Why a Booktrail?
1878 to 1941: Breathe in the sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of the best of both worlds
The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds
What you need to know before your trail
Facing challenges in an increasingly colonial world, Chye Hoon, a rebellious young girl, must learn to embrace her mixed Malayan-Chinese identity as a Nyonya—and her destiny as a cook, rather than following her first dream of attending school like her brother.
She begins to appreciate the richness of her traditions, eventually marrying Wong Peng Choon, a Chinese man. Together, they have ten children. At last, she can pass on the stories she has heard—magical tales of men from the sea—and her warrior’s courage, along with her wonderful kueh (cakes).
But the cultural shift towards the West has begun….
Travel Guide
BookTrail your travel to Thailand – Songkhla
The small village Chye Hoon starts her remarkable journey
Malysia – Penang Georgetown
Chowrasta market
Chowrasta Market was a rough and ready place then: hygiene was unheard of and the odours intense, but it was colourful – anything went. I took immediately to its lively and bustling atmosphere. I liked the noise, the yelling and the stallholders – men and women – who competed for our attention with live animals.
The place is awash with smells, aromas, noise and chaos – She argues with the stallholders, watches they don’t swap succulent tomotoes with older ones, get shortchanged or highten the prices. She develops a reputation for being fierce in the market but on her first visit she is overwhelmed and quiet.
Nyonya cooking
Mix of Nyonga Baba cultures
A mix of cultures and religions is always going to involve changes and mixes of certain traditions etc but this is especially evident in the Nyonga Baba wedding – Matchmakers set them up, horoscopes are checked and studied, money and dowry discussed. Nyonga women are expected to run the house and see to the cooking but would one in a mixed marriage be able to have this freedom. The dressing ceremony and the preparation are key and a ceremony as detailed and delicate as any other. As she herself says it was a miracle she could stand upright once she has all the dress and hair ornaments on.
Malaysia – Pedang
Peng Choon told me the Pedang had been created the year before, paid for by members of the Chinese community who wished to commemorate the 60th year of the reign of the English queen. The Pengang is in the English quarter , on high ground with its smart English buildings. The Ipoh club is exclusive and at the time it’s a club where only whites were allowed to enter. In the early days the Chinese called ipoh – Pa Lo – the name comes from the Malay word Paloh which refered to the pools alongside the dams of the Kinta River.
China – Guandong Province
Wong Peng Choon is from a villaege in the north-east of Guandong Province. He grows up and head into Ipoh looking for work
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds
Author/Guide: Selina Siak Chin Yoke Destination: Songkhla , Penang, Georgetown, Ipoh Departure Time: 1878 to 1941
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