Quiet existence after a glittery past

The Kwan Yin temple in Bukit Koman New Village is one of the oldest landmarks in the Raub district.

DRIVING into Bukit Koman New Village in Raub, Pahang, one cannot help but be struck by a calm and soothing feel.

The serene surroundings and undulating hills provided much-needed respite after an almost two-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur.

A sign greets visitors, welcoming them to the village where gold mining led to a thriving Raub.

The gold mine was located within the village and many of the miners back then were brought in from mainland China.

Later, they settled down here, giving rise to the second and third generation of Chinese descendants.

There are now about 2,500 residents living in some 300 houses.

One of the ancestral houses that remains intact although its owner has moved to Kuala Lumpur.

About 95% of them are from the close-knit Hakka clan, hence the label “Hakka Village”.

Village chief Lee Yoke Sim said in recent years, some 100 houses had been left vacant as the owners had mostly moved to Kuala Lumpur and Johor.

However, they had no intention to sell or convert their houses into homestays, preferring to maintain the landed property as “ancestral homes”.

“They come back for a visit and stay for a few days during holidays and festive seasons. The village is usually lively with their homecoming,” Lee told StarMetro.

She said most of the village’s facade remained intact although funds were sought for the upgrading of certain amenities.

This year, RM80,000 was allocated by the Federal Government to upgrade drains and roads in the village.

“Next year, we hope to receive a similar aid to rebuild a few rundown houses,” she said.

Lee said almost 50% of the village houses had yet to be given grants, hoping the authorities would look into the matter.

Crime is rare here as almost every villager knows one another, but there are some new faces because of the job opportunities in a family-owned oil palm plantation nearby.

In addition, there are more foreign women, notably from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, in recent times as they get married to elderly locals through matchmaking.

One such local is Hong Fang Sim, 60, who decided to marry a Vietnamese.

“I just want a companion to spend my remaining twilight years with,” he said.

Some prefer to remain a bachelor, such as Francis Chong, 60.

The oldest school in Raub – SJK (C) Yuh Hwa – has an enrolment of 150.

Chong keeps himself busy making homemade Hakka pastries and buns, a business he has been in for the last 35 years.

“My only regret is not being able to pass on my trade but at least, my nephews are keen to learn.

“My grandfather was a miner but not my father, who picked up skills in baking,” he said, adding that the secret laid in the ingredients which Chong refused to share with outsiders.

A bachelor’s life is not for Chin Ah Loy though. Chin, 75, is happily married to Wong Kim Moi, 70.

The couple have six children – two boys and four girls, aged between 30 and 50.

“I married at a young age. I was a descendant of a miner but my late father and I worked as loggers.

“There were many wood factories here in the past but no more,” he said.

Chai showing the homemade beancurd that he produces at his home.

Chin lives with his wife in the village as their six children are settled in the Klang Valley and overseas.

They will be returning soon for a reunion during the Chinese New Year.

“We look forward to the day. They have all grown up and live their own lives.

“We have Ah Wong, Fei Chai and Tony to accompany and look after our house,” Chin said, referring to the three dogs he owned.

Low Chai, 80, is another happily married retiree.

With four grown-up children, the former miner said there was not much for him to do now.

“I just hang out at the ‘nightclub’ (coffeeshop) over two cups of teh si with fellow villagers,” he said.

Chong doing what he knows best, which is baking Hakka pastries and buns.

Besides the mining site, Kampung Baru Bukit Koman has two other landmarks unrivalled by nine other new villages in the Raub district.

They are SJK (C) Yuh Hwa, the oldest school in the district which now has some 150 pupils, and the Kwan Yin temple.

Both landmarks are 109 years old.

The village is also known for three products that bring in visitors – beancurd, handmade pastries and buns, and groundnuts.

All these businesses are run from old village houses and the trade inherited from their parents.