If
you asked my friend, Wei Leng, who was with me at Mid Valley Southkey Mall that
day, she can confirm that it was the sight of chickens – yes, complete with
feathers – that drew me closer to look at the decoration set up in the Center
Court concourse.
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| The concourse in the Centre Court of The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey was transformed into a charming village scene this festive season |
As
we approached the Center Court, I was about to bypass the elaborate décor and
head on to do my grocery shopping but it was a glimpse of the chickens that
caused me to detour into the tableau that opened into a humble village scene
reminiscent of a bygone era.
While
most of our city malls were elaborately decorated with Chinese structures like moon-gates,
pavilions, gazebos and arched bridges with water features, the décor here was
in stark contrast to other décor that screamed Red colours and cherry blossoms,
wealth and abundance.
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| Doorposts and lintel are pasted with auspicious couplets written on Red paper |
While
the space was limited, I was pleased that the Mall took a bold step to showcase
a slice of nostalgia to modern generations of shoppers and their families, who
probably never had any experience of life in a typical Chinese village such as
this.
This
tableau gave me a flashback to experiences documented in, Travelling with Dad, published in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and
Inspirational People, and The Legacy of New Villages, published in My
Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now.
These
stories documented my experiences while exploring the nearby villages and kampongs
around Masai, long before Johor Port was developed in Pasir Gudang.
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| The kitchen has a woodfire stove; Spot the ceramic medicine pot! |
After
dad retired, we revisited Masai every now and then. And when a larger health
centre was built further up the road on Jalan Sekolah, the health clinic next
to our former quarters was demolished.
While
these modern brick quarters were equipped with piped water and electricity, I
remember that many of the homes in the villages and kampongs still drew water
from wells.
As
I admired the well thought out details that went into the décor of the tableau
set up inside the mall, I was pleased that much of the design elements reflected
an authentic scenario of a humble family home in a bygone era.
While
the arrangement was rather cramped – due to the lack of space – I can
understand how the design team tried to include as many items into each of the
scenes.
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| Another view of the simple kitchen |
Early
Chinese settlers who arrived in the new land brought along their traditional
cooking implements and utensils, one of which would be the clay pot with a long
spout used to brew traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
The Chinese who were involved in physical work, mainly outdoors in our tropical weather, may often suffer from ailments so their trusted traditional medicine recipes would be brewed and taken regularly to soothe and fortify their bodies.
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| A handy mortar and pestle to pound or grind ingredients |
One
of the most useful items in the home must be the traditional hot water flask
where people can reach out for a quick supply of hot water instead of having to
start a woodfire to boil some water.
This
hot water flask is so portable that it can also be used in the bedroom and the
metal cup that topped the flask doubles up as a handy cup to drink from.
In
the courtyard, fowls ran free in typical free-range style for healthy chickens,
ducks and geese. There were also woven baskets ready to ‘trap’ the fowl when
necessary.
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| The free-range chickens that first caught my eye... |
For
the working-class, eating meat was reserved for special occasions like weddings
while festivals for the Mid-Autumn and Spring were the most important seasons
in the Chinese calendar where celebrations were marked by feasting on festive
food.
The
courtyard was also a communal space for the family while they did chores
together or where a table was set up to feast together.
This
tableau showcased a useful space where a bicycle was parked and a clothes line
was hung across to dry clothes and a quilt.
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| Traditional wooden clogs |
Back in the days before plastic
footwear was common, wooden clogs, popular in Southern China where the weather
was rainy, was also the footwear of choice to wear in wet conditions here.
Known as terompah in
Malay, these wooden clogs provided an elevated height to keep feet dry and are
non-slip so they were usually used outdoors, in the bathroom and the wet
kitchen.
Carved from whole logs of lumber,
the clogs were designed in male and female versions: clogs with straight sides
for men while clogs with curved sides were for women.
I had the pleasure to share a bit
about Wooden Clogs documented under Glimpses of Old Johor published in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor,
Then and Now.
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| Mosquito net hung over a bed covered by patchwork sheet; A hot water flash conveniently nearby for a hot drink. |
If
you ever had the experience of the annoying nuisance of mosquitoes, the use of
a mosquito net was a very welcome retreat when all you wanted was uninterrupted
sleep.
Back
in those days before window netting, mosquito repellents, closed windows and
air-conditioning, the trusty old mosquito net was the solution to a better
night’s rest.
In
that era of hardship, it was common to save any excess fabric so that the
ladies may sew them together in a patchwork quilt for use as a bedsheet or
blanket.
My
earliest memory of such patchwork handicrafts was in the blankets sewn by our
great-grandmother, Lau Ma. [A Teochew tradition to address her as such.]
 |
| Framed up photos on display in the sitting room |
Readers
may be familiar with our great-grandmother because she was documented in my
story on, Family Ties, published in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting
Places and Inspirational People.
Throughout
this humble dwelling, the furniture was made of wood, cane and bamboo, with the
luxury of a stuffed chair only in the sitting room.
Back
then, it was trendy to capture photograph mementoes of family and friends and
to frame-up for display in the sitting room or family hall.
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| A grandmother's clock and a kuda calendar on the wall! |
In
another section of the hall, two important items in Chinese family homes must
be a grandmother’s clock [that needed to be wound regularly!] that will strike on the hour and every half-hour, and a what is
fondly called, a kuda calendar.
The
kuda or horse calendar earned its name from the Race Days illustrated
with pictures of horses and it remains a useful, one-glance calendar to check
for Public Holidays as well as dates in the Lunar and Muslim calendar.
Pasted
on the doorposts and lintels, Red paper written with auspicious Chinese
couplets are aimed at ushering in auspicious blessing for the family.
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| The courtyard is a communal space |
I
learnt that some Chinese may deliberately paste these Red squares upside-down on
their front doors so that the Chinese phrase will read as, Fook Tow,
meaning ‘blessings have arrived!’
So
I must congratulate the team at Mid Valley Southkey Mall Johor Bahru and Mid Valley
Mall Kuala Lumpur, for working together to create such a nostalgic yet
meaningful display for this festive season in Johor Bahru.
For
your experience of Chinese nostalgia in a humble home of yesteryears, head on
over to Mid Valley Southkey Mall where this charming village scene will be on
display for a limited time, until February 9, 2025, only.
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| Don't miss the clothes line hung across the courtyard, outside the bedroom |
While
in the mall, take time to join workshops available to learn more about Chinese
Calligraphy, creating Lacquer Hand Fans and Red Hydrangea Flower Balls.
The
Mall, Mid Valley Southkey is at No. 1 Persiaran Southkey 1, Southkey, 80150
Johor Bahru, Johor. Open daily from 10am to 10pm.
Note: My
Johor Stories books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online
from mphonline. In Johor Bahru, my books are available from JARO.
