A red glow seeped from China Town in Melaka. Red lanterns hung from roof-top to roof-top.
Nearly every building used red light bulbs to light up the buildings.
Banners proclaimed in Malay, "Selamat Tahu Baru Cina" (Happy Chinese New Year).
Even though I was in Malaysia, the street was packed with ethnic Chinese who had traveled from all over South East Asia for the Lunar New Year celebrations.
On each side of the street were stalls after stalls of trinkets, jewelry, street food and even small animals.
The Chinese have zodiac years represented by 12 animals. The year 2008 is the year of the rat. I am constantly reminded of this by the displays of Mickey Mouse all around town and on the shirts of little children.
People born in the year of the rat are known for their charm. They are materialistic, perfectionists and very thrifty. They have big dreams, which are usually achieved.
Stopping at one stall to look at a mouse piggy bank, the man behind the booth opened his hand to reveal a live small mouse-like creature.
He pointed to the gold piggy bank, “That one is $10 RM.”
Then he pointed to the mouse in his hand, “You can have this one for $250 RM.” I was horrified. The creature looked either nearly dead or very sedated.
Thanking him, I walked on.
In one stall, large skillets filled with dim sum (a variety of Chinese snacks such as steamed dumplings, shrimp balls and pastries) emitted an enticing smell. I stood over the open skillets and picked out four different kinds of dumplings full of pork, vegetables, tofu and other things I could not recognize. Most of them were covered with cabbage.
I placed my selection of dumplings into a plastic bag and the vendor squeezed some chili sauce over the steaming bunch.
I struggled to pay for the dim sum as my other hand was occupied with a fresh squeezed glass of sugar cane juice.
Adelaide and I sat down on the side of the road to eat the dumplings. I was surrounded by stalls. People walked by in an endless stream.
Even though I am not a big meat eater, I found the dim sum delicious. Each morsel was full of flavor.
Down the road I could hear Chinese music, which hung mystically in the humid air. I listened to the buzz of people around me. I heard Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Tonight was only the beginning of the new year celebrations. Chinese New Year celebrations last for 15 days. I was in Melaka for the first three days of the celebrations.
Looking around, I was surprised to see how preserved the Chinese culture was in Melaka. Junker Street seemed more Chinese to me than most of Hong Kong.
Then I thought back to my Modern South East Asia history class I am currently taking at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Chinese have had a difficult time in South East Asia. Before the Europeans arrived in the region, the Chinese had already established a commercial base in South East Asia.
When the Europeans arrived, the Chinese were used as the middle men between the Europeans and the locals. As a result, the Chinese often were able to gain considerable economic power.
Violence against the ethnic Chinese when their economic power became too great became a pattern in most South East Asian countries. Malaysia was not an exception.
I remembered the diagrams in my class depicting China Towns in Malaysia being set on fire and images of the Chinese being killed.
The remnants of this history remain. In 1998, riots broke out against the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia after the financial crises of 1997. Amidst this struggle, it made sense to me that the ethnic Chinese would be able to keep their culture in tact.
I bit into my last piece of dim sum, hungry for more.
Nearly every building used red light bulbs to light up the buildings.
Banners proclaimed in Malay, "Selamat Tahu Baru Cina" (Happy Chinese New Year).
Even though I was in Malaysia, the street was packed with ethnic Chinese who had traveled from all over South East Asia for the Lunar New Year celebrations.
On each side of the street were stalls after stalls of trinkets, jewelry, street food and even small animals.
The Chinese have zodiac years represented by 12 animals. The year 2008 is the year of the rat. I am constantly reminded of this by the displays of Mickey Mouse all around town and on the shirts of little children.
People born in the year of the rat are known for their charm. They are materialistic, perfectionists and very thrifty. They have big dreams, which are usually achieved.
Stopping at one stall to look at a mouse piggy bank, the man behind the booth opened his hand to reveal a live small mouse-like creature.
He pointed to the gold piggy bank, “That one is $10 RM.”
Then he pointed to the mouse in his hand, “You can have this one for $250 RM.” I was horrified. The creature looked either nearly dead or very sedated.
Thanking him, I walked on.
In one stall, large skillets filled with dim sum (a variety of Chinese snacks such as steamed dumplings, shrimp balls and pastries) emitted an enticing smell. I stood over the open skillets and picked out four different kinds of dumplings full of pork, vegetables, tofu and other things I could not recognize. Most of them were covered with cabbage.
I placed my selection of dumplings into a plastic bag and the vendor squeezed some chili sauce over the steaming bunch.
I struggled to pay for the dim sum as my other hand was occupied with a fresh squeezed glass of sugar cane juice.
Adelaide and I sat down on the side of the road to eat the dumplings. I was surrounded by stalls. People walked by in an endless stream.
Even though I am not a big meat eater, I found the dim sum delicious. Each morsel was full of flavor.
Down the road I could hear Chinese music, which hung mystically in the humid air. I listened to the buzz of people around me. I heard Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Tonight was only the beginning of the new year celebrations. Chinese New Year celebrations last for 15 days. I was in Melaka for the first three days of the celebrations.
Looking around, I was surprised to see how preserved the Chinese culture was in Melaka. Junker Street seemed more Chinese to me than most of Hong Kong.
Then I thought back to my Modern South East Asia history class I am currently taking at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Chinese have had a difficult time in South East Asia. Before the Europeans arrived in the region, the Chinese had already established a commercial base in South East Asia.
When the Europeans arrived, the Chinese were used as the middle men between the Europeans and the locals. As a result, the Chinese often were able to gain considerable economic power.
Violence against the ethnic Chinese when their economic power became too great became a pattern in most South East Asian countries. Malaysia was not an exception.
I remembered the diagrams in my class depicting China Towns in Malaysia being set on fire and images of the Chinese being killed.
The remnants of this history remain. In 1998, riots broke out against the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia after the financial crises of 1997. Amidst this struggle, it made sense to me that the ethnic Chinese would be able to keep their culture in tact.
I bit into my last piece of dim sum, hungry for more.
*Photos from top to bottom: 1) The Junker Street night market located in China Town in Melaka, Malaysia where the Lunar New Year celebrations were held. 2) A family sells dim sum at the night market on Junker Street during the new year celebrations in Melaka.
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