Charming chamber pots

Spittoon seen at Lukut Museum,
Negeri Sembilan

Romance of the wedding chamber pot

AT the Lukut Museum in Negri Sembilan, I saw a brass spittoon among the exhibits that was quite unlike the spittoons I remember seeing under marble tables in old coffee shops in downtown Johor Baru.

Way back when people enjoyed chewing tobacco and public spitting was an accepted part of the lifestyle, coffee shops provided spittoons that were stout aluminum receptacles with wide mouths and broad bases, probably for easier aim and less risk of tipping over. Since the 1980s, spittoons have gradually disappeared.

I remember cringing at the sight of the spittoons in old coffee shops but could not resist taking a curious peek inside. It usually contained some water and floating cigarette butts.

I used to recoil at the thought of how many people had spat into it. If there was a spittoon under the table, I would squirm in my seat and try to keep my feet far away to avoid accidentally kicking it.

I am, however, very familiar with its cousin, the chamber pot, which the Cantonese call tham thong which literally translates as phlegm pot. 

My earliest memories of mobile toilets and portable potties must be that of the traditional chamber pot that I used at home and in our Ah Kong or grandfather's house.

Enamel coated chamber pot seen in
the Pinang Peranakan House, Penang

When my siblings and I lived in Ah Kong's house, we had a nightly ritual of collecting the chamber pot from the bathroom downstairs and taking it upstairs to use as a urinal in our room.  

Like most buildings in those days, Ah Kong's house at No. 154 Jalan Ngee Heng was not designed with attached bathrooms or toilets.

At night, it was a challenge for us children to find our way through that double-storey bungalow to the toilet downstairs.  

So, if we forgot to bring the chamber pot upstairs, we had to grope our way in the semi-darkness and through several locked double doors before we reached the urgently needed toilet downstairs.

Using the chamber pot came quite naturally because like most children, I was toilet-trained on it. 

I remember how my mah jie used to whistle to coax my little bladder to relax and release any urine. (A mah jie is a member of the sisterhood of Chinese domestic servants or amah, usually identified by a dress code of white sam-foo blouse teamed with black trousers.)

Today, potties are ergonomically designed in plastic and come in bright colours, usually with some cartoon or picture applique on it. 

These modern chamber pots come in several sizes to fit different ages and are so lightweight that they can be discreetly packed in a bag or put in the car for travel.

Items among the traditional
Chinese bride's wedding trousseau

I remember grandma had plain aluminum chamber pots, one for each room, which she used to scrub out regularly and dry in the sun. 

By contrast, the chamber pots in our home were plain on the inside and enamel coated outside with embossed designs of pretty painted flowers.

I asked my mum about our traditional potties and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were still in our storeroom.  

It may just be for sentimental reasons but I was thrilled that we still have these museum pieces at home.

They are now a rarity and that's why I was fascinated to see some displayed in the Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant at the Singapore Night Safari Park. 

There was a charming chamber pot on a ledge above the modern toilet in every cubicle in the ladies room.

At the Peranakan Museum in Penang, I learnt that while the portable chamber pot served as a very handy privy, it was an essential item for a Chinese bride at the start of her married life for yet another reason.

The Chinese word for what goes into it is translated as "yellow gold" so if the bride brought a chamber pot to the groom's house, they will be blessed with wealth. 

That was why the all-important chamber pot was among several items like basin, jars, trays and a wooden washboard in her wedding trousseau.

The chamber pot is part of the
toilet deco at Ulu Ulu
Safari Restaurant, Singapore

In bygone days, the chamber pot played a significant role in family life. 

For instance, a new daughter-in-law was assigned the daily chore of emptying her mother-in-law's chamber pot.

There was something repulsive about stagnant urine and how the daughter-in-law carried out her daily duty, whether joyfully or miserably, would determine her future relationship with her mother-in-law.

Today the chamber pot may still be in use for ceremonial reasons. 

I remember when the wedding entourage returned to Uncle Arthur's house, young cousin Derek was asked to pee into their new chamber pot so that the newly-weds would be blessed with a son. 

All eyes were on poor Derek as he was coaxed with all sorts of whistles to persuade him to "perform", and after a tense wait, he finally did.

Incidentally, Uncle Arthur and his wife were blessed with their first-born, a son, cousin Kevin.

A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 14 April 2011

Stepping back in time

Facade of Pinang Peranakan House

WHEN I stepped into the cool shelter of the front hall, it seemed as if I travelled back in time. 

Out of the blazing sun, my eyes adjusted quickly as I looked around.  From the tiled floors and antique furniture to elaborate fixtures of a bygone era, every detail reeked of history.

The Hai Kee Chan, literally translated as Sea Remembrance Store, was once the home and office of Kapitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee, one of Penang’s historic personalities. 

Built in the late 19th Century, it enjoyed many great years but the building fell into disrepair and was abandoned in the late 1930s. But now, what I saw had absolutely nothing remotely shabby about it.

The Kapitan Cina showed the distinctive taste of Penang’s wealthy towkays of that era when he designed the mansion with a unique blend of Chinese and Victorian architectural influences. 

He spared no expense in importing cast iron from Scotland for the pillars and balcony balustrades and exquisite floor tiles from England for a colourful mosaic in the halls downstairs. 

Chinese carved wooden panels inset with stained glass filigree motifs divide downstairs rooms while the wooden finishing on the staircase and floors upstairs are polished to a shiny sheen.

Today, the Pinang Peranakan Mansion is more than just a museum because it is furnished with priceless artifacts that depict a typical mansion where the rich entertain and showcase their wealth to guests and business partners.

Opulent Furnishing

Golden archway entrance into a dining hall

Dining rooms and reception halls fringe the central air-well where male and female guests wait in separate reception areas to maintain propriety, before they were ushered into the dining room or upstairs for an audience with the Kapitan. 

Tables with marble tops, chairs and stools inlaid with mother-of-pearl looked charming but I wondered if the seats would be comfortable for a long wait.

In the elegant dining rooms, glittering crystal chandeliers cast a mesmerising glow on heavy drapes and mirrors on the walls and sideboard. 

The table was laid for an elaborate Western meal with matching sets of cutlery and crockery for a gracious and extravagant dining experience.

Tray of spices in
old-fashioned kitchen

In the back, the kitchen was equipped with charcoal stoves, claypots and coloured enamelware so well kept that they could be whipped into use again at short notice.  

Another archway led to an airy chamber which must have served as the library because there were bookcases filled with books, built into the walls in a clever space-saving design!

I could not wait to explore the upper floor. After removing my shoes, I climbed the wide wooden stairs but with each step, they seemed to creak louder in protest! 

When I reached the landing, I was distracted by a beautiful wall decoration. The ornate sewing on this exquisite tapestry was impressive and Peter Chan, marketing manager of the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, explained that it was actually a bedspread, bolster and pillowcase set!

Natural light spilled into the halls from open corridors that bordered the air well and highlighted a collection of 1920-1930 exhibits in glass display cases. Among them was a tall glass showcase filled with a 30-year collection of precious German porcelain figurines. Another glass case contained opium smoking apparatus while a huge cabinet displayed crockery in brightly coloured traditional Peranakan designs.

In the Ancestral Hall, a portrait of Kapitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee stared benevolently down at us. He was dressed in Manchu finery as a Second Level Magistrate, a prestigious position awarded by the Ching Dynasty Emperor.

Private Chambers

Ornately designed dressing table

The ancestral hall led to the Kapitan’s private chambers and guest rooms. 

Walking through two bedrooms, I saw the contrast between one richly decorated as a plush Chinese boudoir and the other lavishly furnished in English dark wood.

The beds caught my fancy. For the Chinese, the traditional bed was an important item of furniture as a lady would entertain friends, work on handicrafts and look after her children there. With its canopy and curtains intimately drawn, it is large enough to be a tiny room within a room!

In a little foyer, strips of “chi-kee” playing cards were strewn on a round table as if left over from an unhappy ending to a game. 

This popular card game was a favourite pastime then, made more exciting by high gambling stakes. An adjacent room was where opium smokers indulged in their habit.

Chinese chamber pot
for "yellow gold"

Mansions of this era were not designed with the comfort of en-suite bathrooms, so chamber pots served as a very handy privy. But the chamber pot is an essential item for a Chinese bride for yet another reason.  

The Chinese word for what goes into the pot is translated as “yellow gold” so if a bride brings a chamber pot to the groom’s house, it symbolises a blessing of wealth.  

I spotted a chamber pot placed in a discreet corner and wondered just how much “yellow gold” that pretty little painted enamel chamber pot had ever held!

A visit to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion allows visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich in that era. 

It’s exciting and educational to see how the wealthy enjoyed their leisure in elaborate entertaining and indulging in lavish dining, gambling, opium smoking and private pursuits in the bedchambers.


Fast Facts

Pinang Peranakan Mansion is located at 29 Church Street, George Town, Penang. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and closed on Sundays and public holidays. Entrance fee for adults is RM10. There is no charge for children below age 12. There are two conducted tours daily at 11.30am and 3.30pm. For other group tours and reservations for private events, call 04-264 2929, fax 04-264 1929 or email: rmhbaba@streamyx.com

This article was first published in The New Straits Times, Travel Times on 30 December 2007