Past Memories of a Chinese New Village

Past Memories of a Chinese New Village

Mrs Lai have many remarkable happy, sad and eerie stories about living in the 1960s in a Chinese New Village in Tanjung Malim, Selangor. 

Her parents were rubber tappers and she lived with 4 other siblings in New Village at Tanjung Malim in Selangor. The like other people they were extremely poor but live a blissful life of swimming in rivers, climbing trees and stealing fruits for the kids at that time.

A Typical Chinese New Village

An incident happened when she was about 10 - 11 years old a long time ago, when she was with her brother and they were walking back to their home. It was late evening at the time and they were rushing back as their mother would give them hell for coming back so late.

Walking in the gravel road they saw three people (she guess it must be a father, wife and a young boy) walking behind them. When they were slightly surprised when the family suddenly walked in a small footpath filled with over grown lalangs (long coarse weeds) away from the gravel road. She did want to be a ‘kaypoh’ (busybody) so did say anything but hurriedly along the narrow road.

As they walked past the family in different direction they noticed something odd about their walk. As if they slightly were like gliding among the tall lalangs. As they were busy walking they casually looked again at the family which was much further away they suddenly realize the reasons the difference of walking. The family, the father, mother and the young boy, did not have legs!..... She looked at her brother shocked and in disbelief…screaming and blabbering they took off for their lives and both of them ran all the way back to their house.

Mrs Lai and her father did not get along during teenage years and promptly left Tanjung Malim when she got married. She did not visit her parents especially her father much as a result of the quarrels. When her favourite cousin was getting married, Mrs Lai and her husband travelled to their hometown of Tanjung Malin for a few days.

One night Mrs Lai’s mother asked her to bring some stuff to their aunt’s house (they were staying close by). When she got back, she casually informed them that she saw “uncle Lee” (a neighbour and family friend). Looking puzzled, both her parents looked at each other, then her mother gently said you must be mistaken. Mrs Lai was however was adamant that she saw their old neighbour and even told them he was inside the small porch of his house and had even waved at her. Both her parents were slightly shocked then her mother said, “….uncle Lee passed away 3 months ago…”