China News Service, Malacca, January 1 (Xinhua) -- Jonker Street, Malacca: Chinese culture is the background color and multicultural integration is integrated
China News Service reporter Chen Yue
The famous Jonker Street in Malacca, Malaysia is not long, and it is only a ten-minute walk from the cultural archway at one end to the Chinese zodiac scenery at the other end.
However, in the view of Gan Tianlu, chairman of the Jonker Street Working Committee, Jonker Street is also very long - in terms of time, it spans more than 600 years of history, and in terms of culture, people of all ethnic groups in Malaysia, as well as Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, mosques, churches, etc., live side by side on this street and live in harmony.
The entrance to Jonker Street, Malacca, Malaysia, taken in June 2023. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Yue
Jonker Street became "Chinatown", which originated from Zheng He's voyage to the West. Zheng He went to the West seven times, came to Malacca five times, and set up an official factory near Jonker Street to reserve supplies. Jonker Street and more than 20 surrounding streets and alleys have also become the earliest gathering area for Chinese in Malacca.
Sam Poh Hill, near Jonker Street, is home to Malaysia's oldest Chinese Yishan (a cemetery or public mound managed by a Chinese community in Southeast Asia). Teo Minsheng, former chairman of the Malacca Chinese Assembly Hall, said that the ancient tombs with recognizable inscriptions here date back to 1614, and the tombstones can be described as "open-air Chinese immigration archives".
In the early hours of February 5, 2019, on Jonker Street in Malacca, local people of all ethnic groups greeted the Lunar New Year together. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Yue
But as the years passed, Jonker Street was once silent, with old houses and people moving out, no longer in its former glory. In 2000, the Malacca state government established the Jonker Street Cultural Workshop and appointed Gan Boon Loong, the father of Gan Tien Lok, as the chairman of the Jonker Street Working Committee to restore the historic street. After the death of Ngan Wenlong, Ngan Tianlu succeeded him, and the two generations of father and son and all walks of life in Jonker Street worked together to restore the prosperity of the old street. Before the pandemic, Jonker Street attracted 20 million visitors a year.
Yan Tianlu said that the reconstruction of Jonker Street should not only retain the background color of Chinese culture, but also show the characteristics of multicultural integration and harmonious coexistence.
"The background color of Jonker Street is Chinese culture, especially Hokkien culture. Yan Tianlu introduced that the street name of Jonker Street comes from the "Street Street" in Hokkien dialect, because the pronunciation of "chicken" and "street" in Hokkien is close, and later it became "Jonker Street".
During the Chinese New Year, Jonker Street in Malacca is decorated with a festive atmosphere. Photo taken on January 24, 2023. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Yue
Walking on the streets of Jonker Street, you can see that there are many old houses in Chinese style here, especially the Minnan-style porcelain carvings and swallowtail ridges, which are very recognizable. During the traditional Chinese festivals, Jonker Street is even more lively, with dragon and lion dances in the Spring Festival, lanterns hanging high in the Lantern Festival, dragon boats and zongzi wrapping in the Dragon Boat Festival, and various moon cakes and rabbit lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival...... Many Chinese tourists sighed that they did not expect that the traditional festival atmosphere here was not inferior to that of China.
On the other hand, Jonker Street also retains a lot of Nanyang-style buildings and Portuguese-style buildings. On weekends, the night market offers a variety of Chinese dishes, as well as Portuguese grilled fish and Malay nasi lemak, allowing visitors to experience a variety of taste buds within a distance of 100 meters.
Every year, Jonker Street will launch a giant zodiac year scene layout, the picture shows the rabbit zodiac in 2023. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Yue
When it comes to eating on Jonker Street, you can't fail to mention Peranakan cuisine. Also known as Baba Nyonya, Malacca is an important settlement for Nyonya, also known as Baba Nyonya, which is the descendant of Chinese and locals who went to Nanyang in the early years. Peranakan has preserved many Chinese cultural traditions, such as celebrating traditional Chinese festivals, worshipping the god of heaven and worshipping the god of the stove at home, while absorbing local characteristics in food and clothing.
In the case of Peranakan cuisine, local curries and various spices are added on the basis of Chinese cooking, and the flavor is rich. Also distinctive is the Peranakan suit. Peranakan garments are known for their bright colours and are made with traditional Chinese hand-embroidery and hollow-out methods. On Jonker Street, there are quite a few stalls renting out Peranakan clothes. Female tourists who come here often rent a Peranakan suit and take photos next to the old building. The bright costumes and graceful figures have become a beautiful scenery on Jonker Street.
Jonker Street is also familiar to Chinese tourists with the well-known specialty shop "Three Uncles", where durian sendol is very popular. The so-called sendola is made with shaved ice as the base, glutinous rice flour dyed with local pandan, then poured with coconut milk and coconut sugar, and finally added durian or mango and other accessories. A bowl of desserts, integrated into the food culture of different ethnic groups, can be described as the epitome of Jonker Street. (ENDS)
Source: China News Network