A whiff of sweet aroma greets visitors even before they step foot into this new village house at number 177, Lorong 3 in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh, Perak. As one of only two heong peah (or fragrant biscuit in English) manufacturers still using traditional coconut shell charcoal-fired ovens in Ipoh, possibly even in Malaysia, Seng Kee Food ... continue reading »

Come rain or shine, cobbler Osman Sidek, 58, can be found in his booth at the junction of Jalan Sultan Nazrin Shah and Jalan Rapat Jaya attending to his work. Osman, who relocated to Ipoh about four years ago with his wife Suhaila Shamsuddin, is originally from Selayang, Selangor. The free-spirited cobbler has travelled the whole ... continue reading »

Holding a size 12 needle between his left thumb and forefinger, Lim Tian Seng meticulously stitched one Japanese cut bead after another onto the piece of pattern that he had drawn earlier, that is pegged tightly with a round wood frame. To craft a pair of Peranakan beaded slippers, one needs plenty of creativity and patience, ... continue reading »

With a few fingertips wrapped in adhesive bandage, Chee Ken Soon nonchalantly weaves rattan strips to tie up the joints of a cane chair, at the back of his show house-cum-workshop in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh. Chee, 52, is sometimes helped by his father-in-law, Chong Kam Fatt, who is in his seventies, but most of the time, ... continue reading »

In 1892, Kwok Soo Kha, a 31-year-old widow from Guangdong, Southern China, and her two children, aged 10 and 12 years, came to Taiping, Perak, to find work as a domestic servant for the British. Upon the untimely death of her husband, a merchant, she decided to forge a new life for her small family ... continue reading »

Having made Subang Jaya his home, and with a wife originally from Sungai Siput, Perak, Briton Andrew John Collier, 40, visits Ipoh at least twice a year, and may consider retiring in the modest city in the future. In fact, Collier's parents enjoyed their vacations in Malaysia so much, they are relocating to the country ... continue reading »

From scavenging the garbage of wealthy households for discarded school uniforms, belts and shoes in his hometown of Juru, to waiting beside restaurant trash bins in Houston, Texas at 9pm to save the food for dinner as they were tossed away at the end of the business day, what didn't break Fng Ah Seng only ... continue reading »