Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown
In Malaysia ~ by David Lavoie
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| Nestled among the newer
buidings are many reminders of the ethnic distinctiveness of this vibrant
part of Kuala Lumpur. Buddhist temples resplendent in the red and yellow
so loved by Chinese people everywhere face trendy, very up-scale stores
like “Peter Hoe’s” where everything sold is subtle and elegant, not a trace
of red or yellow in sight. On the streets, traditional stands sell fried
seafood, spicy tofu, bean curd,fish garnished with chilis, and, of course,
noodles everywhere. At one stall Miriam, my wife, stopped to consider the
purchase of a (genuine, I swear) Rolex for only $20 US. At another I considered
the bright red t-shirts with a Canadian Tire logo reading "Cannabis Tire"
and featuring the familiar green five-leafed plant.
We had wondered where the crafts
were in Malaysia and found them in Chinatown. Dozens of stores selling
carvings, some of them quite naughty, wooden screens, bamboo place mats,
elaborate carved clocks and boxes, masks galore and so on. There are many,
many statues in various styles of “sawadi” women dressed in the beautiful
traditional costume and always with the palms pressed together in greeting. |
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Unfortunately little of this comes
from Malaysia but rather is imported from Indonesia, China and Thailand.
Nevertheless, it is beautiful stuff. Among my favorites are carved wooden
statues of magical dragons, lacking only a St George to be complete. These
delicate works are fantastically detailed and carved from a soft tan-coloured
wood. Dominating the area is The Central Market, a huge indoor market building
not unlike the one in Ottawa but at least twenty times the size and filled
to the brim with vendors' stalls.
The whole area seethes with both
energy and people. The Chinese are truly the entrepreneurs of Malaysia,
followed closely by the Indians. Only very upper class Malays rank higher
on the social ladder since they control all the highest government positions,
something against
which the Chinese seem to chafe.
The area can be covered by several
walking tours and looks to be a great destination for many future visits.
The following are the previous articles
David wrote for the magazine:
 Beautiful
Sipadan ~ In
Malaysia
Notes
From The Egyptian Desert ~ Adventure
In The Desert
To contact David Click
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