Former Malacca High School teacher meet his pupil in Wangkang museum

From a bowl of nyonya laksa to an unique babah peranakan ceremonial heritage chat, concluded with a burst of greetings between a teacher and his pupil.

Breakfast table on Tranquerah Road is special because they are from a mixed of professions, from an editor of a YouTube channel to an engineer who played a role in the iconic C-shaped Lagenda Condominium in Klebang, Melaka. The teacher who teaches and the temple chief who guides, are both facing each other on a marble table. The videographer wears the Yong Chuan Tian Temple Tee-shirt and it catches the eyes of Cheng Kim, the teacher. He asked about Wangkang and the four of them take a drive to Yong Chuan Tian Temple after the breakfast.

Upon stepping into the Wangkang shipyard, Cheng Kim bows three times to the deity, Ong Yah. As the Temple chief, P'ng Yew Chye walks Cheng Kim to the front, Dato' Ronald Gan Yong Hoe walks towards the shipyard.

Both the Babah exchanges greetings on midpoint between the main gate of the Yong Chuan Tian Temple and the Wangkang shipyard on the background. Dato' Ronald Gan Yong Hoe is currently the President of the Malaysian Babah Nyonya Association while Mr. Low Cheng Kim is a former teacher with the Malacca High School. Cheng Kim taught uncountable number of students and to list them is endless but just to justify his priceless teaching efforts, one of his student has been enthroned as the 7th Governor of Melaka, Tun Mohd. Ali bin Mohd. Rustam.

Cheng Kim may be unpopular to some, but to all he is popular because of his great teaching in personal development, a sense of patience, and diligence. These are the three keys to a sustainable success irrespective of any material values.

Cheng Kim also reminded that Yong Hoe has done a good job for the babah-nonya peranakan community in Malaysia and who is now bridging the community to the oldest functioning Chinese Temple in Malaysia again.

In the early times, the Babah-Nyonya peranakan are the ones who established the Yong Chuan Tian Temple, and being among a handful, Dato' Ronald Gan is working very hard to preserve their heritage.

The lifestyles of the Babah-Nyonya peranakan is known today to resemble and is near matching the Code of Ethics of the imperial dynasty of China. You wouldn't have the opportunity to watch it in the other twelve States of their country unless you take your first step to explore the Yong Chuan Tian Temple. This is because the Babah-Nyonya community first crystallized in Melaka after their some of ancestors survived the voyages to reach Melaka. Wangkang is a heritage they brought along from China to Melaka. While Yong Hoe and Cheng Kim got engrossed with their babah-nyonya peranakan affairs in the exhibition hall of the Wangkang museum, Ken Lai watched from afar quietly to adore both of them. Ken Lai, a certified accountant who graduated in the United Kingdom, swiftly thrusted forward to show affections for Cheng Kim after having patiently waited for both the babahs to end their chat. To know the whole story, watch this video.

Photograph seized by Melaka YouTube Channel

The Yong Chuan Tian Temple chief, P'ng Yew Chye is pointing at the photograph of the Malacca High School former teacher, Mr. Low Cheng Kim from the 2012 Wangkang Memento while Mr. Kuan Kam Foo is holding the printed original frame of the Wangkang barge and its working members. Cheng Kim showed us the memento and the frame this morning, Tuesday 27 October 2020.

Photograph seized by Melaka YouTube Channel

Cheng Kim and Yew Chye standing below the stern of the Wangkang ship and above them is the signs reading out Kapal Raja Negara Aman or GuoAn in Chinese pronunciation. 

Photograph seized by Melaka YouTube Channel

Cheng Kim and Dato' Ronald Gan are both so comfortable talking to each other on the Yong Chuan Tian Templer main courtyard.

Photograph seized by Melaka YouTube Channel

Ho Siong, Yew Chye, Ken Lai, Cheng Kim, Dato' Ronald Gan and Jack Sor giving a thumbs-up for the photographer of this blogger.

Venue: Wangkang Museum, Yong Chuan Tian Temple, Melaka.