Phang makes it his mission to compile Gopeng’s history

ipaphang221214 8... The interiors of the Gopeng Museum, established in 2009 by museum curator Phang See Kong and his friends.

A WISE man once said, “one person with passion is better than forty people merely interested,” and such is the case when one comes to know museum curator Phang See Kong’s love for the history of his hometown.

He has spent the last five years penning down his compilation of Gopeng’s history since the 1850s into 239 pages.

Holding a photocopy version of his handwritten book’s draft with pride, regarding it as his “precious baby”, he explained that since he is computer illiterate, he could only use a pen and paper to achieve his dream of having the book published.

Although his birthplace is in Pusing, he grew up in the tin mining town, located roughly 20km away from Ipoh, in the late 1940s.

Phang’s passion for the rich history of Gopeng started during his schooling days when he was deeply fascinated with the life story of Eu Tong Sen, a leading businessman during the late 19th and early 20th century.

“This is the man who extended his family business of the traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing company Eu Yan Sang into Hong Kong, originating from the very first outlet in Gopeng opened by his father Eu Kong.

“He did all that, and was able to marry 10 women, who gave birth to 14 sons and 11 daughters in total,” he said, as he could not contain his excitement in relating the story of how it all started for him.

Even as he left school at the age of 15 to begin his career as a schoolteacher, he tirelessly collected information and photographs along the way.

Now at the ripe old age of 75, Phang has made it his life’s mission to put together the historical origins of Gopeng into a book.

“It is a lifelong wish of mine to leave behind a legacy for the younger generation, so that they understand what our forefathers went through to develop this town.

“It is impossible to find any trace of a small town’s background in our history textbooks, and I think it is truly a waste if the story of this heritage town is not passed down to our children.

“They deserve to know how the pioneers of Gopeng, which are the Semais, the Rawas, the Mandailings, the Chinese and Indians, had worked together to develop this town in 1850,” he said.

However, he said the information collecting process was a difficult task as the sources were scattered around town.

“In 1984, I carried a tiny recorder with me, and went around town to meet with many elderly folk from different clans to learn about their life stories.

“Many could not give me the accurate details, as they were afraid that what they knew might not be the truth.

“This went on for a quite awhile, and I decided to give up because I was dismayed by the lack of data,” he said.

After abandoning the project, Phang was hired as the personal assistant to then Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Ting Chew Peh in 1991.

“I may have given up, but it was hard to quit entirely because my passion was still there.

“I still made it a point to collect anything related to Gopeng as I went about doing my new job,” he said.

Dr Ting, who was also the Gopeng MP, served from 1987 to 2008, and Phang left his job shortly after Dr Ting’s last working year, and once again found himself yearning to continue working on his sole passion.

“I brushed off layers of dust from the old books I had kept under my bed, and I was determined to pick up from where I had left off because if I did not, who would?

“Realising the dearth of information, I was desperate to buy all sorts of books related to Gopeng, even if it only contained a minor portion of it.

“As long as the word Gopeng was in the book, I must have it,” he said.

Phang even related that he once spent RM140 on a book just because it contained a rare bird’s eye view picture of the town in the olden days.

Every piece of information obtained was akin to treasure, and he painstakingly laminated and organised his information in at least 38 files, all of which were meticulously kept in his quaint little office.

Phang also explained that due to the difficulty of the process, there were times when he was under pressure to ensure that all the information he put into his book was accurate.

“I had to verify all the information and quote my sources correctly to eliminate doubt.

“Otherwise, should I make a mistake, this mistake would continue on in the future and I might even be labelled as a dishonest author,” he said.

As if aware of his plight, Phang was approached by a professor in Chinese studies from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) Wong Voon Peng three years ago, who expressed interest in working together for the university’s community conservation programme.

“For three years, students from Utar and Taiwan’s National University of Tsing Hua have played a major role in assisting me to collect information on Gopeng from the local community.

“They interviewed the various associations in Gopeng on their origins, conducted studies on the multi-religious and cultural conservation here, and carried out research on the locale and residents,” he said, adding that without their help, his quest to complete his book would have been unending.

When he is not busy with his book, Phang is a loving husband and father to four children.

“My wife and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary, and she has been very supportive of my efforts.

“My two sons and two daughters, although already married and have their own families, have been my pillar of strength throughout the years,” he said.

Phang’s eldest daughter and eldest son, aged 49 and 46, are currently residing in New Zealand and the United States respectively, while his second son, 43, owns a business in Ipoh. His youngest daughter, 38, is a beautician living in Ipoh as well.

He is also one of the four founders of the Gopeng Museum, along with his friends Bernard Yaw Ban Yew, Wong Kuan Cheong, and Tan Yoke Chun.

The museum was established in 2009.

Phang’s book, titled “History Revisited: The Glorious Past of Gopeng’s Chinese Community” in Chinese, is slated to be published in 2016.

It will have over 300 pages, including about 250 pictures.