The Coffin Street of Nibong Tebal
General speaking, most Chinese people are superstitious. They have a taboo of avoiding the mention of the word ‘coffin’ [棺材] especially during the auspicious time like the Chinese New Year. For them the word coffin is usually associated with death as only dead person will be put into a coffin. There is a Chinese saying that “A brave guy will not cry until he sees his own coffin” [不见棺材不流泪] which means no matter how brave or daring a person is, he is still afraid to die.
Of course, there is the other side of the coin. Coffin can also be interpreted as an auspicious thing like “promotion in government service to get better pay or revenue” [升官发财]. It was no wonder that some government officials in ancient China would have tiny model coffins decorated on their office tables hoping to get quick promotions. Unfortunately, I knew it too late, if not I would have put one on my working table.
As a child in those days of fifty years ago, I was scared to walk along the Coffin Street of Nibong Tebal. If for any one particular reason that I had to do so, I would walk through the street as fast as my limbs could carry me without glancing either to the left or right, to avoid seeing any coffin in any of the shops along the street.
The actual name of the street was known as Pengkalan Rawa Road. But the local people preferred to call it Huai Koay Kia [横街孖], which carried the meaning of ‘Short and Narrow Stretch of Cross Street’. It was also nicknamed as Coffin Street as the coffin shops at Nibong Tebal were all located here. At its peak, during the sixties and seventies, there were altogether nine shops selling coffins. It was interesting to note that all the coffin proprietors at Nibong Tebal were all related to one another. Very likely they shared the same great grandparents. Quite often than not, they were put in a predicament when they were confronted with a prospective client intending to buy a coffin. On one hand they were relatives, on the other hand they were keen contenders to close a sale on a coffin. Till today it still puzzled me as to how they could reconcile this issue to strike a balance between their kinship with their business.
At that time when coffin business was good, orders were taken from all the places in the Krian District. I could still remember whenever there was a friend or relative of my family from other place wanted to buy a coffin, he would drop in our shop to get my father to accompany him to the Coffin Street to place an order.
Like any other businesses, demand of coffins did have its ups and downs. During a dry spell, a coffin might lie in a shop for months without an owner. There was a hearsay that if a coffin was lying too long in a shop, the shopkeeper would knock at the coffin three times to remind it, “Hey! It’s time to wake up!”[喂！可以醒了！] Believe it or not, the following day that particular coffin would be sold out to make its way ‘to accommodate’ its rightful owner.
Coffin business among the proprietors could be very competitive and enterprising too. It had already penetrated into hospitals as an ‘Ali Baba’ joint venture. Before a patient could take his last breath prior to his departure time from this life, a Chinese coffin broker was already been informed through a phone call by a Malay nurse in the hospital and he would be loitering around the hospital ward hoping to make a deal with the family members of the deceased. If the sale was successful, the nurse would be advanced a sum of RM 500 by the broker. Of course, by the basic law of economics, that amount of money would be added to the bill of the family of the deceased.
In those days a coffin was very bulky and heavy. It was customary at Nibong Tebal that a coffin had to be carried manually by not less than thirty two people on rotation basis for a distance from the house of the deceased to the railway gate before it was ferried by a lorry to the burial ground at Sungai Jawi or Sungai Bakap. Youngsters at that time seemed to enjoy carrying coffins, shouting loudly and making lots of funny noises in the process of doing so. It was like a carnival for them. Usually they were treated with a feast at Cheang Kee Restaurant [璋记饭店] after the burial ceremony was over.
The main source of manpower for carrying coffin was usually enlisted from those vendors at the market place. The representative cum spokesman for the market vendors was the late Uncle Tan Liang Ku[陈两举]. He was nicknamed as ‘the headmaster of the market’ [巴刹校长]. With his blessing, the vendors from the market would be ever ready to carry a coffin.
Once, the father of a local wealthy businessman passed away. When it was time for funeral, there was not enough ‘quorum of people’ to carry the coffin. It was very awkward and embarrassing for the family of the deceased, especially the businessman concerned who was supposed to be rich and famous in the local community. Apparently, it was a clear-cut case of boycott by certain quarters of the community not to carry the coffin. Words were circulating in the town that the family of the deceased was not worried at all about the prospect that nobody would come to carry the coffin as a remark was made days ago by someone in the family that “As soon as good quality liquor was placed on the table to be served with the feast after the burial ceremony, people will definitely come to carry the coffin.”[ 黑头一出，人就来了! ] This remark had hurt the feeling of the people in the town as if they were so hard up with the expensive feast provided by the rich man. With the boycott, they intended to teach the family a lesson for the aloofness of the businessman in the local charity work and the arrogant and prejudiced remark made by one of his family members. Through the mediation of some Chinese community leaders, a consensus was reached whereby the businessman instantly donated a big sum of money to the Pai Teik Chinese Primary School. The matter was resolved with a happy ending. This incident was classic and it had served as a mirror for others in the town to reflect upon.
Coffin business changes with time. With the introduction of cremation in the late seventies as an alternative to burial, demand for the traditional manmade coffins has dropped drastically. Lighter and beautifully decorated coffins can be manufactured in large quantity by the workshops and factories. They can be purchased easily at many outlets. Since then the coffin business at Nibong Tebal has been badly affected. At present only three coffin shops remain at Nibong Tebal. In time to come the local people may not have remembered that Huai Koay Kia was once a renowned Coffin Street.
Visiting the shoe factory was the climax of the day. It was especially so for the ‘girls’ as the factory only produces elegant shoes for their gender. As said by the Operation Director of Weng Bee Marketing Private Limited Company, Mr. William Ng Song Hooi, “It’s much easier to earn money from ladies as they are more fashion conscious.” Phaik Hooi is a typical example of a lady who is very fanciful about shoes. Believe it or not her collection of shoes may be equal to or even surpassed that of Mrs. Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines! Of course, this is just an exaggeration in the highest degree that even a child who was born yesterday without a sound mind would find it hard to swallow.
The visit of the day came to a full circle with another round of Ipoh’s famous Bean Shoots Chicken noodles[芽菜鸡粿条] provided by Song Hooi. The home bound journey was delayed by an hour or so because of the heavy downpour after the meal. Nevertheless ‘the children’ were very happy and in high spirits. They were very thankful to Song Hooi. If not for him and his efforts the trip would not be possible. Before the day was over, the ‘girls’ were already contemplating their future activities; gathering at Kuala Lumpur and a trip to Sabah which were already sparkling off in their minds.
