26. Sole Breadwinner

Chung Chow

After the Japanese Occupation, our father Chung Chow worked as a tukang besi (as listed in our birth certificates) or trades-man skilled in working with iron such as cutting, shaping, drilling and welding them into all sorts of implements and equipment. He was also a skillful machinist or lathe-operator.

 Chung Chow standing beside

the lathe machine at Loke Woh

In the old days, most of the machine parts such as bolts and nuts had to be made by hand. His boss, Mr. Chow operated a private iron foundry cum workshop called Loke Woh situated along Barrack Road which was only a few streets away from our home in Tupai Road.

The rubber estates and tin-mines were reopened and running again and there was a big demand for trailers, tankers, machine parts, etc. He recalled visiting many of the tin-mines, and estates all over Perak to carry out his work.

Father Chung Chow worked hard and he single-handedly brought up his family on his small income. He worked in this place for over 25 years before he retired mandatory in 1975 at the age of 60. The Loke Woh building had since been demolished and in its place is a new three-storey block that houses The Erican Company.

Paper Paraphernalia

To help supplement the family income, our parents and our grandmother took over the making of paper paraphernalia and images from our great grand-uncle Ying Kau who died in 1945. These paper paraphernalia and images are used in the many Taoist rituals. It is believed that burning of these paper paraphernalia or images will reappear as the actual items in the spirit world and be available for the departed spirits to use.

Some of these paper items that our parents made include yellow paper printed with inscriptions or charms from the various deities and reproduced from wooden printing blocks. Another popular item was a print of the Cowherd and The Weaver Girl. There were also various common items such as cloths, shoes, hats, etc. which our grandmother and our mother Lee Mooi would made with their deft hands. They had cardboard templates to help trace the outline of the items on colour paper to ensure that these items were made to the same shapes and sizes. These outlines were then cut out and pasted together with a special paste concocted by our father. Father would mix tapioca flour with some water and a little alum, and cook the mixture over a small charcoal fire until it becomes a gooey paste.

While our grandmother and our mother Lee Mooi made the small items, father Chung Chow would concentrate on the big items related to Taoist funeral rites such as paper houses, gold and silver hills, bridges, lanterns, servants, cars, etc. He would spend the evenings after his regular job to make these items, and sometimes, he would work late into the night to meet a rush order. When asked, he said he learned these skills by diligently observing other craftsmen at their work.

Chinese Astrology Book

Forecasts Report

Father Chung Chow had another important skill in Taoist fortune-telling which include Chinese astrology. He probably learned this from his Taoist priest father. He was a keen reader and had many books on the subject, and he also consulted some of his friends for advice and guidance.

He was quite well-known for his services. I can recall many instances when the proprietor of Lam Thean Heong, which deals in worship and praying items, came to ask father to do the forecasts for the proprietor's clients. Working in the evenings or week-ends, it would take father two or three days to do a complete report. This report is written with a Chinese brush and black ink on bright red paper. Father would explain the contents to the client. He would then accept token payment which was usually given inside a red packet. When asked why he did not do any forecasts for us, he replied that it was better not to know, but to leave it to fate and to work hard to achieve one's success.

He was also skillful in reading the ancient Chinese almanac or T'ung Shu - The Book of Myriad Things. It is often referred to as the T'ung Sing or "Good Luck In Everything". People from all walks of life would consult him for advice regarding auspicious dates, time and directions to do certain things or activities which include business, marriages, engagements, health, prayers, construction etc.

Chung Chow, January 1995

Chung Chow, January 1995


Next 27. Malayan Communist Party (MCP) »

25. Demise of Grandfather Chan Ah Kee

Grandfather Chan Ah Kee

After the war, the British restored the medical facilities, and doctors and medicine were once more made available to the public. However, it was too late for our grandfather Chan for his health had deteriorated during the Japanese Occupation.

Permit to Bury

He died on June 12, 1947 at the age of 57. The hardships of war had also made him a poor man for he had only a dollar left in his pocket when he passed away. With the demise of our grandfather Chan, the burden of looking after the family fell solely onto the shoulders of our father Chung Chow who was then only 32.

Next: 26. Sole Breadwinner »

24. Beginning of The Second Generation

A year later, they were blessed with their first child, a daughter named Chung Sweed Cheng who was born on December 29, 1943. This is the beginning of the Chung Chow and Lee Mooi's lineage. They had nine children - five boys and four girls. It is very interesting to note that out of the nine children, eight were born in the same house and attended to by the same mid-wife. Only the last child was born in the Taiping district hospital.

Father Chung Chow and his family had moved into the house at 15 Tupai Road at about the time the Japanese invaded Malaya in 1942. They had rented the two front rooms on the ground floor. They were not the main tenants then as several more families occupied the rest of the rooms in the house. The mid-wife who attended to our mother was a very good friend of the family.

Her name was Fong Sai Mooi and she was trained at the Perak Maternity Hospital in Ipoh. She and her husband, Tuck Ong, lived in a rented room above the New World Photo Studio where our parents had their wedding photo taken. She was a very dedicated and efficient mid-wife, and her services cost about $8 to $10 then.

Two years later, brother Chu Tai was born on September 2, 1945, at about the time the war ended when the Japanese soldiers surrendered, and the British forces returned to Malaya and established the British Military Administration to restore law and order. After the British returned, there were much rebuilding and restructuring of the country damaged by the war. It was during this period that brother Chew Pheng was born on February 10, 1947.



Next: 25.Demise of Grandfather Chan Ah Kee »

23. Happy Union

Chung Chow & Lee Mooi Marriage Photo

The happy union between Chung Chow and Lee Mooi took place on August 21, 1942. Early that Friday morning, father Chung Chow, accompanied by a friend, went in a rented taxi to fetch his bride in Assam Kumbang. Mother Lee Mooi was staying with her parents in a farm house situated near the aerodrome. After a very simple ceremony, they returned to the house in Tupai Road.

Rented Taxi

There was no fanfare and no honeymoon as Japanese soldiers were everywhere. One of the signatories to witness their marriage was our grandfather's cousin, Chan Ying Kau.

Chung Chow and Lee Mooi's Marriage Certificate

This marriage certificate is one of the most treasured items that our parents had kept to this day. Father Chung Chow told me that they had four tables laid out for a wedding dinner at Kum Loong Restaurant to celebrate the occasion with relatives and friends.

Lee Mooi

Mother Lee Mooi recalled that she and father had to hide their wedding clothes while on their way to the New World Photo Studio (presently occupied by Lam Loong Photo) in Theatre Road to have their wedding photo taken. They do not want to attract any attention from the Japanese soldiers. In her haste to get to the studio, mother had forgotten to bring along her undergarments, but it did not deterred her from having that all important photo taken. After the wedding, mother said she spent most of her time inside the house, and dared not venture outside for fear of the Japanese soldiers.

A young and happy couple, Chung Chow & Lee Mooi

Chung Chow & Lee Mooi

Next: 24.Beginning of The Second Generation »

22. Happy Events During The Hardships Of War

The Chan family did not let the harsh conditions of the Japanese Occupation marred their spirit to survive and to procreate. In the midst of all the hardships, they were blessed with several happy events that occurred during this period.

The most important events were the marriage of our father Chung Chow and our mother Lee Mooi in 1942, and the births of their first child in 1943, and their second in 1945.

In August 1942, the Japanese soldiers had occupied Malaya for almost eight months. Our grandparents were very anxious that their eldest son Chung Chow, who was 27, get married and continue the family line. Back then, it was very common for the parents to arrange or match-make partners for their children. After several unsuccessful meetings with some of the local eligible ladies, our grandmother's persistence finally paid off when our father Chung Chow was introduced to our mother Lee Mooi.

Though it was not a romantic story of love-at-first-sight, they liked each other very much, and committed themselves to a lifelong union as husband and wife.

Mother Lee Mooi's parents, grandfather Lee and grandmother Chang Kiew, were Hakka and it was quite common to have cross-dialects marriages between the Cantonese and the Hakka as they came from the same southern provinces of China.

Maternal grandmother Chang Kiew.

They lived in a farm house situated along Creagh Road in Assam Kumbang. Father Chung Chow recalled that it was located somewhere between the Buddhist temple and the aerodrome in Tekka.

Location of Assam Kumbang

A young Lee Mooi.

Mother Lee Mooi was born on November 2, 1924. It was a Sunday corresponding to the Chinese 10th lunar month 6th day, Year of the Mouse. She was also known as Loke Mooi as she was the number six daughter of a very large farming family.

Palong Tin Mining

When the Japanese soldiers invaded Malaya, mother Lee Mooi had returned to Taiping from Kampar where she had worked together with her sisters as dulang-washers panning for tin ore. She recalled that she had to dress up as a boy and dirtied her face and hands so as not to attract attention from the Japanese soldiers. Whenever they hear that the soldiers were coming, they would run deep into the rubber estates to seek refuge. She was barely 18 when she married our father Chung Chow who was almost 10 years her senior.

Dulang Washers panning for tin ore

Dulang Washers panning for tin ore

Next: 23. Happy Union

21. Japanese Invasion Money

Japanese Invasion Money

When the Japanese occupied Malaya, the military launched its invasion currency at par with the prevalent British Straits currency. Penang became the first city in Malaya to be issued with Japanese Invasion Money (JIM).

Issued at the end of 1941 or early 1942, the first series of JIM for Malaya consisted of only $1, $5 and $10 notes issued by Yokohama Specie Bank, authorized by the Japanese Government. The Chinese communities were forced to pay 'tributary money' amounting to 50 million Straits dollars as a penalty for raising funds in aid of the Chinese war of resistance in the Sino-Japanese conflict. Our parents were forced to contribute to this fund.

In 1942, the Japanese released a series of 1-cent, 5-cent, 10-cent and 50-cent notes. Japan continued to plunder Malaya's rich resources of crude oil, gutta-percha and tin-ore. Even public and private structures such as metal railings, lamp posts, window grilles, bed-frames etc. were not spared. Staple foodstuff as in beans, rice, oil, sugar, became scarce and rations had to be implemented. Many were forced to subsist on tapioca and diluted rice porridge, which caused rife malnutrition. The purchases of necessary provisions such as matches, petrol, soap, etc. was regulated through ration coupons. Runaway inflation made the JIM notes, from 1-cent to $5 totally worthless.

Japanese Invasion Money, $1000

In 1944, the Japanese issued $100 and $1000 notes with the $10 notes being the lowest denomination. The wartime Japanese economy could not support a prolonged war. Faced with runaway inflation, the Japanese administration merely printed more currency notes for circulation.

When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the invasion notes were useless and were sold in trunks as waste paper. The karung-gunny Indian men carried bundles of currency notes in their baskets and paraded them in the streets. When granduncle Ying Kau passed away, they only had Japanese money to pay for the coffin. The undertaker was kind enough to waive payment for he was a very good friend of the family.

The Japanese forces in Southeast Asia officially

surrendered in Singapore on September 12, 1945

Next: 22. Happy Events During The Hardships Of War

20. Demise of Chan Keng San

Lake Gardens, Taiping

Lake Gardens, Taiping - 1900s

One of the most devastating tragedy that happened to the Chan family during the Japanese Occupation was the death of father Chung Chow's younger brother, Keng San, on November 3, 1944.

On that particular day, the Japanese authorities had organized a water festival at the Taiping Lake Gardens. Without his parents knowledge, Keng San participated in a duck-catching event in one of the lakes. Nobody knows what happened that day. When the excitement of the event died down, his body was found floating in the water. He was only eight years old. Our grandparents were so heart-broken that all of Keng San's personal items including his photographs were burned, and his name was never mentioned again.

Memorial plaque at the Buddhist temple in Assam Kumbang

Next: 21.Japanese Invasion Money

19. Food Shortages

Food shortages were a salient feature of life during the Japanese Occupation. As shortages caused food prices to soar, the local population turned to land cultivation for food. Besides growing their own food, those who could afford it, turned to the black market to supplement their needs. Many people perished either from malnutrition or disease. There was high unemployment as well as high inflation. Those who were able to work just worked, not only to earn the money but to get rations. Father Chung Chow recalled that he only received four gantang of rice every month which had to feed nine persons in the Chan family - his parents, three siblings, his wife, himself, and his granduncle Ying Kau and Ah Choon who were staying in the same house with them.

Usual food during Japanese Occupation

Feeding nine persons with this small ration of rice was a humbling lesson in survival. They mixed cut pieces of long beans to cook with the rice to increase its volume. Thus, they had more to eat and would not feel hungry. Long beans was one of the few types of vegetables available in the market and it was the most palatable. Sometimes, they would use yam or sweet potato to mix with the rice. This became their staple diet for the duration of the war. Even salt and cooking oil were rationed.

Market

Those who have money would buy black market foodstuffs, for example, rice was sold at $5 to $6 a gantang. Father Chung Chow was the sole-breadwinner, and he had to work from 7.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. everyday, seven days a week without any day off.

He received Japanese Invasion Money (JIM) of about $2.00 a day as wages which he would use to buy the essential foodstuffs, and pay the bills such as house rent and utilities, and to pay 'tributary money' to the Japanese authorities. He worked hard and provided enough food and other necessities for everyone in the family to survive the hardships of war.

The men who worked outside were sometimes given rice and porridge to eat. Father Chung Chow recalled that his Japanese boss used to give the workers glutinous rice balls stuffed with sour plums for lunch. The women usually ate the "rubber" noodles. These noodles looked like rubbery plastic and were transparent when cooked. They were very tough, just like rubber. They were also given sweet potatoes and tapioca.

Palm oil was usually used for cooking and it was red in colour and had a funny kind of a smell. Children usually eat porridge. Fresh cow  milk was cooked with sugar to get condensed milk that could be kept longer. Salt and sugar were expensive items. Many learn to survive with substitutes such as making soap from coconut oil. There was no entertainment. Even the possession of a simple radio was punishable with decapitation or beheading. After dinner, it was time to go to bed. Lights off was at 10.00 p.m..

Nippon-go

The Japanese introduced Nippon-go but there was little reason to learn the language beyond how to say the basic salutations and many of the vulgar words. People were also forced to sing the Japanese national anthem "Kimigayo".

Next: 20. Demise of Chan Keng San

18. Work To Survive

Work Pass

The people experienced severe control throughout the Occupation period. Almost every adult was required to carry or keep numerous documents at all times including work pass, ration cards etc. Despite their fear and hatred of the Japanese, many people accepted jobs in the Japanese military units (butai) as this was the only way to survive the hardships of war.

When the Japanese took over the Kamunting Tin Smelting Company from the British, our father Chung Chow was allowed to continue to work there. He was given a work pass by his Japanese boss and this document would save his life several times.

Japanese Soldier

Father Chung recalled that during one early morning while he was cycling to Kamunting to go to work, he did not notice the Japanese soldiers hidden in the shadows by the roadside. They stopped him for not respecting the Japanese soldiers. Bowing to a sentry on duty was considered an expression of deep respect for the Japanese soldier. Civilians had to perform this act of homage on reaching a checkpoint and failing to do so could bring horrible beatings from the soldiers.

Fortunately, father had his work pass from his Japanese boss with him. He produced this to show to the soldiers and quickly apologized for his mistake. Fortunately, he got away with only a stern and vulgar scolding. He could have easily got himself beaten up or even forfeit his life for that incident.

Guide to Shade Lights in Homes, Shops

On another occasion, he went out to visit friends and came home late at about 8.00 p.m. At 10.00 p.m. all the lights in the houses must be switched off. He was careful and walked the back-lanes so as not to attract attention. However, he was noticed by an kempeitai officer. Again, when he was questioned, his work pass protected him from further harm or he would have been a goner.

Next: 19. Food Shortages

17. Terror Under The Japanese Soldiers

Japanese Military Police

The Japanese Military police or Kempeitai was the most feared and hated by the local people. In Taiping, father Chung Chow recalled that one such officer wielded a cane with a protruding nail at the end that would tear flesh with each stroke of the cane. He would patrolled the town and whacked any naughty guys he encountered.

Old Rest House, Station Road

King Edward VII Secondary School

While the Japanese soldiers lived in public places such as schools located all over town, the Kempeitai made their headquarters at the old rest-house (now known as Legend Hotel) along Station Road with their living quarters situated across the road at King Edward the 7th School or popularly known as KE School. These two places were infamously well-known to be haunted by hundreds of innocent souls who were tortured to death by the kempeitai for they exercised complete powers of arrest and interrogation. And most often torture came before any investigation was carried out.

Whipping

Clamping Nails

One of the common mode of torture was the "water" treatment where the suspect had a tubing of running water from a tap forced into his mouth until his stomach became bloated with water. The torturer then stepped all over the suspect's stomach to force out the water. This ordeal was repeated several times until the suspect confessed. The other extreme to the "water" treatment was the "fire" treatment where the torturer would burn the suspect with a red-hot branding iron.

Whipping was another common torture. Sometimes, to induce a confession, suspects' nails were clamped with a wooden vice, or had his nails pulled out with pliers.

Prisoner of War

Prisoners of War

In Taiping, the Japanese soldiers committed various atrocious acts against the British and Australian soldiers and their wives and families. The hapless victims were stripped naked and paraded across the town for all to see. The Japanese soldiers would threatened the public with whipping if they refused to look. Prisoners of war were starved and many had to survive on insects such as cockroaches and rats.

Decapitated Heads

Another cruel act committed by the Japanese soldiers was the open display of decapitated heads placed on long wooden stools in public places such as along Tupai Lane where the only licensed toddy shop was and is still located, and along Kota Road where the old UMBC bank used to be. All these were meant to frighten the people into submission.

General Yamashita, or "Tiger of Malaya"

The Japanese leaders who administered Taiping were cruel and ruthless as they would beat and kick anyone who refused to submit to their authority. General Yamashita or "Tiger of Malaya" was the overall commanding officer for Malaya and Singapore.

Next: 18. Work To Survive

16. Age and Name Change

A young Chung Chow

It was very fortunate too that the register containing all the names of contributors to the Kuomintang, which included the names of our grandfather and father, was destroyed by the local keeper of the register just before the Japanese army took over Taiping. At that time, all Chinese people from Quangdong must contribute part of their monthly earnings to Kuomintang in the war against the Japanese in China. For added security, our grandfather and father had to drop their middle names to hide their identities. Father Chung Chow's full name was Chung Ken Chow. He was 27 years old then.

It was also during the sook ching questioning by the Japanese soldiers that father Chung Chow had to lie that he was 28 years old. Fortunately, there were no identification papers then and any of your elders or neighbours could testified on your behalf. That white lie spared him the horrible fate of  being conscripted into the Japanese army. At that time, young Chinese people were coerced to join the Japanese army and 28 was the cut-off point . Thus, he became older by a year on that day.

Besides the massive screening operations, the Japanese had spies who permeated every walk of life in the community. Father recalled that some of his so-called friends or buddies were spies but they later disappeared, probably kidnapped and killed by the resistance fighters or communists.


Next: 17. Terror Under The Japanese Soldiers

15. Screening and Interrogation

Mass Screening of Chinese people

Mass Screening of Chinese people

Three days after the fall of Singapore on February 7, 1942, the Japanese military authorities ordered the mass screening of the Chinese community in Malaya and Singapore. The Chinese suffered the most under Japanese rule, in part because many had contributed funds to the Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party founded by Dr. Sun Yatsen) in China in the war against Japan, and thousands were executed during the occupation.

The Japanese systematically rounded up all the Chinese male population. This special operation known as sook ching (purification through suffering) involved the screening of Chinese neighbourhoods, followed by the detention or execution of any suspected of working against the Japanese.

A most terrifying feature well remembered by most people was the 'identification parade'. People were made to pass in single file before a row of hooded informers. A nod of the head from any one of these hooded informers signified recognition and the victim was immediately picked up for questioning and was never seen again. Chinese suspects were loaded onto lorries and driven away to killing grounds where they were machine-gunned and bayoneted. Many people disappeared without a trace. In Taiping, some of these killing grounds were in Tupai near the Guangdung Cemetery, and the hilly areas around Klian Pauh.

Our father recalled one such screening session conducted in Taiping. On that particular day, all Chinese males, whether young or old, were gathered together in a field known as the circus ground (presently Taiping Hawkers Centre). They were forced out of their homes early in the morning, bare-bodied, thirsty and hungry, and made to stand under the blazing sun for the whole day. The questioning was conducted by the Japanese soldiers with help from some Taiwanese interpreters. Fortunately for our grandfather and father, they returned home safe that evening after suffering one of the most terrifying ordeal of their lives.

Next: 16. Age and Name Change

14. Japanese Occupation

In their struggle to start a new life in Taiping, the most important and terrifying event was the Japanese Occupation of Malaya from 1942 to 1945. The Chan clan endured and survived three years and eight months of the hardships of war: deprivation, food shortages, fear, and a total loss of freedom.

Japanese Forces

On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces landed at Kota Baru in Kelantan. Within ten weeks, the Japanese had defeated the British and conquered the whole of Malaya and Singapore. The people of Malaya and Singapore came under a period known as the Japanese Occupation, which lasted for a short period from February 1942 to September 1945.

Japanese Fighter Plane

Taiping Market - 1930s

After the Japanese captured Penang on December 15, 1941, they moved southwards through Selama towards Taiping. Father Chung Chow recalled a harrowing incident that happened during this period. He had just received his wages and was in the market to buy some pork. Suddenly, several Japanese planes flew low over the town and dropped bombs. He quickly ran for his life and seek cover under the concrete platform where pieces of pork were laid out for sale.

When the bombing stopped and calm returned, he crawled out from under the platform and saw several dead bodies lying on the road and fire burning all over the place. He hurriedly collected his bicycle, and in his haste to get away, he dropped the pork he had bought. He also knocked somebody down as he pedaled as fast as he could to a hiding place in a farm in Golden Hill Garden which is located at the Old Kamunting Road.

Japanese Soldiers Riding Bicycles

From Selama, the Japanese soldiers advanced swiftly on their small bicycles through Pondok Tanjung, Kamunting and into Taiping. The small band of British and allied soldiers who stayed behind to defend Taiping was soon defeated. Those who died were later buried at the British memorial cemetery along Waterfalls Road at the foot of Maxwell Hills (Bukit Larut).

Japanese Soldier on Bicycle

Next: 15. Screening and Interrogation