6 FASCINATING CHINESE PRACTICES THAT BEGAN IN MALAYSIA!
So, it’s the Chinese New Year season. It’s the time when Malaysian Chinese will get to enjoy all things Chinese likeang pows, lion dances, mandarin oranges, lou sang and other such good stuff.
But did you know that a lot of the Chinese cultural practices we have in Malaysia are actually more “Malaysian” than “Chinese”? Yup. Some of the stuff Chinese folks do here are gonna make Chinese folks everywhere else go“Dude, dat ain’t from us!”
Here are five examples of Malaysian Chinese practices that were either created in Malaysia, or are really big deals here but will leave Chinese folks in other parts of the world scratching their heads like a dandruff shampoo ad.
1. Yee Sang tossing is actually… Made in Malaysia!
Malaysian Chinese:”Lou hei! Lou hei!” Chinese everywhere else: “Whut?!” (Pic from kuali.com)
Tossing yee sang (and shouting out good wishes) during Chinese New Year is so normal for Malaysians, it wouldn’t feel like CNY without it. But this practice is almost unheard of in other Chinese communities around the world, or even Hong Kong, Taiwan or China.
The practice of eating thin slices of raw fish can be traced back to ancient China. Yee Sang was a Cantonese tradition, and was eaten only on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, or Ren Ri (mankind’s birthday). This tradition was brought into Malaya by Chinese immigrants, where it was mainly practised in central Peninsular Malaysia.
But modern yee sang is a purely Malaysian creation. It is very different from its original version, including the ingredients used, how the food is served and of course, all that shouting.
The Cantonese in Guangdong China still eat yee sang on Ren Ri, but this is what the original Yee Sang looks like. (Screencap from Mediacorp Singapore’s documentary about yee sang)
Singapore tried to “copyright” modern Yee Sang as its own creation, citing 4 chefs who claimed to have invented the dish in 1964 for their newly-opened Lai Wah restaurant.
Lai Wah restaurant still claims that they were the “world’s first to serve Chinese New Year yee sang.” (Pic from laiwahrestaurant.com)
But wait, a woman in KL claimed that modern yee sang was created in the 1920s or 30s by her uncle, Chef Tham Mui Kai, who was then still a kitchen apprentice at Yok Woo Hin restaurant in KL’s Petaling Street. (But then, one Singaporean blogger did a pretty kickass job of researching and debunking that claim.)
Here’s the real freaky part: one of the four Lai Wah chefs who claimed to have invented modern yee sang was (drumroll…) Tham Mui Kai – the Malaysian whose niece claimed that he had invented it while working at Yok Woo Hin, Petaling Street! Mind blown yet?
But the most viable claim is probably by Loke Ching Kee (the grandfather of Rasah member of parliament Anthony Loke). Loke had already been serving platters of yee sang to Seremban folks during Chinese New Year way back in the 1940’s. The whole street in front of his shop would be filled with tables and the locals would have a giant lou yee sang party. Loke’s grand daughter remembers that he had created over 30 yee sang recipes in his time!
Anyway, whoever invented the modern yee sang tradition, one thing’s for sure – it’s definitely a Malaysian creation!
2. We turned ‘Chingay’ into a multi-cultural giant flag parade.
Chingay parade in Penang. (Pic from penangdragonboat.gov.my)
Say “Chingay!” and chances are the first thing you think of is a big Chinese celebration, with colourful processions and the most awesome balancing act in the world using epically big-ass flags.
Chingay was brought over to Malaya by Hokkien immigrants. It was originally a Taoist festival to worship Chinese deities such as Tua Pek Kong and Guan Yin, or to celebrate important festivals like the Chinese New Year. It was an important religious affair, with Chinese gods being paraded in decorated floats.
This pic is believed to have been taken in 1947. Chingay parades were originally pretty serious religious events and not so much a showcase of giant flag tossing skills. (Pic from ipohworld.org)
As the Chinese prospered here, the parades became more and more grand. With devotees donating more and more money, more acts (and more elaborate acts) were able to be added to the celebrations.
Like this unicycle troupe, which was part of a Chingay parade in Singapore. Nothing brings out religious devotion like circus acts, eh? (Pic from straitstimes.com)
Over time, the focus of Chingay has also shifted. Today, Chingay has just about completely moved away from its religious roots. It has evolved to become a uniquely Malaysian cultural event (more like a street carnival, in fact) where people of all races take part in. Chinese deities are almost a forgotten footnote in Chingay’s history, as stunts with the giant triangular flags has now become the highlight of Chingay parades.
We’re pretty sure this uncle is NOT Chinese or a Taoist devotee… (Pic from blog.yumor.com)
Traditionally, these 30-foot flags (weighing about 27kg) would be balanced on their foreheads, chins, hands, feet and any other part of the body. They would then be tossed around between team mates as the procession moved along. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, performers have developed more ways to perform these stunts.
These days, performers have gone all “extreme” – throwing, catching and balancing the 3-story high flags on the head, chin, or hands and butt, while perched on a BMX bike, on ladders or even on other people!
As if one fellow on a bicycle doing the stunt wasn’t awesome enough, now must have few people stacked together. Dunno kiasu or what… (pic from socialoutloud.com)
We can’t help but hear of Taio Cruz’s song in the background when we see this. All together now: ‘Cause I can’t get enough, I can’t get enough, I can’t stay on the ground! (pic from burnerbyte.com)
These guys’ idea for their performance seems to be “Let’s think of the most needlessly elaborate formation possible to toss this bigass flag around!” (pic from penangchannel.blogspot.com)
But even though it’s a really big deal in Malaysia, Chingay as we celebrate it here is virtually unknown to Chinese communities in other parts of the world! *
* Except for Singapore. Actually like this one: in 1906, all the Chinese clan associations there decided to ban Chingay processions (they all confirm plus chop that they would never, ever, ever do it again). But then in 1973, Singapore decided to steal Penang’s version of Chingay because they didn’t know how to celebrate CNY anymore after they banned fireworks. (Really, never bluff you one! Don’t believe, click this link and read yourself!)
3. We gave birth to a Penang-based Chinese god!
Tua Pek Kong temple in Tanjung Tokong, Penang
Hah? Can one meh? Apparently, can lor… Here’s what happened.
Tua Pek Gong, a Chinese god was originally a Chinese scholar named Zhang Li. The story goes that in 1745, Zhang Li was travelling across the ocean from China to Indonesia in a boat, together with 50 other passengers.
A huge storm blew the boat way off-course to Penang island, where they were shipwrecked. All hope of travelling to their original destination were sunk. So the 50 passengers were forced to set up a colony in Penang, at a place they called “hai zhu” (or Sea Pearl – Penang-kia, does this sound familiar yet?). This was 40 years before Francis Light “discovered” the Pearl of the Orient
Sir Francis Light: “Zhang Li *came* to Penang, but history books say I *discovered* it, OK!”
There were very few educated people on board the boat. So it was up to Zhang Li and his two friends, Qiu Zhao-Jin and Ma Fu-Chun, to lead the colony. They taught the folks how to build houses and farm the land. Zhang Li also had medical knowledge, and he would collect herbs to treat the people’s ailments.
Under the leadership of the three friends, the colony flourished and the people prospered.
Supposedly an early picture of Zhang Li and his friends. Looking very healthy – the colony must have been REALLY prosperous during their time! (pic from api.sg)
After his death, the local Chinese began worshipping Zhang Li as a god of prosperity. They gave him the title of Tua Pek Gong (meaning Great-Grand Uncle) in hopes that he would continue watching over the community.
The Tanjung Tokong Tua Pek Kong temple in Penang is dedicated to Zhang Li and was built in 1799, making it one of the oldest Chinese temples in Penang. You see the 3 graves to the left of the temple? (Pic from penangtalk.com)
These graves are believed to be where Zhang Li and his 2 friends were buried. The top one is believed to be Zhang Li’s.
The Chinese practise of Tua Pek Gong worship eventually spread from Penang to the rest of Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia. But it is virtually unknown to Chinese communities in other parts of the world.
Speaking of Chinese gods from Malaysia…
4. We also began the worship of a Malay deity!
Typical Datuk Gong shrine. (Pic from shuangxingfu.blogspot.com)
You’ve probably noticed the small, red-coloured (or sometimes yellow-coloured) shrines by the roadside or under a tree. These are shrines of gods that the Chinese call Na Tuk Kong (or Datuk Gong). They are among the most popular Chinese gods in Malaysia.
Eh, wait…how did a Chinese god get the Malay title of “Datuk” leh?
Now we know what you’re thinking:
“Shah Rukh Khan and Jackie Chan got datukship, we already scratch head. But Chinese gods also can get meh?!”
Although some might that Jackie is so kick-ass legendary, he’ll probably be worshipped after he’s gone anyway. (Pic from thestar.com.my)
In actual fact, Datuk Gong is not your regular Chinese deity. The other name for the Datuk Gong is “Datuk Keramat”. These gods have a Malay name because most of them are actually Malay spirits! There are some Chinese, Indian, Siamese and even Orang Asli Datuk Gong, but there is no Datuk Gong among the Chinese pantheon of gods.
Nope, no “muhibbah” spirit in this group! (Pic from hyhanna.com)
See, before the arrival of Islam, Malay culture practised the worship of “penunggu”, or spirits, who lived in natural formations such as rocks, trees or nests. These were the guardian spirits of the land. This spirit worship was later expanded to include any person who had done good deeds and contributed to prosperity of the community. When these people died, their spirits were worshipped as Datuk Keramat, in hopes that they would continue blessing the people. Some of these Datuk can still be traced back to actual historical figures.
(Check out the above trailer for a Malaysian-made documentary about Datuk Gong. It’s a good summary of what Datuk Gong is all about.)
When the Chinese immigrants arrived in Malaya, they found that their concepts of Confucianist ancestor worship and Tu Di Gong worship closely resembled the Malay worship of Datuk Keramat and the “penunggu”. So, being pragmatic people, the Chinese merged both practices, and began worshipping the local Datuk spirits to seek blessings in the land where they had settled.
As Islam became prominent in Malay culture, Datuk Keramat worship among the Malays died out. But Datuk Gongworship had taken root in the Malaysian Chinese spiritual beliefs. Although it is commonly practised in Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia, Datuk Gong worship is unknown to other Chinese communities around the world.
5. We started the modern trend of pole lion dances.
Leaping lions! (Pic from culture.tw)
No, the lion dance dudes don’t wear skimpy bikinis and wiggle their booty. But the performances they give are no less heart-pumping!
The lion dance originated in ancient China, and is still a very popular cultural performance in Chinese communities all over the world.
But the modern lion pole dance? That is purely, and proudly, a Malaysian invention!
“Malaysia Boleh, yay!” says the happy lion. (Pic from martialarts.com.my)
See, back in 1983, competitive Lion Dancing began in Malaysia. Lion dance troupes were judged based on the traditional “Choy Cheng” performance – plucking a green vegetable from a high place. At that time, lion dance performers stacked up wooden tables and large ceramic flower pots to get to their goal.
Then along came the Hing Tung Lok lion dance association. They looked at the tables and stuff, and thought, “Yawn, this is as exciting as Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender.” (OK, we’re paraphrasing). So they decided to kick it up a notch. The troupe invented the first set of poles, called “Plum Blossom Poles”. At the time it was a set of five wooden posts just 33 inches high.
The Hing Tung Lok guys somehow thought climbing on top of stuff balanced shakily on each other was too lame. (Pic from thelionarts.com)
Their pole dancing routine took the lion dance world by storm. Lion dance troupes across the nation began adopting this new form, creating their own pole formations with varying heights. Some daredevil troupes even danced on poles that were 2 stories high! Of course, all this was done without safety equipment to make the performances more interesting!
As the new art form flourished in Malaysia, lion pole dancing began to spread throughout Asia. In 1992, the Malaysian Lion and Dragon Dance Federation joined with other Lion and Dragon Dance Federations overseas to form the International Lion and Dragon Dance Federation. Lion Dance competition rules were standardised, and pole dancing lions became the norm around the world.
That’s two guys perched on a platform about the size of a large dinner plate! BTW, this is a pic of the world champion Kun Seng Keng troupe from Malaysia performing in Manila. (Pic from halfwhiteboy.blogspot.com)
Today, lion pole dancing competitions and performances are held all over the world. And it’s all thanks to the creativity of the guys at Hing Tung Lok lion dance association.
6. And Penang kias were the ones who started throwing oranges on Chap Goh Mei!
Tossing oranges in search of love (Pic from thestar.com.my)
Yup, it actually began in Penang. And for those who didn’t know, Chap Goh Mei is often called the Chinese Valentine’s Day because it is connected with the tradition of eligible girls throwing mandarin oranges into rivers in hopes of landing a boyfriend or husband.
This tradition can be traced back to Hokkien superstitious rituals during the 19th century. Those days, young ladies would throw oranges into the sea or river in hopes that they would catch good husbands. They believed that the man who picked up their orange would be their fated match.
These must be some pretty desperate bachelors! (Pic from thestar.com.my)
But orange-throwing on Chap Goh Mei only became a really big thing in Penang and the Klang Valley. It’s not popular in the rest of the Chinese world.
Today, orange-throwing has evolved into a fun event for young and available folks.
Singles would gather at rivers or lakes to toss mandarin oranges with their names and contact numbers on them. It’s a fun way to meet new people. Competitions would also be held where the oranges thrown into the sea by girls would be scooped up by boys in boats.
Chap Goh Meh must be a stalker’s paradise! (Pic from lipstiq.com)
Some guys would also throw fruits into the lake, usually bananas. Girls throwing oranges, guys throwing bananas – we’ll leave it to you to figure out the symbolisms. (Pic from blog.saimatkong.com)
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So there you go, folks. Some of the things that many young folks think are traditions handed down since ancient times were actually only created not so long ago. Who knows what these and other Malaysian Chinese traditions may evolve into in our children’s or even grand-children’s time?
A Chingay flag-balancing physics game, maybe?
But we’re already seeing the further evolution of some of these traditions. Gone are traditional Ang Pow designs, featuring auspices symbols. These days, ang pows come in all kinds of designs, and may not even come in the traditional red colour.
Check out these luxe designs from Mulberry, DKNY, Paul Smith and Marc Jacobs. (Pic from thestar.com.my)
And the lion dance continues to evolve. Check out these lion dance videos:
What do you think of these developments? Yay or nay?
Whatever the case may be and however culture may evolve, here’s a Chinese wish from ancient times that we can all agree with.
