Workers cutting grass at Bukit Cina cemetery in Melaka. Photo: Filepic/The Star
I was born and bred in Melaka. My family lived along Jalan Air Leleh. Our kampung house was located opposite the famous Bukit Cina, a vast graveyard for the wealthy Chinese, strategically situated in the heart of Melaka town and a popular spot for health enthusiasts and tourists.
People often ask, “Are you not afraid of living next door to dead bodies, corpses, spirits, and ghosts?” My entire family – parents and 10 siblings – got used to it. Bukit Cina served us well as a recreation facility. It was our playground for flying kites, playing hockey, and, most importantly, a safe shortcut to our school, the Melaka Gurdwara and the town centre, avoiding the dangers along the main road.
We climbed Bukit Cina regularly to go to school, enduring thorns that got stuck in our socks, the hot sun and the rain. Using well-worn trails, often cutting across graveyards, we never felt uneasy, as we had grown accustomed to it. In later years, I would say a short prayer, “I come in peace and will leave in peace” – respecting the ground I walked on.
We had many adventures on this hill. I learned kite-flying and how to make kites plus kite-fighting. I learned to lace my kite string with tiny broken pieces of glass. Once, I lost the fight and my prized kite was cut loose. Despite taking great efforts to chase after it, I gave up as it went up, up and away. I stopped engaging in this activity after I got an earful from my mum.
After heavy rains, we would swim in the water-filled depressions of some graves. We even tried creating our own pool by filling a graveyard depression with water from a nearby well, but the parched ground absorbed it all.
During my Form Six days, some classmates and I decided to debunk the myth that Bukit Cina was haunted. We stayed overnight at the peak. No, we did not sleep but just chitchatted throughout the night and were watchful of any freak happenings that would reinforce the notion that the hill is indeed creepy and haunted. Nothing of that sort happened. We were brave because we were not alone. At dawn, we welcomed the new day, relieved and unscathed.
Bukit Cina – now well maintained - has become a popular jogging and walking trail, with its inclines offering a good workout. My family did not realise then that walking up and down the hill regularly contributed to our overall good health. I’m sure each of did more than 10,000 steps a day!
At the peak of Bukit Cina in Melaka. The writer is on the right. Photo: Pola Singh
Now a resident of KL city, I never fail to jog/walk up Bukit Cina whenever I visit my hometown as I can be sure that I will get a good workout plus view the township of Malacca as it develops towards the sea.
As I reminisce about Bukit Cina, I realise it was more than just a hill – it was a playground, a shortcut to adventures, and a testament to the resilient spirit of Malaccans. Despite its creepy reputation, it was a place where friendships were forged, skills were honed, and memories were made. Bukit Cina will forever hold a special place in my heart, a symbol of the exciting tapestry of life during my growing-up days in good ole Melaka.
