:: The Chinese Samfoo ::

This is not really a culture page, it is mainly based on my understanding and experience.

To begin, a handful of people asked me why I had not sew a Chinese costume for my dolls since I am a Chinese myself. I pondered upon the question and came up with a conclusion: "Where do I began?"

With more than 2000 years of history, many dynasties and revolutions, many clans and minority tribes in China, it is almost impossible to confine the Chinese costume to a single prototype.

Thus, I decided to look backwards to when the Ethnic Chinese women in Malaysia and Singapore last commonly wore a Chinese outfit. The answer lies in the Samfoo, which literally means "blouse & pants" in Cantonese dialect.

The Samfoo is a special piece of clothing to me because both my grandmothers wear them. I have never seen them wearing other clothing during the day. After my grandmothers' generation, Chinese women mainly adopted western-style clothing. In my generation, most of us do not even own a single piece of Chinese wear.

:: Chinese Knot ::

The Chinese knots dates back thousand of years in history. It distinguishes the Chinese clothing from the other clothing. In addition to fastening blouses and dresses, the Chinese knot in other complicated designs is used for decorative purposes.

:: Chopsticks ::

A pair of chopsticks and a soup spoon is all you need to enjoy the most delicious Chinese Cuisine. The earliest record of chopsticks is found in the Shang Dynasty (1766 BC to 1122BC), which dates back to over 3000 years!

:: Chinese Clogs ::

Clog-making is a dying trade in Malaysia. These clogs were once a mainstream "slip-ons" for many Chinese living here, They are elevated to prevent pants from being dirtied by muddy pavements.

My favourite memory of Chinese clogs is the "Click-Clack" sound made while walking.

.Chinese samfoo for Momoko.

.Chinese samfoo for Pullip.

:: The Chinese in Nanyang ::

Nanyang is an archaic term used for the Southern Seas, and thus refers to the present Southeast Asia. The Chinese in Southeast Asia are mainly migrants from the Southern Provinces of China.

It was the push-pull factors that resulted in the influx of Chinese immigrants to Nanyang. This is seen in both cases of my ancestors. I am a Taishanese and a third-generation overseas Chinese. When the British opened up Penang as part of the Straits Settlement, my great-grandfather migrated over to work as a goldsmith.

My maternal grandfather is a Teochew. He worked as a labourer on the ship when he was only 14. He saw good opportunities in Singapore and decided to settle down. His wife (my grandmother) followed suit after four years because she was forced to leave China due to the hardships of the cultural revolution.

These stories echoed the lives of many other Chinese in South East Asia. Over here, we proceeded to create a unique identity of our own.

All works are Copyright 2004© jooli.com. Please seek permission for use.

:: Good References on the Chinese Accessories ::

LINKS
- Wang Gungwu, 'Mixing Memory and Desire - Tracking the Migrant Cycles',
http://overseaschineseconfederation.org/conf2003_keynotes2.htm,
( Accessed 18th August 2005)
- 'The China-Born Generation', http://library.thinkquest.org/11518/customs/costumes/chinese/c-dress.htm,
( Accessed 27th September 2005)
- Ynesen Ongge Xong Kerij-e , 'Chinese Knot Buttons and Frog Fasterners',
http://www.9v.com/crystal/kerij-e/docs/knots.htm,
( Accessed 18th August 2005)
- 'Chinese Knotting in a Nutshell', http://www.knottingartist.com/intro.html,
( Accessed 18th August 2005)
- 'Chinese Chopsticks', http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa_chopsticks02a.htm,
( Accessed 18th August 2005)