Let's talk about the Penankan Museum. The literal translation of the word "native Chinese" is "my child" or "born in ……", which can be divided into different ethnic groups. For example, the descendants of Muslim businessmen in southern India who marry local women are called Jawi Peranakans, Hindu businessmen in southern India who marry local residents are called Chitty Melaka, and China people who marry local women are called Baba (meaning boss).
Baba refers to both the whole native Chinese and the men in this community. And their wife's name is Nonya (meaning proprietress). Baba and Nonya are honorifics for native families in China. Because in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, all the people who went out to sea for trade were men, it was considered very unlucky for women to go out to sea with ships. At that time, sails were used to drive the ship, so it was very affected by the wind direction. You must wait until the wind blows in which direction before you can drive to the set goal. This situation has forced many China businessmen to stay in Southeast Asia. When they get married and have children in the local area, they form the ethnic group of native Chinese.
/kloc-At the beginning of the 9th century, the British East India Company merged Singapore, Penang and Malacca into a strait colony, and these three communities * * * formed a wider group of native Chinese, known as "Chinese in the Straits" or "Chinese born in the Straits".
Because the fathers of China native people are mostly businessmen and quite rich. They usually live in shops, with shops in front and houses in the back. When you and your wife get married, the wedding is very lively. There are many headdresses in the museum, which are quite beautifully made.
When a local woman gets married, she needs to put a whole pig's foot to symbolize that she is a prostitute of Huanghua. It is said that this is a custom in Guangdong. Only the pig's feet show that the man is the head of the family. In addition, the bride has to perform 12 days of "combing her hair" and other ceremonies.
Betel nut plays an important role in China people's weddings. When proposing marriage, the woman's mother entertains the man's mother with betel nuts, and the man's mother will return the gift with betel nuts. On the last day of the wedding, I will enter my husband's house with a betel nut box in my hand during the Chinese New Year. Even during sexual intercourse, the betel nut box is placed on the wedding bed, representing "my mother".
It is said that Nyonya is virtuous and can cook, so Nyonya cuisine is a unique department, which is quite famous in Southeast Asia. Based on China, but more suitable for local people (Malays, Indians, Thais, Indonesians). They are also good at housework and taking care of children.
Local women usually stay indoors. How does the matchmaker know which woman is good? It is said that they will stand outside people's kitchens and listen to the sound of girls pounding spices. Girls with strong and even voices are healthy and can do housework.
There are two large rooms in the museum to display the handmade beadwork of her family, which is amazing. At that time, I thought, this is the Lego that people of that era played. The beads are strung together one by one, and I don't know how long it will take to produce the finished product. I saw ornaments made of beads, such as uppers, tablecloths, screens, belts and so on. There is also a small handmade bead embroidery in the souvenir shop downstairs. Not only are the beads twice as big as those displayed in the museum, but the price is also very high, so I didn't buy them in the end.
There are many pearl boxes like minerals on display in the museum, which are made of needles and thread. This craft is disappearing.
On special occasions, such as weddings, locals like to hold a long table banquet Tok panjang, which means table in Fujian dialect and panjang means "long" in Malay. The museum displays the long table of Ah Loy Yap, a local rich businessman. As can be seen from the decoration on the table, his guests are Indians (there are no knives, forks and spoons on the table, only a bowl for washing hands), China (there are spoons on the table) and Europeans (there are knives and forks on the table). There is a surname of Ye on the edge of porcelain, and a sign of "Desheng Company" on the bottom. This company is the name of Ye Yalai's shop in Kuala Lumpur.
The utensils used by Nyonya are also very high-grade and rare, and most of them are specially customized from Jingdezhen. Bright colors and rounded shapes mean "perfection". Some large families with strong financial resources will also make double-sided glass (in and out). The big cup is mainly used to hold water, the cylindrical teapot is used to hold wedding tea, and the small jar is used to hold nourishing snacks.
The exhibition hall introduces several famous Chinese and overseas Chinese: Tan Cheng Lock, Chairman of MCA (1883- 1960), Dr. Goh Keng Swee and Mr. Lin Jinsan, the backbone of People's Action Party, and Dr. Huang Jinhui, former Singaporean President, Chen Dusheng and Yan Yongcheng.