations's ancestral halls in Chinatown are being visited by the descendants. Many of the older members have their tablets placed in the clan association ancestral halls.

As in the Chinese tradition, Spring and Autumn are two seasons when one remembers one's ancestors. And so, Qing Ming in Spring reminds us of our ancestors, for without them, we would not have been here. For many of us in Singapore, we could but marvel at the challenges our ancestors met and overcome over the ancient to not too recent years to bring us to where we are today. It is a time to be grateful.

Each year on the 23rd day of the 3rd Moon (Chinese Lunar Calendar), two old temples in greater Chinatown would be crowded with devotees in celebrations of Mazu's birthday. This year, it falls on 22 April.

Thian Hock Keng (Tian Fu Gong) at Telok Ayer St had come up with a bigger programme kicking off the festival with a performance by popular Taiwanese folk singer, Deng Zhi Hao on 19 Apr 2014. He last performed in this temple in 1996 and 2010. Both Buddhist and Taoist rituals were conducted during this celebrations. There was also a Hokkien Marionette on the 22 April morning followed by a Getai (variety show) in the evening.

For Wak Hai Cheng Beo (Yue Hai Qing Miao, also known as Yueh Hai Ching Temple), this year is special because the temple has just completed its restoration and the temple was in full splendour with the celebration that included a two day performance of the Teochew iron-stick puppet, a puppetry unique to the Teochews.

Away from Chinatown, there are many more Mazu temples and shrines celebrating. Across the Singapore River is the Hainanese Tian Hou Gong at Beach Rd (you have to enter the Hainan Association building to see the temple). Further inland are the Cantonese Mazu temples in Sin Ming Industrial Estate and Ang Mo Kio St 44 Avenue 10. In Geylang is the HengHwa (Putian) Mazu Temple.

Mazu temples can be considered as closely linked to the early Chinese arriving in Singapore. Mazu, known as Goddess of the Sea, with many titles bestowed by different Chinese Emperors, amongst them the most commonly known is Tian Hou (Heavenly Empress), was the Goddess whom the Chinese would pray to thank upon coming ashore. It is said that when Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He) came to Nanyang and the oceans as far as off the African coast, his big ships would have the statues of Mazu to guide and protect the ships, and to whom they could seek for help when encountering stormy seas.

Thian Hock Keng and Wak Hai Cheng Beo are possibly the oldest Mazu temples in Singapore. In the old days, as is now, these temples were built for their own communities, usually dialect or associated vicinities in China. Thian Hock Keng would be mainly for Hokkiens from Hokkien (Fujian), China. Wak Hai Cheng Beo would be for the Teochews, and for Cantonese too as one could see Cantonese Taoist Priests performing rituals in this temple (since they all come from GuangDong).

While the deity, Mazu, is one and the same, the Taoist rituals, the tradition and customs of offerings and even entertainment such as puppet show or opera are uniquely different. During the Mazu festival, if you are keen to observe the traditions of different dialect groups in their celebrations, visit all the different temples. The Hainanese temple would have their Hainanese rod puppet. The Cantonese would usually have Cantonese Opera.

I remember when I was very young, during Chinese New Year eve, my grandma and mum would bring me to Thian Hock Keng on a trishaw late into the night to offer our first joss sticks to Mazu, whom we affectionally called Ma Chor Po (literally translated as Grandma Mazu). And on Ma Cho See (Mazu Birthday) too. As kids we were not too keen to go because of the smoke from the burning joss sticks and joss papers. Today, there is almost an absence of it as the burning joss sticks were efficiently taken off from the joss urns after a couple of minutes, in some cases, seconds. While the form might change, the sense of belief remains as I observe the devotees prayed fervently, communicating with Mazu, privately one-to-one. During lunch time, smartly dressed office workers would come to the temple to pay their respects and seek blessings. Only Mazu knows the many requests made of her, be it blessing, solving of a problem, or to lend a listening ear.

These two temples, built in 1800s (Thian Hock Keng in 1842 and Wak Hai Cheng Beo in 1855), with a couple of restorations, are amongst the oldest in Singapore. Only they alone witnessed the changing tides of Singapore. The sea is no longer visible, surrounded by towering concrete blocks. But when you enter the temple courtyard you enter into another world, easily one that could be 150 years ago.

Thanks to James Seah who unearthed a gem from our archives and put the stories together, I thought I should share with you, just in case you did not see it at his blog. :)

http://blogtoexpress.blogspot.sg/2014/05/young-talents-of-every-generation.html

Thought I steal a little of James' blog by linking the youtube video here, but you must read the collection of stories that James has put together. Ah, the stories of old Chinatown.

Last night with wife, we strolled through the old Chinatown (maybe a better name for the Cantonese part of Chinatown?) looking for food, dinner to be precise. There were many stalls but somehow they did not appeal at this time. As we meandered around the "lorongs" (alleys) in the Chinatown Complex Food Centre, we saw that there was still a queue for this Chicken Rice. I was not expecting it (Heng Ji 亨记) to be still open.

So, wife volunteered to queue and I chope (get) a place. There were nine persons ahead of her and soon, another ten behind her. Most conversations, especially with the regulars, were in Cantonese. Wife and I were trying to look for a trace of a familiar face in the people manning the stall. A man and a woman were taking turns to chop the chicken.

Ah, we were thinking if this was the Chicken Rice stall that used to operate on the roadside at the corner of Trengganu St and Smith Street, on the side facing the Art Deco block of flats (now gone). Wife (girlfriend then) and I used to get out in the evening to look for this Chicken Rice ("running" away from her mum's shop selling cloth in the old People's Park). At that time, I could remember that sometimes they would not give us our request for the Chicken Wings alone, probably a favourite then. Still a favourite of wife till today.

I still remember the unique flavour of the chilli sauce, which is different from those of the Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Alas, it would have almost been the same if the chopsticks and the plate had been what they were in the past, bamboo chopsticks and porcelain plates. Eating them (of course, we have had these for a couple of times, when we were in the FC for dinner and if we are lucky) was a like walk back in time, some 40 years ago.

Around the corner was another long queue. This time for various kinds of dessert. Wife spotted the Mun-Tao-Long, as written in the Chinese characters (but all the time I remembered it as Wang-Tao-Long). I am not sure if these are the jellies made from Bananas. I was told so long long ago.

Which brought me back to the late 1960s, when I was still in Kim Seng Technical School. Should I take the Hock Lee No.14 bus from Kim Seng Rd home at 15 cents or should I take the No.9 Bus (I cannot remember which bus company was this) and save 5 cents to eat the Wan-Tao-Long? Most of the time, I opted for this, with friends. We would alight from the bus at the side of the Majestic Theatre, ran across the road. Outside the open-air People's Park were two stalls selling Wan-Tao-Long. For 5 cents we could have a very small bowl of the Wan-Tao-Long. There was the metal spoon that came with in. On top of the shaved ice and the jelly was a cut lime to give a zing taste. And then, happy with the cool dessert, I would straggled home with my heavy school load along the old New Bridge Road to Cantonment Road where my home was. Wow, that must be 50 years ago!

Glad that these foods are still around to remind us of our old or rather younger days.

It's been decades since when I had Lor Mee 卤面 (the traditional Hokkien noodles in thick gravy with lots of garlic and vinegar) at Boon Tat St. Those were the days when there was a row of roadside stalls there and Lor Mee was one of the favourite ones of many. For us working in the vicinity, we would brave the heat and even rain to get to our bowl of Lor Mee.

Decades passed and the Boon Tat Street became very clean. First there was no more stalls. And then, the residents were no longer there. And now, there are shops and restaurants.

The good news is that Lor Mee is still around. In fact there are many in the hawker centres (now known as food centres) of Singapore. There is one in Amoy St Food Centre, which could well be from Boon Tat Street. It is here where with my family we could come for our Sunday breakfast. The kids learnt to like Lor Mee. And these days, they, already grown up, would suggest Lor Mee on occasional Sundays when we still have time for a family breakfast together.

And on this day while having Lor Mee, my thoughts led from the delicious noodles to Boon Tat Street to the tomb of Ong Boon Tat at Bukit Brown. Many would have read about the biggest known grave at Bukit Brown as that of Ong Sam Leong. Many might not know of his sons, one of whom is Ong Boon Tat.

Here is one post on Ong Boon Tat by the Rojak Librarian. Read about it to find out more about this man. Would you know that the New World (at Jalan Besar) was founded by him with Ong Peng Hock?

You can find out more about some of our pioneers who have been buried in Bukit Brown at All Things Bukit Brown and Bukit Brown: Living Museum of History and Heritage.

Thanks to KhooEH, one of the Brownies (the group of dedicated and passionate people who were "digging" and discovering more about our pioneers through the tombs in Bukit Brown) here is a picture of Ong Boon Tat's tomb at Bukit Brown.

While Lor Mee and Ong Boon Tat are not related in any sense, indeed, history brought them together. For people like me, food through taste invokes linkages in history. Perhaps, the next time when you eat a bowl of Lor Mee, it might remind you of Ong Boon Tat and through him, New World and history of Singapore in those days. Maybe, it might be a fun way to teach history? :)

Rediffusion Story Tellers

Lee Dai Soh tells a story

Hungry Ghost Festival

Chinatown Chic

Wet markets in Greater Chinatown

The Water Snake slithers in ...

A visit to a neighbourhood clinic

Yet another funeral

Seven Sisters

MId-Autumn Festival is just around the week

Bidding a neighbour farewell

It's Chinese New Year again!

Haw Par Villa Revisited

Clan Associations

Chinatown Retro

Qing Ming

Mazu Festival

Lee Pan Hon from Sago Lane

Nostalgia through food

A bowl of Lor Mee set me thinking of the past ...