Over Christmas last year, I visited my favourite Indonesian island – Bali. This was my fourth visit in ten years. For those familiar with Bali, the southern end is where all the tourists hang whilst the central mountains is where one escapes the crowds.

On my 2002 visit, almost immediately after the Bali bombings, I chanced upon some “ang ku”, a familiar and tasty treat in Denpasar, Bali’s capital city. I became very curious about the Chinese community in Bali and there was an unmistakable similarity in that community’s material culture and my own Penang-inspired one.

Finally, last year, I made the track far up north to Singarajah, which was the first Balinese town to fall to Dutch rule and subsequently became the centre of Dutch administration. Located near the old harbour, is the main Chinese temple known locally as the Klenteng, an Indonesian corruption of our Kuan Imm Teng (Temple of Guan Yin).

From the photograph of the temple readers can see the roof-scape with the typical sparrow’s tail prominently rising heaven-ward. This is a sure indication of our common Hokkien ancestry and true enough an elder told me that the temple, which is founded in 1863 was established by Chiangchew Hokkiens.

Another familiar sight are the frescos illustrating scenes from Sanquo Yangyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and all the values that the story conveys. For the illiterate masses, these pictures were their link to a common Chinese ancestry as well as such highly regarded values like brotherhood, trustworthiness, compassion and fidelity.

The deities worshiped are similar to our Kuam Im Teng in Pitt Street and they include Guan Yin, Ma Chor and Kwan Kong. The first is the Chinese Madonna, which also represents the Buddhist and Toaist syncretism; Ma Chor is the protector of seafarers; and Kwan Kong is exemplar of bravery, brotherhood and, interestingly, of literature.

One more thing which I found very familiar are the tortoises “freed” by worshipers and kept in two big earthen pots.

If you have a chance, please visit Bali. The locals will tell you that they are descendants of ancient Chinese seafarers and quite proud of it. The Chinese resonance is strongest in the architecture of the Balinese house, which is very much like a Chinese courtyard-style dwelling.

I welcome feedback and corrections:)

Neil Khor

Yet another preview of a chapter in our forthcoming publication, Peranakan Chinese Networks and Identities.

Khoo Salma Nasution, a heritage activist, will provide us with the story of “The Phuket Baba in the Peranakan Network of Southeast Asia”. It will trace Phuket’s colourful history, bringing us into the present.

Peranakan Wedding staged at the Hongyoke House in Phuket, 2006

“The Sino-Thai community of Phuket was formed during the age of tin-mining and is now undergoing transformation in an age of tourism. The Phuket ‘old families’ are related to the Baba/peranakan community of the Straits Settlements. Tourism has generated affluence as well as a cultural space within which the Phuket Baba can shape their own identity. The chapter will look at the emergence of a revitalized Baba identity in Phuket, and the trends which are linked to it — renewing ties with the Straits Chinese through the annual Peranakan conventions, assertion of local diversity vis-a-vis the Thai identity, new expressions in architecture, food, dress and revived customs, the articulation of Baba socio-cultural values as well as nostalgia for the tin-mining past.”

Phuket has a historic core of “Sino-Portuguese” architecture which is really linked to Straits Settlements architecture, particularly that of Penang. Read more on this on Salma’s website:

http://www.lestariheritage.net/phuket/index.html

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