A preview of the chapter on this topic to form part of the forthcoming monograph on Peranakan Chinese Networks and Identities. (see A Monograph on Peranakan Chinese Networks in the Making 2 Jan 2009 http://www.peranakannetworks.com/blog/?p=61)

Cheah Hwei Fen’s chapter touches on an aspect of Peranakan Material Culture in the Northern Littoral of Southeast Asia, nyonya needlework, a subject which has received relatively little attention in the scholarly literature on the Peranakan. Two types of embroidery, metallic thread and silk thread, and beadwork are examined. A distinctive Penang version can be detected. At the same time, there is evidence of socio-cultural links with relative uniformity in styles and subject matter found in the embroidery of Penang, Melaka, Singapore and Palembang.

Detail from a bead-netted fringe. Penang, first quarter of the 20th century. Private collection. Photo: H. Cheah

Right before Chinese New Year, I had the opportunity to present a paper at a conference in Singapore. My paper was about Straits Chinese perceptions of Malays in their fiction. The paper was not quite as popular as the 34-episode Mandarin mini-series “The Little Nyonya”.

Chua Ai Lin, my former colleague at Cambridge, alerted me to this latest Peranakan fad. Here is a story about a Chinese family in Singapore spanning 70 years, starting in 1930s Singapore. Ai Lin, who is a historian of Singapore, did not think that the series is particularly authentic.

Other Singaporean friends complained that “nyonyas surely never spoke Mandarin at home” and that all the “nyonyas have hour-glass shaped bodies”. Whatever happened to the Baba Malay-speaking rather rotund and sireh chewing nyonya?

For those interested to find out more and make up your own minds, the DVD set is sold in Singapore. I have yet to see it in Malaysia. Peranakan Networks will be very interested to hear from our readers regarding the series, particularly its presentation of Peranakan culture.

Curious souls can refer to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Nyonya

Posted by Neil Khor

Readers are encouraged to visit the IGeorgeTown website for a lively discussion about heritage and culture in Penang’s world heritage site. Managed by Lim Siang Jin, the website is most informative and user-friendly.

Here is Siang Jin’s invitation to Peranakan Networks Readers:

“I am pleased to send you below the first edition of iGT Connect, the e-newsletter of iGeorgeTown Penang, which is published twice a month. Linking readers to current items on the website, it is targetted at people like you who have an interest in keeping abreast of developments in George Town and Penang. To receive this regularly, please register with us by clicking through the relevant buttons on iGT Connect or the website.

Our articles are now open for comment and please do so. Please forward this email to others who might be interested. ”

Here is the link: http://igeorgetownpenang.com/newsletter/jan2009.html

Happy Reading

Readers will be happy to know that the newly-formed Persatuan Peranakan Baba Nyonya Kuala Lumpur and Selangor is busily planning a series of dinner talks for its members and those interested in all things Peranakan.

The association’s president, Dr Lee Su Kim, an Associate Professor at UKM, recently told Peranakan Networks about this idea. The venue has yet to be confirmed but if all goes well, the first talk will be held on the second Friday of March.

Other Peranakan Associations also hold annual activities open to the public. Last night, the Penang State Chinese Association held their annual Dondang Sayang Chap Goh Meh procession, which was most successful. Photographs will be forthcoming.

Watch this space.

Here’s the link reporting the celebration in Penang:

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/2/11/north/3229649&sec=north

We have been very busy putting together papers from our Peranakan Networks workshop in July 2008. In the meantime, a lot of things have been happening in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as Peranakans celebrated Chinese New Year.

Here is a report from Khun Pranee Sak from Phuket:

VDO Chinese God Worship Rites for Chinese New Year in Phuket

“The Phuket Chinese New Year Festival and the 10th Old Phuket Town
festival ended on Monday night with auspicious ceremonies of Chinese
God Worship Rites in front of the Great Ocean Dragon Statue. That took
place near midnight. Our reporter went along to capture the rites at
night. Let’s see how it is so important to Thai-Chinese people in
Phuket
9 tables were nicely decorated with food offerings ready to worship
God on Monday evening at the Great Ocean Dragon Statue within Queen
Sirikit Public Park on Thalang road in Phuket city. The offerings also
included red turtle shape cakes signifying longevity, puffy cakes to
signify prosperous work life, and pineapples to represent good luck
and wealth. This is a practice by Chinese descendants on the ninth day
after the Chinese New Year’s Day as the local historian Ajaan Pranee
explains. The statute god from the famous Chinese shrine of Pud Jor
was also placed at the rite for participants to pay respect to. At the
right time, which was 11.09 pm, Phuket City administrators led by its
mayor Somjai Suwansuppana, and the Thai Chinese Association, plus
Peranakan Association members to represent Phuket people, performed
the ritual ceremony wishing for good luck, a prosperous future and
auspicious status for the city and nation. Local residents joined in
to pay respect to God while foreign tourists observed the ritual
ceremony. Traditional puppet shows & performances with blessing words
for participants bade farewell and wished prosperity for the year
ahead. At the end of the ceremony paper burning took place with fire
crackers set off.”

Readers can watch the events here:
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews2.php?news_id=945http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svKwjGINKMs&feature=channel_page

To all our readers, a happy Chap Goh Meh.

The editors