Nine years of Imarazak - The Batik House

 

The text message from my friend, who is familiar with the stuff that interests me, read like this:

Rafidah Ahmad, better known as Ima, with her
batik products at Imarazak - The Batik House,
located within Kompleks Kraf Johor

“I wanted to share with you about my batik shirts. Lately, I’ve opted to wear more Batik Johor and it’s all from this shop in Kompleks Kraf Johor called, Imarazak.

They use Johor motifs like pepper, gambier and pineapple, and they also offer batik printing classes at their shop.”

 

It is no secret that I have an inherent interest in Johor culture and heritage, so key words like batik along with, Johor motifs of pepper, gambier and pineapple, certainly appealed to me.

 

I did not hesitate to get the contact details and asked him for a favour to make an e-introduction before I arranged our meet-up at their shop.

 

I am familiar with Kompleks Kraf Johor, located in Larkin off Jalan Datin Halimah, and when I arrived at the carpark, Madam Ima herself was waiting there to welcome me in.

 

A golden digit for Nine, floating
against the product display, that
marks the Ninth Anniversary
of Imarazak this year

She explained that their brand name, Imarazak, was coined from her name in one part with the other part made up of her husband’s name, Razak.

 

My eyes zeroed in on a golden balloon in the shape of the digit nine, floating against the rack of batik shirts on display, and Ima was quick to share that they were commemorating their Ninth Anniversary since the brand was registered in 2017.

 

Madam Ima clarified that her name is Rafidah Ahmad while Ima, was her home name when she was growing up in Kampung Tanjung Adang, Gelang Patah.

 

This struck a familiar chord with me because my dad was posted to work at the Government health dispensary in Gelang Patah in the 1960s and he had good friends in Kampung Pok, the village that Ima told me, was next to Kampung Tanjung Adang.

 

As we chatted about her journey to Imarazak, I learnt that Ima has a background in Engineering, more specifically, in the specialised field of High Radio Frequency Nano Technology.

 

She had a successful career with multinational companies in Shah Alam, working in their Research & Development team with the opportunity to develop her skills through further research studies abroad.

 

At that stage in her life, she was a mother to five children with ages that ranged from seven years to five months old. With her mother advanced in age and her husband ill, she had to make a decision to choose between advancing her career or being with her family.

 

Ima then reached the decision to uproot herself from Shah Alam, accepted a job opportunity in Iskandar Puteri and moved closer to her mother in Johor.

 

As the Radio Frequency Designer of a special device, her work (again!) required her to be in the UK for three years with six months in Japan. Once again, she was faced with the tough decision of choosing between career and family.

 

To Ima, her family always comes first.

 

Armed with professional skills from her engineering career, she forged ahead as a trader in batik and curated an exclusive collection of all types of high-quality, beautiful batik from various Malaysian states, available to discerning customers from her boutique and art gallery, opened in Iskandar Puteri.

 

Ima made good use of the six years as a trader in batik to study her target market and successfully met their tastes for premium quality fabrics that reflect traditional heritage and handled the business with a modern approach.

 

Ima with her son, Faris, as he was block printing
a piece of fabric at the workshop, adjacent
to their shop in Kompleks Kraf Johor

From trading in batik, Ima turned to learning more about the art of creating batik. At a special workshop organised by Kraftangan Malaysia, a batik tutor from Terengganu was invited to conduct training in the art of canting and block printing.

 

Ima gave much thought into choosing to pursue the art of creating batik using the canting method or the block printing method and after much deliberation, she decided on acquiring the skills in block printing.

 

With the Imarazak brand established, her batik business relocated to the current premises in Kompleks Kraf Johor where there was space to create her own designs using the block printing method.

 

Then under a Johor Corporation branding exercise in 2017, she registered IMARAZAK TRADITIONAL & MODERN as ‘The Batik House’ with a tagline, Batik Comes Alive.

 

Faris had acquired the skills in
block printing, a tedious but
satisfying task, all done by hand

When the global pandemic reached our shores in 2020, Ima had no alternative but to work-from-home. In such a challenging situation, she applied her engineering skills to modify equipment and techniques to continue creating batik using the block printing method at home, to meet with her customers’ requests.

 

Her social-media savvy sons, Danial and Faris, supported her home-based business by creating an online presence on various platforms and she was able to keep her brand alive throughout the lockdown period by creating custom-designed fabrics.

 

I observed that Ima was proud of how they were able to commit to deliver on time, her exclusive products that were made according to the customers’ choice in fabric, colours and designs.

 

She cited the example of a Malay wedding where the customer required a number of two-meter batik printed fabrics for the ladies’ traditional costumes. And when she was able to meet the customers’ requirement, they added to their order, five-meter fabrics for the men’s costumes.

 

Ima showing off her own design
of the Johor motif of pepper and
gambier made using the block
printing method, tailored
into a shirt

It was clear that her experience garnered from the years as a Research & Development engineer-turned-trader in batik, a useful time of training and learning for her own advancement in the world of creating meaningful batik, a unique form of wearable art with a story.

 

Ima then showed me a framed piece of batik she created that featured the Johor motifs of pepper and gambier with fronds of the piai fern, and told me about the Batik Lestari Competition in 2024, where she was shortlisted among the top 20 from some 80 participants.

 

The shortlisted participants were invited to present a pitch and share their response to the question, “What do you know about sustainability?”

 

By then, her sons had joined the business where Faris was applying his skills in block printing fabrics while Danial continues to support in sales and on social-media.

 

In her presentation, Ima was able to share about the heritage element of the motifs used in the design of her batik fabric: Pepper and gambier that represent the lucrative spice trade and the first economy crops that put Johor on the world map as the world’s largest producer of gambier in the 1800s, and piai leaves, a coastal fern that grows abundantly in mangrove forests, essential plants that protect the delicate coastal eco-system.

 

This framed piece of batik
features Johor motifs of pepper,
gambier and fronds of piai fern

Ima discussed the route to growth and sustainability by having a succession plan where her sons were hands-on involved in the business, and having seen the process and the work involved in producing quality fabrics, they can better appreciate the final products.

 

She was also unselfish about her skills and knowledge, ready to share her journey with the younger generations by collaborating with colleges and universities, open to accepting practical trainees and interns who wish to learn batik-making techniques.

 

As Ima shared, I could feel her passion for creating batik designs that aimed to elevate Malaysian batik by showcasing the Johor identity to the world through the production and marketing of quality products with exclusive and contemporary designs.

 

While I was there, a walk-in customer came to look at the smart shirts and Danial helped to pick out one that met with his taste and size.

 

Then one-by-one, Ima showed me her designs that were tailored from cotton and satin cotton fabrics, created in trendy colours like teal and olive, or according to the customer’s requirement or corporate colours.

 

When Ima showed me a batik design used on a cold bag she that designed for Tea Garden, I instantly recognised it from a Ramadan promotional event at Tea Garden in 2024. As Ima pointed to her signature on the design that featured Bunga Raya (Red hibiscus) and Bunga Telang (Blue pea flowers), it was good to know that she was, in fact, the designer.

 

Among Imarazak’s recent customers were brands like UDA Holdings, Tea Garden, Desaru Coast, the Johor Heritage Foundation and Gleneagles Hospital, and collaborators like Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Southern University College.

 

The plaque Ima received from 
Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah,
Negeri Johor

Ima told me she was pleasantly surprised when a team from Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah, Negeri Johor or the Raja Zarith Sofiah Foundation, Johor, visited Imarazak – The Batik House, to learn more about Ima and her use of Johor motifs in her designs.

 

She was more than pleased when they presented her with a plaque as a sign of approval from Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah, Negeri Johor for what she was doing to preserve and promote the Johor identity through her useful and wearable art work.

 

No, she has no plans to move into a mall where there were more footfalls. At Kompleks Kraf Johor, Imarazak welcomes visitors and groups to watch how block printing was done and take part in batik painting using a paintbrush or the canting.

 

Congratulations on your Ninth Anniversary and wishing Imarazak greater heights of success as more customers – many of them repeat customers – appreciate the quality in their products and services that meet with the customers’ tastes and requirements.

 

Imarazak – The Batik House, is at Wakaf No. 1, Craft Valley, Kompleks Kraf Johor, Jalan Cendersari, off Jalan Datin Halimah, 80350 Johor Bahru, Johor. Open from Monday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. For enquiries, Tel: +6019 2779275.

 

For info and updates, visit Imarazakbatik official pages on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok as well as YouTube to view videos.

A version of this feature was first published in The Iskandarian, the official newspapers of Iskandar Malaysia, on 12 October 2026.

Success of the Seventh International Drum Fest

 

The past weekend, September 12 and 13, kicked off to the thunderous sound of traditional Chinese drums at the opening ceremony for the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums National Elite Grand Finals and the Seventh International Drums Festival & International Cultural Exchange Forum, in the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House.

 

The winning performance of, Bangau, by 
champions Chung Hwa High School, Seremban

All too soon, this much-anticipated weekend and its activities was over. So when co-founder of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, Tan Chai Puan, had rested and found a moment to chat with me, we had a lively telephone conversation yesterday evening.

 

“I was looking around for you,” said Tan, regretting that he did not meet me at the Seventh International Drums Festival showcase on Sunday afternoon while he was busy with the Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, and other invited guests.

 

I did not hesitate to reassure Tan that I was there, enjoying the dramatic drum show and witnessed the closing speech by Vice-President of the Malaysian 24 Festive Drums Association, Lee Sheah Liang, as well as the speech by Johor Menteri Besar where he announced the State’s support for this proudly Johor-born performing art.

 

A scene from the performance by
Chao Xiang Ensemble, Teochew City, China

Over the years, I have worked with Tan to write widely about the drum shows, bi-annual drum festivals and milestone events, so I am familiar with this performing art which has its proud origins in Johor Bahru.

 

Incidentally, Tan Chai Puan was featured as an exclusive story under Portraits in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People,Rich Heritage, and in 2022, the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, was featured in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, among the brands established in Johor that were also exported abroad.

 

A scene from the performance by
Souls Impact from Selangor, Malaysia

The Drum Festival events started on Saturday morning where drum teams and cultural representatives from across Malaysia as well as China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Nepal, gathered in Johor Bahru and exchanged cultural and creative ideas that celebrate the vibrant dialogue between the 24 Festive Drums and diverse cultures beyond our borders.

 

On Saturday evening, drumming enthusiasts headed over to Iskandar Puteri for the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums Elite Competition 2026, held in the EduCity Sports Complex.

 

A scene from the performance by
Zingo Festive Drum Group, Singapore

This Elite Competition featured the top 10 teams of Secondary School and High School drum troupes who excelled in their performances in the Regional Rounds held earlier this year in six competitions hosted at the East Coast, Northern, Central, Southern as well as Sabah and Sarawak regions.

 

October 2025 marked a significant milestone for the 24 Festive Drums when the Deputy Minister of Education, Wong Kah Woh, announced that from 2026, the National 24 Festive Drums Elite Competition will be listed on the Ministry’s official annual calendar and national co-curricular framework.

 

A scene from the performance by a
collaboration between Drum-Mover, Taiwan,
with Johor Bahru's own JB Drums

This June 2026, the Art of the 24 Festive Drums celebrated its 38^th anniversary and this was followed by the inaugural National Primary Schools 24 Festive Drums Invitational Competition held in Seremban on August 8, for younger generations of Primary School drum troupes to showcase their drumming skills.

 

In this competition, 16 Primary School drum troupes from across Malaysia participated with the aim to win the prestigious Tan Hooi Song trophy, so named to honour the memory of the late co-founder of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums.

 

A scene from the performance by
Lichun Gushe from Kecheng, Quzhou, China

Tan Chai Puan, who was at this competition to encourage the young drummers, told me that he was delighted to see that some of the Primary Schools drum troupes were made up of a majority of drummers who were not ethnic Chinese.

 

To Tan, this was proof that the Art of the 24 Festive Drums was truly a Malaysian performing art that encouraged the development of discipline, teamwork and appreciation of cultural values, an artform that the entire community can easily embrace and perform with excellence.

 

Looking back, Tan was more than proud that this performing art which he and Hooi Song started with students of Johor Bahru’s Foon Yew High School in 1998, had journeyed from the school field to the prominent stage of KLCC Kuala Lumpur for the previous National Elite Competition and International Drum Festival in 2024.

 

In 2025, Tan was thrilled to share with me about the National Heritage Department’s consideration of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums as a nominee for UNESCO recognition as an International Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 

When Malaysia formally submitted the required details on the Art of the 24 Festive Drums to UNESCO for the international evaluation process in March 2026, it was more than a bid for recognition as this was another step towards documenting the past, honouring the present and safeguarding the future of this performing art that was proudly started in Johor and exported abroad, with drum troupes now established worldwide across five continents.

 

With the prospect of international recognition in mind, drummers and drum enthusiasts at the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums National Elite Grand Finals had higher expectations of the powerful performances in the competition and they were not disappointed.

 

For their commitment and dedication to the sport, every drum troupe was a winner in their own right. After tallying the points, Chung Hua High School, Seremban, emerged the overall champion along with special recognition for Best Concept and Creativity as well as Best Drumming Skills in their performance of a piece titled, Bangau, Malay for stork.

 

The runner-up was Foon Yew High School, Johor Bahru, with special recognition for Best Musical Arrangement, in their performance of a piece titled, Bumi Tidak Bertepi, Malay for, a world without borders.

 

The excitement from the National Elite Grand Finals spilled over to the heart of Johor Bahru early on Sunday morning where sports enthusiasts gathered at the starting point ahead of 6am to join drummers and drum enthusiasts in the event dubbed, Run for Heritage.

 

It was no ordinary flag-off for the 4.2km run as this was accompanied by the sound of thunderous drumming by the 24 Festive Drums at the start. The run circuit was from the City Council Office at Jalan Ibrahim, along Jalan Wong Ah Fook to Jalan Abdullah Ibrahim, Jalan Dato Dalam, pass Kota Jail to Jalan Ayer Molek with the end point, the Jubilee Arch at the entrance of Istana Besar.

 

The closing performance by runner-up team
from Johor Bahru's Foon Yew High School,
Bumi Tidak Bertepi

Later that afternoon, the weekend’s festivities culminated with the Seventh International Drum Festival showcase and closing ceremony held in the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House, officiated by the Johor Menteri Besar.

 

Also present at the event were Director of Tourism Johor, Mohammad Nazrul Abd Rahim, Director of Johor Heritage Foundation, Nor Shazlan Abd Razak, Chairman of the R&F Group Malaysia, Lee Ming Liang, Vice-President of Malaysian 24 Festive Drums Association, Lee Sheah Liang, the president and representatives of the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association, along with other guests and of course, Tan himself.

 

The showcase aptly opened with the winning performance of, Bangau, by champion drum troupe from Chung Hua High School, Seremban, and after the performances by the professional drum troupes, the show closed with runner-up, Foon Yew High School, Johor Bahru, presenting their interpretation of, Bumi Tidak Bertepi.

 

The show included a variety of pulsating pieces performed by Chao Xiang Ensemble from Teochew City, China, Souls Impact from Selangor, Zingo Festival Drum Group from Singapore, a collaboration between Drum-mover from Taiwan with our own JB Drums, and Lichun Gushe Drums Team from Kecheng, Quzhou, China.

 

Clearly, the remarkable standards of performance in this spectacular showcase were the result of passion for the art, countless rehearsals and the sacrifice of rest and time with families. And the fact that this performing art was celebrating its Seventh International Drum Festival was proof that it should be acknowledged as a proudly Malaysian culture and heritage, ready to be presented on the world stage.

 

Lee Sheah Liang sharing his
'letter' to the 24 Festive Drums

At the close of the show, Lee Sheah Liang had the privilege to address the audience. He opened with an expression of gratitude, thanking individuals, sponsors, partners and all the parties involved for completing the series of activities that started months ahead and for every event that weekend that was accomplished with much success.

 

To the delight of the audience, Lee succinctly recapped the history of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums by presenting its chronology in a clever nutshell, in the form a 'letter' that he had written to the Art of the 24 Festive Drums.

 

It was deeply personal account that started with when Lee was born in 1989 and where the Art of the 24 Festive Drums was born in 1988, just a year ahead of him.

 

He chartered the achievements and significant milestones of the 24 Festive Drums alongside his own journey in drumming and how he brought this art of drumming abroad when he went to further his studies in the UK.

 

When drummers in Johor Bahru’s Foon Yew High School brought their passion for drumming abroad and started drum troupes in colleges and universities, this performing art was organically exported all over the world.

 

Johor Menteri Besar endeared
himself with the audience when he
closed his speech by speaking a 
few lines in Mandarin

Lee, a businessman who identifies himself with Bangsa Johor, expressed his desire to see Johor Bahru develop as a city of growth in the spirit of Maju Johor not only in improved infrastructure and economy but also as a world-class city with soul where people can live, work and play.

 

In response, the Johor Menteri Besar commended the Art of the 24 Festive Drums on its achievements and declared that the State Government would like to be part of the future of this performing art.

 

He also commended Lee for his passion and support of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums and agreed with his call to safeguard our culture and heritage alongside the development of Johor under Maju Johor by 2030.

 

He congratulated the drummers and said he was impressed by the high school drummers whose drumming skills and creativity in choreography was equal to the skills of professional drum troupes.

 

Johor Menteri Besar presenting his speech at the
close of the Seventh International Drums Festival

The audience responded with a roar of applause when the Menteri Besar announced that the State Government will allocate RM150,000 annually to preserve and promote the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, made up of a RM50,000 grant to the Johor Bahru Foon Yew High School drum team and a RM100,000 grant to the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums Association.

 

The Menteri Besar then encouraged Lee and the drummers to work with Yayasan Warisan Johor or the Johor Heritage Foundation, to present drumming performances regularly at the Sultan Abu Bakar Heritage Complex, for visitors and tourists to enjoy and appreciate this performing art.

 

In closing, he reiterated the State’s wish to continue to develop culture and heritage, and encouraged everyone to work together to build this beautiful state in the spirit of Maju Johor.

A Malayan Railway kopitiam legacy

 

“Thank you for the well written story of our 88^th anniversary celebration,” said Lim Jit Tong also known as Barney, when he read what I had documented about their 88^th anniversary celebration of the Kluang RailCoffee, hosted at their flagship Kluang Railway Station kopitiam in late August 2026.

 

At the old KTM Railway Station in Kluang 
with Jack Lim [Right], Lim Jianle [Left]
and Robert Lim [2nd from Left]

As I looked back at my first meeting with his cousin, Lim Jit Chen, better known as Jack, at the Kluang Railway Station kopitiam, it was in 2006, a good 20 years out of their 88 years, so far.

 

It was my privilege to document the Kluang RailCoffee story in, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, among other heritage traders who were still doing the businesses started by their forefathers.

 

On that recent anniversary celebration held in Kluang, it was good to renew my acquaintance with old friends and to meet new ones.

 

I mentioned that I was introduced to two fellow members in their Lim Hainanese clan, namely Robert Lim Meng Zium, a Johorean, and Lim Jianle, who came from their hometown village in Hainan Island, China, just to celebrate this event.

 

Over chilled drinks on that warm and sunny morning, they shared with me an interesting discovery of the link between the railway kopitiam heritage in Johor with the Lim clan in Hainan Island.

 

Lim Jianle showing copies of the old letters 
to Jack Lim, while Robert Lim looks on

When I listened to their account of how Robert met with Jianle in Hainan Island, Jack chipped in to say that he received copies of the letters (collected by Jianle) that were written from the family who used to operate the kopitiam in the Johor Bahru Railway Station.

 

Jianle, I soon learnt, is a researcher and collector of heritage artefacts and these letters in his collection were exciting proofs of the link between the railway kopitiam heritage here with the Lim clan in Hainan Island.

 

The very thought of letters written between families here and their hometown in China gave me a flashback to, Dear You, a recent popular Chinese movie screened in Teochew dialect which shared a tale of how such letters were exchanged and how the Chinese would send remittances, financial help to support their families back home.

 

Early trade links that date back to the 15^th Century during the Malacca Sultanate, made South East Asia a familiar and accessible destination for the Chinese who were seeking their fortune abroad.

 

Meanwhile, poverty, overpopulation, severe economic hardship and political instability in Southern China, mainly Guangdong and Fujian provinces, compelled the Chinese to seek a better life abroad.

 

During the British rule in Malaya where tin-mining and agriculture were developed, it created a huge demand for labour so the Chinese were encouraged to work in these sectors in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

 

The Johore Bahru Railway Station
once had their own Book Stall

The Chinese diaspora would leave their villages in China and travelled by sea in very challenging conditions to reach the region known as Nanyang or South Asian nations like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaya, of which Singapore was then part of.

 

Chinese junks full of sinkhek or ‘new guests’ (in Hokkien/Teochew dialects) would dock in Singapore port and agents would direct the new arrivals to their contracted jobs or send them to their dialect clan houses where they would get job placements.

 

While it was mostly young men who left the country to earn money to send financial help to their families back home, from the 1930s through to the 1970s, there was another wave of independent Chinese women who chose to move to South East Asia to work as domestic servants, nannies and cooks.

 

This sisterhood of majie – a word which means ‘mother and sister’ – in Cantonese dialect, alludes to their spinsterhood, as many took a vow of celibacy and chose to remain unmarried to maintain personal and financial independence.

 

In the early waves of Chinese arrivals, many found jobs as coolies in the Singapore docks, shifting goods and providing goods transport by tongkang and sampan.

 

Coming from an agricultural country like China, the Chinese also found work in agriculture as planters who cultivated the land to plant food and crops, like pepper and gambier.

 

Working hard in their adopted countries, the Chinese thrived and developed strong proficiencies in trade, retail and supply chain management. Many found their fortune in skilled work like laundry services, jewelry-making and iron-works.

 

The Johore Bahru Railway Station
was once the Station Rest House

When the Hainanese arrived in this part of the world, they found their niche in running traditional coffeeshops. Those who were skilled in baking bread in wood-fire ovens started bakeries and supplied freshly-baked bread, buns and cakes.

 

The British, who recognized their culinary skills, invited Hainanese to be their cooks. And as these Hainanese cooks applied their creativity in the English kitchens, it was the humble birth of a popular dish in this part of the world, known as the Hainanese-style Chicken Chop.

 

I thought it would be useful to connect the modern generation with the historical references above so as to better understand what transpired in the Lim Hainanese clan with regard to the legacy of the Malayan Railway kopitiam, coffeeshops opened at most railway stations along the North-South railway line in Peninsular Malaya.

 

In Malaya railway services began in 1885 with the opening of a 13-km line that connected the tin-mining hub in Taiping to the coastal port of Port Weld or Kuala Sepetang, in Perak.

 

In 1910 the Federated Malay States Railway or FMSR was established to merge various regional state networks into a single centralized administration.

 

From 1910 to the 1940s, the network expanded to form a backbone line that connected major economic corridors from Prai in the North down through Kuala Lumpur to Johor and Singapore.

 

The telephone number at the
Station Hotel, Johore Bahru
was only four digits

As the railway system was modernized, it went through various name changes including the Malayan Railway and eventually in 1962, became Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). In 1992, KTM was corporatized into Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) as a government-owned entity.

 

Before major roads were constructed, the railways primarily served to transport tin and rubber to international shipping ports and fresh produce to the towns.

 

During the British rule, the railways were also an important means of transport and railway stations not only offered a refreshment stop in the railway kopitiam but also provided comfortable accommodation in their railway rest house or railway hotel.

 

The printed letterhead on the sheets of paper used to write those letters from the Johore Bahru Railway Station, confirmed this. At that time the word, Johor was spelled with the letter “e” at the end, to read as Johore.

 

When I saw that the telephone number of the Station Hotel Johore Bahru was made up of only four digits, 2819, it was pure nostalgia, truly a page from the past.

 

From these old letters, we saw that the Johore Bahru Railway Station not only housed a hotel but it also once was a Rest House and even had its own Book Stall.

 

Copies of the old letters in
Lim Jianle's collection

So many thoughts were swirling in my mind and I could not resist quizzing Robert and Jianle for more details on how they discovered this connection. After all, Robert was a Johorean in Johor while Jianle was in Wen Chang village on Hainan Island.

 

Robert explained that during this year’s Qing Ming festival, he returned to Hainan Island for the annual tradition and met with Jianle while they were in the Lim clan ancestral hall.

 

In the course of their conversation, Jianle revealed that he has a collection of old letters received from the Lim family who used to operate the kopitiam in the Johore Bahru Railway Station.

 

Robert, who was familiar with Lim Jit Jee, brother of Jack, made the connection among the Lim clan members and encouraged Jianle to come to Kluang for the kopitiam’s 88^th anniversary celebration. And this was where we met and started to talk about this railway kopitiam legacy in Malaya.

 

Looking back, Jack recalled that his father told him that a Hainanese man found favour with the British and was tasked to operate a kopitiam in the railway station.

 

Word about this work opportunity spread around their village in Hainan Island and members of the Lim clan soon joined the kopitiam industry in Malaya.

 

They eventually monopolized the trade, operating coffeeshops in all the railway stations from Johor Bahru to Bukit Mertajam and even the buffet coach on trains.

 

Jack recalled that his grandfather Lim Luan Hee, first started working with a kopitiam in a plantation in Taiping and it was such a tough experience that he decided to give up.

Lim Jianle was presented
with a copy of my book

He was in fact, on his way out and while he made a stopover in Tampin and stayed with a relative, he was advised to bravely stick it out. Then when he heard that a railway station canteen in Kluang was available for rent, he seized the opportunity and moved to Johor.

Armed with one kati (500g) of sugar and a few cans of milk, Lim started serving his first customer at the Kluang Railway Station canteen in 1938.

Lim slowly built the business in the pre-war days and it continued to thrive in spite of the Japanese Occupation. Upon retirement, his eldest son, Lim Heng Yong, took over and continued to operate the business with the same spirit and commitment. 

To serve early customers waiting for the first morning train, Heng Yong would sleep on a little canvas bed in the shop after the close of business so that he could be up early the next morning to serve breakfast by 6.30am.

In the 1990s, Heng Yong’s son, Jack took the business to new heights by establishing the Kluang RailCoffee brand. This brand continues to grow under a team led by Lim Ben Winn, Jack’s son, and Lim family members.

Currently, the Lim family operating the Kluang RailCoffee kopitiam prevails as the only Lim clan members who have persevered and continues the legacy to operate a railway station kopitiam in the nation, just as their forefathers did, some 88 years ago.

 

The Kluang RailCoffee kopitiam is located within the charming old KTM railway station at Jalan Station, 86000 Kluang, Johor. Check social media for their list of other locations in and outside of Johor.

 

Note: Meanwhile, Robert and Jianle said they will follow a lead to track down the Lim family who used to operate the kopitiam in the original Johore Bahru Railway Station. More about this as the story unfolds.