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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Rattan Trade
English 2 (ENGL 0205)
Assignment 2
Cheah Ee Von (0308719)
Lai Min Hui (0309646)
Chew Woan Chyin (0310797)
Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622)
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Table of Contents
Content Page
Research
Proposal
3 – 5
Research
Essay
6 – 13
Appendix 14 – 25
Bibliography 26 – 27
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Research
Proposal
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
The Research Proposal
Name: Cheah Ee Von, Chew Woan Chyin, Gennieve Lee, Lai Min Hui
Class: English 2
Period: TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
INTRODUCTION:
The research would be about a rattan trade business in Penang Island. The
information expected to be gained will be about the history of the business and the
way they operate since the opening of the business.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
List the research questions very clearly and concisely. Number each question.
1. Origin or family history of the trade/business that you are studying. For this you
need to conduct interviews.
2. Where are the products marketed to? Local markets? International? Who are the
main customers i.e. age, gender, income group? Why does the product attract this
particular group?
3. How does the business promote its products? How does it advertise? Does it
advertise? Are the products distributed to various places (e.g. supermarkets, craft
markets) or sold only at the business premise? Why are they distributed in this
manner?
4. What/who are the main threats/competition to the trade? How are they threatening
the trade? What strategies are employed to counter the threats or competition?
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
METHODOLOGY:
List all your methods one at a time and provide details of when and how you expect
to carry out your research methods.
- Speaking Hokkien dialect or Mandarin when required to gain information.
- Split up into group of two to save time and tackle more shops.
- Intend to be friendly and polite when interviewing.
- Purchase souvenirs if possible from the shop (as a thank you)
CONCLUSION:
Briefly explain what you expect to accomplish through the above methods and the
information that you expect to obtain by carrying out your plan above.
- To get accurate information on the interviews conducted.
- To establish a good relationship with shop owners.
- Achieve maximum productivity within a short period of time.
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Research
Essay
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
The Research Essay
Rattan and bamboos grow deep in the jungles and regions that have
warmer climates like Asia such as Malaysia. They are both equally strong plants and
are often used as materials for furniture, blinds and etc. However, both of them also
have their own uniqueness and differences. Unlike bamboo, rattan stems are more
solid and needs structural support, as they cannot stand on their own. A rattan is a
spiny climbing palm and it is not hollow inside, like bamboos. In addition, the word
rattan is actually the English form of the Malay word, ’Rotan’. ‘Rotan’ is defined as
the climbing palm. (Steiner, 2000)
In contrast, bamboo belongs to the family of grasses, Gramineae, together
with plants like rice, corn, wheat and sugar cane. It can also support its own stem
and does not need any structural support. Hence, they are often used as decorations
in gardens because not only are they strong and beautiful, they are also easier to
maintain and are also low in cost maintenance. From our research, we also discover
that bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant on earth. They can grow upwards to
as fast as 121 cm (48 inch) in a 24-hour period. The maximal growth rate of
bamboos can also exceed one meter (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time.
Besides, we did some research on the type of bamboos and rattans used for
blind making as we did a survey on a blind making shop in Penang. Based on our
research, we found out that the rattan and wood used for outdoors and indoor are
different. Outdoor woods are longer lasting and can withstand the weather climate
compare to the indoor ones. This is an important aspect to consider when making a
blind. However, bamboos are highly recommended to use for the outdoors. They are
more resistant to the climate change in the outdoor. Therefore, they can withstand
heavy rain and hot sun. The type of outdoor bamboo blind used is usually the ones
produced from “Bertam” bamboo. In Malaysia, it is more commonly known as “Buluh
Bertam” or “Buluh Atap”. These bamboos are only available in tropical countries like
Malaysia. Another good thing of using this bamboo is because of its natural brownish
color, which is quite similar to rattan or wood colour. Hence, by using this bamboo,
not only does it benefit us but also the environment. When choosing materials for our
blind making, we must also consider the environment and reduced the usage of
precious woods to help save the rainforest (Wong, 1988).
The first rattan shop we decided to visit is Seang Hin Leong’s rattan shop
which is located at Lebuh Pantai, Georgetown. According to research, we could be
able to watch the family at work too. (Duckett-Wilkinson, 2012) It was around 4pm
(Friday, 19th
April 2013), when we decided to take a bus from Continental Hotel to
Lebuh Downing. From there, we walked by foot to Lebuh Pantai. We continued our
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
journey down and we found Seang Hin Leong hidden in between two Baba-Nyonya
straits style shop houses.
Ee Von and Min Hui took turns interviewing the shop owner. Meanwhile,
Woan Chyin and Gennieve were in charge of taking photographs around the quaint
old shop. Miss Sim Jeck Choo, sister of the shop owner who is in her 50s talked to
us. We conversed in Hokkien and Chinese throughout the interview. The shop was
founded by her great grandfather who came from Canton, China in search of a
decent job in Malaya during mid-1920s. The rattan shop was then passed down for
generations until its current owner (4th
generation) Mr Sim Chew Poh who is 58
years old this year. 3rd
generation owner- Mr Sim Buck Teik who is in his 80s still
helps around in the shop occasionally too. Mr Sim is also one of the recipients of
HSBC Living Heritage awards. (Grimsley, 2011)
Seang Hin Leong’s main products include rattan baskets, food covers,
handicrafts and rattan furniture. Every single rattan piece is crafted carefully by Mr
Sim Chew Poh and Mr Sim Buck Teik. The time used to craft a rattan piece differs
according to its size and complexity. Mr Sim Chew Poh was weaving a rattan “dog
bed” when we interviewed them. He said the “dog bed” usually takes him 1-2 days to
complete it. Product price ranges from RM5 up to RM700. They export their products
to Kuala Lumpur and Kedah only. Rattan shops and furniture shops usually import
rattan goods from them. Mr Chew Poh told us that they usually import their rattan
canes from Pahang.
When asked about the customers, Miss Sim mentioned that the market is very
diverse. They could be in their 20s up to 60s. Their customers generally are tourists
outside of Penang. Those who are in their 20s frequently opt for Batik and small
rattan handicraft for packaging purposes. Meanwhile, the older generations would
shop for rattan furniture like rattan chairs. The older generations who shop in Seang
Hin Leong are mostly females. Older male customers prefer to buy rattan furniture
from them too. Other than that, they would also receive orders from small families,
hotel and Japanese restaurant interior designers. Miss Sim did mention that only
those who are English educated and interested in arts and craft would shop for their
rattan goods. However, conservative minded customers would not buy rattan good
from them. On the contrary, they also received good responses from Japanese and
Malay customers.
As for competitors, Miss Sim stated that they used to have lots of other shops
selling rattan goods opposite their shop but eventually they shut down their
businesses due to the reason that they could not afford the shop rental fees. So now,
there are very few rattan shops around Penang. Most of them specialize in mending
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
rattan goods unlike Seang Hin Leong which focuses on making new rattan goods
such as baskets and handicrafts. (Chin, 2010) Miss Sim also said that they need not
to worry about advertising as they often get interviews from newspapers, magazines
and freelance journalists all the time. The Internet contributed a lot in this manner.
Nowadays, people are more aware of heritage culture and would wish to know more
about this dying trade. Hence, Seang Hin Leong is discovered through the Internet.
Other than that, Miss Sim did mention about another problem faced by the
rattan trade. She said that they are lacking of workmanship. They used to hire four to
five workers before the demand for rattan goods dropped. (Ngu, 2005) They also
used to hire Indonesian workers for RM6-RM7 per day. However, due to the drop of
demand for rattan goods, they had to cut down their workers. Thus, if they were to
hire Malaysian workers, they had to pay RM60-RM70 per day for their salary. Hence,
this would affect the price of the products to increase dramatically.
As the interview come to an end, we expressed our gratitude towards them
and took a picture with Mr Sim Buck Teik. It was a pleasant visit to Seang Hin Leong.
The atmosphere was friendly and heart-warming.
The next rattan shop that we’ve visited is Lee Soo Kee Rotan that is located
at Lebuh Armenian. It was around 4pm in the afternoon (Saturday, 20th
April 2013)
when we’ve arrived after long hours of walking. The shop was quite dark from the
inside and a shirtless old uncle was found sitting near the entrance weaving rattan as
a base for a chair that he’s repairing.
Woan Chyin and Ee Von took turns asking while Min Hui takes down notes. It
was hard to convince him to accept our interview at first as he was quite skeptical
about us and suggested that we should ask other rattan shops instead. After a few
plead and explanation with much difficulty, he finally opened up and agreed to be
interviewed but on the condition that his name and surname would not be revealed
due to reasons that we dare not ask.
The old uncle mentioned is a Chinese, roughly around the age of 70-80, was
around 165cm, skinny, dark skinned with a face marred with signs of age. He did not
wear any form of glasses and relied heavily on the sunlight as his light source. He
was a fairly patient old man that is still quite skilful and swift in his hand movements
as demonstrated while having the interview with us. He spoke to us in Chinese
throughout the whole conversation since we’ve approached him using Chinese.
The shop was filled with all sorts of rattan made things, however in this shop;
most of them were big furniture. Rattan sofas dominated half of the shop, others
were a wide range of chairs, from stools to dining chairs, a small percentage of
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
tables and insignificant amount of rattan lamps and racks. It is a wonder how that
uncle could weaved these marvellous handicrafts using just his own pair of hands.
The pricing set found out to be quite justified too after a series of observations, for
example, the 3 seated rattan sofa only costs from the range of RM700-RM1000 and
the lamps were less than RM 50.
The business was found out to be a family business that has currently
reached its 3rd generation and passed down to sons. It is a local business based in
Penang without any exportation outside of Penang.
Another set of questions was issued about his customers and products.
Questions includes whether young people would buy rattan furniture, what age group
that’s normally his regulars and also what is the most sellable furniture here? In
respond, he told us that the young also likes rattan made furniture, a surprise to us
and named rattan chairs and sofas as his most sellable products to the young and
middle aged while the older group would prefer others like racks.
When asked about competition or whether he had done any form of
advertisements, the owner, the uncle disclosed that he had never done any form of
advertisements as he deemed it was unnecessary, since those who came by were
normally his regular customers or people who’ve heard of his trade in the field, when
the field is small everyone knows about him and also people like us who knew from
the Internet thanks to Penang’s government, he stated that he does not need to
worry about publicity.
Regarding about the competition, he had stated in the interview that in
modern days, young people are no longer interested in the art of rattan weaving or
any traditional handicrafts for that matter as it does not pay well and the skills can
take years to learn. The rattan businesses are getting smaller and smaller as it is
hard to sustain with the lack of manpower and skilled workers however that is good
in some ways as that means no strong competitors in the near future.
Other than creating and making rattan furniture, he also provides repairing
services for rattan furniture. The rattan used for his usage had come majorly from
local estates and from Indonesia.
To end our interview session with him, we said thank you and stated our
gratefulness for accepting our interview as it was the last shop and our last hope in
the list. We took a group picture with him as well.
The next shop we visited is Ngai Sun, located at no.165, Chulia Street, 10200
Georgetown, Penang. This shop can easily be seen and found, as it is located along
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
the main street of Georgetown. One will not easily miss from finding this shop due to
the colourful bamboo or wooden blinds that shields the shop from the searing sun.
During our visit to Ngai Sun, the owner wasn’t around. However, we saw an
elderly man who was working on one of the unfinished blinds. He happens to be a
very experienced worker and has been working for the owner for a long time.
Judging from his age as well as the way he works and paints the blinds, we could
see that he was a wise and experienced man. Hence, we decided to interview him
instead, as he also wasn’t sure when the owner would arrive. At first, he was skeptic
when we asked him questions about the shop but in the end, he gave in. He also
allowed us to take a few pictures of the shop and the finished products on display.
Unfortunately, he was not willing to introduce his name or identity to us.
The operation hour of the shop is from 9.00am to 5.00pm. They are usually
open on weekdays and Saturdays only. From our research, we found out that the
owner is known as Mr. Chen. He has been in the business for a very long time. The
reason why his blind making is famous is because he and his artists’ hand paint the
advertisement onto the blinds themselves instead of using spray paint. Besides, the
shop that they are using to operate their business is also an old and heritage building
of Penang. In addition, the shop is located at a strategic location as well whereby,
many tourists passed by daily. The street itself, where the shop is located is also
listed in the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE (Tye, 2003).
The materials that they used are bamboos, wood, and rattan. These are their
three main materials to make the blind. Other than that, would be the paint, rope,
glue and so on. Besides the materials, we also did a research on the pricing of the
blinds. The prices are according to the quality of the materials and also the size of
the blinds. It ranges from RM10 per foot to RM40. As mentioned earlier, the blinds
are all hand paint, not to mention the materials they used are quality original bamboo
and rattan. Not something that we, as fellow consumers can find easily in the market
nowadays. Even so, I believe that the prices they offer are still reasonable as their
products are real authentic ones. Overall, the survey went according to plan and it
was a success. Thanks to the cooperation of the shop owner and staff members, we
were able to learn new things in the process of our interviews and research.
The similarities between the three shops, Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and
Ngai Sun are that they are all listed in the Traditional Trades and Occupations in
Georgetown World Heritage Site list, the business was passed down by inheritance,
the business had little competitors and they need not to worry about publicity and
advertising.
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
First of all, the shops mentioned above were listed in the Traditional Trades
and Occupations in Georgetown World Heritage Site list. Georgetown received the
UNESCO World Heritage Site title on 7th
July 2008. The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization encourage the identification, protection and
preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be
invaluable to humanity. (UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 1992) Thus, being
enlisted is very prestigious for Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and Ngai Sun. Ever
since then; these shops have been given attention and special grants to sustain their
current business. For example, Seang Hin Leong was one of the recipients for HSBC
Living Heritage awards.
Next, Seang Hin Leong and Lee Soo Kee are family businesses that are
passed down for generations. There was a huge wave of Chinese mainly coming
from the Fujian and Canton province seek refuge and resettle at Taiwan, Nanyang
and Malaya when The Ming Dynasty was overtaken by the Qing Dynasty in the 17th
century. The reason they left China was due to the fact that they were not willing to
be ruled by the Manchu people whom they disregard as pure Han Chinese. (Tye T.,
2005) Seang Hin Leong was founded by the founder’s grandfather who came from
Canton, China in search of a decent job in Malaya during mid-1920s. Hence, it was
then passed down to its current 4th
generation. Meanwhile, Lee Soo Kee is also a
family business which has been passed down to sons. Its current owner is their 3rd
generation.
Other than that, Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and Ngai Sun had few
competitors nowadays. Due to globalisation, the rattan trade business is dying.
Rattan goods are now replaced by plastic goods that could be bought easily
anywhere. Bamboo blinds are being replaced with aluminium blinds. Competitors
also left because they could not generate enough profit to pay their rents.
Nevertheless, after Penang was recognised as a World Heritage Site, these trades
are in the limelight of the media again. Indirectly, they need not to worry about
advertising and publicity because there are numerous interviews conducted online
and in printed forms about their shop.
There were also a few distinct traits between Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee
and Ngai Sun. Various distinct trait includes specifically the type of rattan products &
differences in materials they sell, the type of business tactics they rely on and the
business’s condition.
The most significant difference was perhaps the type of products they sell.
Although all of the shops sell rattan products, the products sold by the 3 shops focus
on various different aspects. While Seang Hin Leong and Lee Soo Kee focuses on
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
rattan furniture, various rattan woven home items and intricate souvenirs, Ngai Sun
stood alone as the only rattan shop making only rattan blinds.
Most of the products from Seang Hin Leong were mostly daily items (baskets,
wooden fans, rattan trays, rattan stick, etc) and tourist’s souvenirs (wooden
keychain, Batik clothed purses, etc) hence the material used majorly was rattan and
Batik clothes, the products were in a significantly smaller size compared to Lee Soo
Kee who focuses on large furniture (chairs, sofas, racks, etc) as displayed in the
shop. The materials used by Lee Soo Kee are purely rattan. Ngai Sun, who focuses
solely on rattan blinds as their only product, has a mix source of rattan and bamboo
as their material. This was true at time of visit according to the observations made
judging from the shop’s display and found out through interviews conducted. The
shop’s displays can be found in Figure 1: Interior of Lee Soo Kee (refer to appendix)
and Figure 2: Blinds in making (refer to appendix).
Another distinct difference of these 3 shops is the service they provide.
Although all 3 shops provides rattan furniture mending and allows special orders to
be made, the focus of the services made by all 3 shops differs. Seang Hin Leong
focuses on making new products for sale and exportations to Kuala Lumpur and
Kedah making sales as their main income as mentioned earlier, while Lee Soo Kee
focuses on mending as his main income as there is only one rattan weaver/maker
which is the founder and boss of Lee Soo Kee, Mr Lee. “What you see around the
shop is what you get; I don’t normally accept orders as I’m the only one making.” Mr.
Lee says. Since the only item on sale was those that were displayed in the shop, it
resembles a limited source of income to Mr. Lee. Ngai Sun is the only shop that
relies on orders to generate income since their only product and service offered was
making blinds, most customers would preferred it specially made, as the sizes may
not be suitable.
The last main distinct difference between the 3 rattan trade is the businesses’
conditions. Through observations, Ngai Sun and Seang Hin Leong’s business
condition was better compared to Lee Soo Kee since both Ngai Sun and Seang Hin
Leong have a better chance of survival. Ngai Sun is actually quite advanced as a
rattan trade business through observations of the settings of the shop. Both Ngai
Sun and Seang Hin Leong have their own workers and successors planned out while
Lee Soo Kee seems to be lacking in that department as mentioned, Mr. Lee was the
only one operating the shop and his commitment is limited as age approaches him.
3346 words
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Appendix
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Figure 3: Facade of Seang Hin Leong
Figure 4: Rattan chairs at Seang Hin Leong
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Figure 5: Rattan baskets at Seang Hin Leong
Figure 6: Ee Von interviewing Miss Sim & Mr Sim
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Figure 7: Our group & Mr Sim
Figure 8: Facade of Lee Soo Kee
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Figure 9: Woan Chyin interviewing Mr. Lee
Figure 10: Interior of Lee Soo Kee
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FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Figure 11: Ngai Sun Billboard
Figure 12: Blinds in making
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Meeting
Minutes
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
. 1st
Team Meeting
Date: 11th
April 2013
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: In front of the library in Taylors Lakeside campus
Meeting called by: Cheah Ee Von
Type of meeting: Face-to-face
Facilitator: Cheah Ee Von and Lai Min Hui
Note taker: Gennieve Lee
Timekeeper: Chew Woan Chyin
Attendees: Cheah Ee Von, Lai Min Hui, Gennieve Lee and Chew Woan Chyin
Please read: Traditional trades and occupations in Georgetown World Heritage Site
Please bring: Pencil, pen, notebook, laptop
_____________________________________________________________________________________
___________
Minutes
Agenda item: Report essay, information about the rattan shops in Penang, Questionnaires
Presenter: Cheah Ee Von
Discussion: Distribution of tasks among members and what to write for the report essay. During the
meeting, we were also discussing on the types of questions that we would be asking the owner of the
rattan shops.
Conclusions: Research about the details and information of the rattan shops online as well as preparing
questionnaires. The tasks were successfully segregated among the team members.
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Action items Person Responsible
Deadline
 Locations of rattan shops in Penang from the map Cheah Ee Von 16th
April 2013
 Ways of transportation to reach the rattan shops Gennieve Lee 16th
April 2013
 Other extra information regarding the rattan shops Chew Woan Chyin 16th
April 2013
 Questionnaires Lai Min Hui, Cheah Ee Von 16th
April 2013
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Questionnaires
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Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Seang Hin Leong
1. Origin or family history of the trade/business.
Seang Hin Leong is a family business. It was founded by current owner’s
great grandfather who came from Canton, China during mid-1920s. The rattan
shop was then passed down for generations until its current owner which is 4th
generation who named as Sim Chew Poh.
2. Where are the products marketed to? Local markets? International?
Who are the main customers i.e. age, gender, income group? Why does
the product attract this particular group?
Seang Hin Leong is mainly focusing their market in local. They export their
products to Kuala Lumpur and Kedah only. The main customers are in 20s up
to 60s. Their customers generally are tourists outside of Penang. The younger
generations opt for Batik and small rattan handicraft for packaging purposes.
In the other hand, the older female customers are the main customers who
shop for rattan furniture. Yet, male customers also shop form them. Other
than that, there are several orders from small families, hotel and Japanese
restaurant. The customers who are English-educated and interests in arts and
craft would usually buy from them.
3. How does the business promote its products? How does it advertise?
Does it advertise? Are the products distributed to various places (e.g.
supermarkets, craft markets) or sold only at the business premise? Why
are they distributed in this manner?
Seang Hin Leong do not do any advertising as they often get interviews from
newspapers, magazines and freelance journalists. Yet, Seang Hin Leong is
discovered through the Internet also. Seang Hin Leong’s products are
distributed in Kuala Lumpur and Kedah.
4. What/who are the main threats/competition to the trade? How are they
threatening the trade? What strategies are employed to counter the
threats or competition?
Seang Hin Leong used to have lots of other shops selling rattan goods
opposite their shop but eventually they shut down their businesses due to the
reason that they could not afford the shop rental fees. So now, there are very
few rattan shops around Penang.
25
FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Lee Soo Kee Rattan
1. Origin or family history of the trade/business.
Lee Soo Kee Rattan is a family business. The current owner is the 3rd
generation.
2. Where are the products marketed to? Local markets? International?
Who are the main customers i.e. age, gender, income group? Why does
the product attract this particular group?
Lee Soo Kee Rattan is a local business based in Penang without any
exportation outside of Penang. The main customers are young and middle
aged who shop for rattan chairs and sofas. Meanwhile, the older group also
shops for their other products like racks.
3. How does the business promote its products? How does it advertise?
Does it advertise? Are the products distributed to various places (e.g.
supermarkets, craft markets) or sold only at the business premise? Why
are they distributed in this manner?
Lee Soo Kee had never done any form of advertisements. He deemed it was
unnecessary as those who came by were normally the regular customers or
people who knew him since young. Lee Soo Kee Rattan does not need to
worry about publicity.
4. What/who are the main threats/competition to the trade? How are they
threatening the trade? What strategies are employed to counter the
threats or competition?
Lee Soo Kee Rattan has no strong competitors as the rattan businesses are
getting smaller and smaller. There is lack of manpower and skilled workers
recently.
26
FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
Bibliography
27
FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English
2
Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min
Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee
Phick Choo (0311622)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chin, C. (2010, November 11) Last One Standing. The Star, Metro p.10
Duckett-Wilkinson, R. (2012, May 17) Penang Street Shopping. Timeout-Penang,
p.34
Grimsley, M. (2011, September) Penang Revealed, View from a Rickshaw.
Expatriate Lifestyle, p. 44-45
Ngu, I.K. (2005, August 8) Baskets That Tell a Tale. The Star, Metro p.2
Shaw, Karen. (2004). Apes and Language A review of the Literature. Boston: Diana
Hacker.
Steiner, Helmut. (1940). Climbing Palm. [Online] July 11th
2000. Available from:
<http://han-travel.com/park/taman-negara/interesting-articles/articles/9.html>
[Accessed: 30th
May 2013]
Tye, Timothy. (2005). Identity of the Penang Chinese People. [Online] February 13th
2005. Available from: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/identity-of-the-penang-
chinese-people.htm. [Accessed: 30th
May 2013]
UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 1992. About World Heritage [Online] Available
at: < http://whc.unesco.org/en/about/> [Accessed 30 May 2013].
Wong. K.M. (1988). Current and Potential Uses of Bamboo in Peninsular Malaysia.
[Online] August 15th
1989. Available from:
<http://bamboo.org/publications/e107_files/downloads/ABSJournal-vol07.pdf>
[Accessed: 30th
May 2013]
The research proposal : Rattan shops in Penang

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The research proposal : Rattan shops in Penang

  • 1.
  • 2. 1 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Rattan Trade English 2 (ENGL 0205) Assignment 2 Cheah Ee Von (0308719) Lai Min Hui (0309646) Chew Woan Chyin (0310797) Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622)
  • 3. 2 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Table of Contents Content Page Research Proposal 3 – 5 Research Essay 6 – 13 Appendix 14 – 25 Bibliography 26 – 27
  • 4. 3 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Research Proposal
  • 5. 4 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) The Research Proposal Name: Cheah Ee Von, Chew Woan Chyin, Gennieve Lee, Lai Min Hui Class: English 2 Period: TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY INTRODUCTION: The research would be about a rattan trade business in Penang Island. The information expected to be gained will be about the history of the business and the way they operate since the opening of the business. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: List the research questions very clearly and concisely. Number each question. 1. Origin or family history of the trade/business that you are studying. For this you need to conduct interviews. 2. Where are the products marketed to? Local markets? International? Who are the main customers i.e. age, gender, income group? Why does the product attract this particular group? 3. How does the business promote its products? How does it advertise? Does it advertise? Are the products distributed to various places (e.g. supermarkets, craft markets) or sold only at the business premise? Why are they distributed in this manner? 4. What/who are the main threats/competition to the trade? How are they threatening the trade? What strategies are employed to counter the threats or competition?
  • 6. 5 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) METHODOLOGY: List all your methods one at a time and provide details of when and how you expect to carry out your research methods. - Speaking Hokkien dialect or Mandarin when required to gain information. - Split up into group of two to save time and tackle more shops. - Intend to be friendly and polite when interviewing. - Purchase souvenirs if possible from the shop (as a thank you) CONCLUSION: Briefly explain what you expect to accomplish through the above methods and the information that you expect to obtain by carrying out your plan above. - To get accurate information on the interviews conducted. - To establish a good relationship with shop owners. - Achieve maximum productivity within a short period of time.
  • 7. 6 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Research Essay
  • 8. 7 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) The Research Essay Rattan and bamboos grow deep in the jungles and regions that have warmer climates like Asia such as Malaysia. They are both equally strong plants and are often used as materials for furniture, blinds and etc. However, both of them also have their own uniqueness and differences. Unlike bamboo, rattan stems are more solid and needs structural support, as they cannot stand on their own. A rattan is a spiny climbing palm and it is not hollow inside, like bamboos. In addition, the word rattan is actually the English form of the Malay word, ’Rotan’. ‘Rotan’ is defined as the climbing palm. (Steiner, 2000) In contrast, bamboo belongs to the family of grasses, Gramineae, together with plants like rice, corn, wheat and sugar cane. It can also support its own stem and does not need any structural support. Hence, they are often used as decorations in gardens because not only are they strong and beautiful, they are also easier to maintain and are also low in cost maintenance. From our research, we also discover that bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant on earth. They can grow upwards to as fast as 121 cm (48 inch) in a 24-hour period. The maximal growth rate of bamboos can also exceed one meter (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time. Besides, we did some research on the type of bamboos and rattans used for blind making as we did a survey on a blind making shop in Penang. Based on our research, we found out that the rattan and wood used for outdoors and indoor are different. Outdoor woods are longer lasting and can withstand the weather climate compare to the indoor ones. This is an important aspect to consider when making a blind. However, bamboos are highly recommended to use for the outdoors. They are more resistant to the climate change in the outdoor. Therefore, they can withstand heavy rain and hot sun. The type of outdoor bamboo blind used is usually the ones produced from “Bertam” bamboo. In Malaysia, it is more commonly known as “Buluh Bertam” or “Buluh Atap”. These bamboos are only available in tropical countries like Malaysia. Another good thing of using this bamboo is because of its natural brownish color, which is quite similar to rattan or wood colour. Hence, by using this bamboo, not only does it benefit us but also the environment. When choosing materials for our blind making, we must also consider the environment and reduced the usage of precious woods to help save the rainforest (Wong, 1988). The first rattan shop we decided to visit is Seang Hin Leong’s rattan shop which is located at Lebuh Pantai, Georgetown. According to research, we could be able to watch the family at work too. (Duckett-Wilkinson, 2012) It was around 4pm (Friday, 19th April 2013), when we decided to take a bus from Continental Hotel to Lebuh Downing. From there, we walked by foot to Lebuh Pantai. We continued our
  • 9. 8 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) journey down and we found Seang Hin Leong hidden in between two Baba-Nyonya straits style shop houses. Ee Von and Min Hui took turns interviewing the shop owner. Meanwhile, Woan Chyin and Gennieve were in charge of taking photographs around the quaint old shop. Miss Sim Jeck Choo, sister of the shop owner who is in her 50s talked to us. We conversed in Hokkien and Chinese throughout the interview. The shop was founded by her great grandfather who came from Canton, China in search of a decent job in Malaya during mid-1920s. The rattan shop was then passed down for generations until its current owner (4th generation) Mr Sim Chew Poh who is 58 years old this year. 3rd generation owner- Mr Sim Buck Teik who is in his 80s still helps around in the shop occasionally too. Mr Sim is also one of the recipients of HSBC Living Heritage awards. (Grimsley, 2011) Seang Hin Leong’s main products include rattan baskets, food covers, handicrafts and rattan furniture. Every single rattan piece is crafted carefully by Mr Sim Chew Poh and Mr Sim Buck Teik. The time used to craft a rattan piece differs according to its size and complexity. Mr Sim Chew Poh was weaving a rattan “dog bed” when we interviewed them. He said the “dog bed” usually takes him 1-2 days to complete it. Product price ranges from RM5 up to RM700. They export their products to Kuala Lumpur and Kedah only. Rattan shops and furniture shops usually import rattan goods from them. Mr Chew Poh told us that they usually import their rattan canes from Pahang. When asked about the customers, Miss Sim mentioned that the market is very diverse. They could be in their 20s up to 60s. Their customers generally are tourists outside of Penang. Those who are in their 20s frequently opt for Batik and small rattan handicraft for packaging purposes. Meanwhile, the older generations would shop for rattan furniture like rattan chairs. The older generations who shop in Seang Hin Leong are mostly females. Older male customers prefer to buy rattan furniture from them too. Other than that, they would also receive orders from small families, hotel and Japanese restaurant interior designers. Miss Sim did mention that only those who are English educated and interested in arts and craft would shop for their rattan goods. However, conservative minded customers would not buy rattan good from them. On the contrary, they also received good responses from Japanese and Malay customers. As for competitors, Miss Sim stated that they used to have lots of other shops selling rattan goods opposite their shop but eventually they shut down their businesses due to the reason that they could not afford the shop rental fees. So now, there are very few rattan shops around Penang. Most of them specialize in mending
  • 10. 9 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) rattan goods unlike Seang Hin Leong which focuses on making new rattan goods such as baskets and handicrafts. (Chin, 2010) Miss Sim also said that they need not to worry about advertising as they often get interviews from newspapers, magazines and freelance journalists all the time. The Internet contributed a lot in this manner. Nowadays, people are more aware of heritage culture and would wish to know more about this dying trade. Hence, Seang Hin Leong is discovered through the Internet. Other than that, Miss Sim did mention about another problem faced by the rattan trade. She said that they are lacking of workmanship. They used to hire four to five workers before the demand for rattan goods dropped. (Ngu, 2005) They also used to hire Indonesian workers for RM6-RM7 per day. However, due to the drop of demand for rattan goods, they had to cut down their workers. Thus, if they were to hire Malaysian workers, they had to pay RM60-RM70 per day for their salary. Hence, this would affect the price of the products to increase dramatically. As the interview come to an end, we expressed our gratitude towards them and took a picture with Mr Sim Buck Teik. It was a pleasant visit to Seang Hin Leong. The atmosphere was friendly and heart-warming. The next rattan shop that we’ve visited is Lee Soo Kee Rotan that is located at Lebuh Armenian. It was around 4pm in the afternoon (Saturday, 20th April 2013) when we’ve arrived after long hours of walking. The shop was quite dark from the inside and a shirtless old uncle was found sitting near the entrance weaving rattan as a base for a chair that he’s repairing. Woan Chyin and Ee Von took turns asking while Min Hui takes down notes. It was hard to convince him to accept our interview at first as he was quite skeptical about us and suggested that we should ask other rattan shops instead. After a few plead and explanation with much difficulty, he finally opened up and agreed to be interviewed but on the condition that his name and surname would not be revealed due to reasons that we dare not ask. The old uncle mentioned is a Chinese, roughly around the age of 70-80, was around 165cm, skinny, dark skinned with a face marred with signs of age. He did not wear any form of glasses and relied heavily on the sunlight as his light source. He was a fairly patient old man that is still quite skilful and swift in his hand movements as demonstrated while having the interview with us. He spoke to us in Chinese throughout the whole conversation since we’ve approached him using Chinese. The shop was filled with all sorts of rattan made things, however in this shop; most of them were big furniture. Rattan sofas dominated half of the shop, others were a wide range of chairs, from stools to dining chairs, a small percentage of
  • 11. 10 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) tables and insignificant amount of rattan lamps and racks. It is a wonder how that uncle could weaved these marvellous handicrafts using just his own pair of hands. The pricing set found out to be quite justified too after a series of observations, for example, the 3 seated rattan sofa only costs from the range of RM700-RM1000 and the lamps were less than RM 50. The business was found out to be a family business that has currently reached its 3rd generation and passed down to sons. It is a local business based in Penang without any exportation outside of Penang. Another set of questions was issued about his customers and products. Questions includes whether young people would buy rattan furniture, what age group that’s normally his regulars and also what is the most sellable furniture here? In respond, he told us that the young also likes rattan made furniture, a surprise to us and named rattan chairs and sofas as his most sellable products to the young and middle aged while the older group would prefer others like racks. When asked about competition or whether he had done any form of advertisements, the owner, the uncle disclosed that he had never done any form of advertisements as he deemed it was unnecessary, since those who came by were normally his regular customers or people who’ve heard of his trade in the field, when the field is small everyone knows about him and also people like us who knew from the Internet thanks to Penang’s government, he stated that he does not need to worry about publicity. Regarding about the competition, he had stated in the interview that in modern days, young people are no longer interested in the art of rattan weaving or any traditional handicrafts for that matter as it does not pay well and the skills can take years to learn. The rattan businesses are getting smaller and smaller as it is hard to sustain with the lack of manpower and skilled workers however that is good in some ways as that means no strong competitors in the near future. Other than creating and making rattan furniture, he also provides repairing services for rattan furniture. The rattan used for his usage had come majorly from local estates and from Indonesia. To end our interview session with him, we said thank you and stated our gratefulness for accepting our interview as it was the last shop and our last hope in the list. We took a group picture with him as well. The next shop we visited is Ngai Sun, located at no.165, Chulia Street, 10200 Georgetown, Penang. This shop can easily be seen and found, as it is located along
  • 12. 11 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) the main street of Georgetown. One will not easily miss from finding this shop due to the colourful bamboo or wooden blinds that shields the shop from the searing sun. During our visit to Ngai Sun, the owner wasn’t around. However, we saw an elderly man who was working on one of the unfinished blinds. He happens to be a very experienced worker and has been working for the owner for a long time. Judging from his age as well as the way he works and paints the blinds, we could see that he was a wise and experienced man. Hence, we decided to interview him instead, as he also wasn’t sure when the owner would arrive. At first, he was skeptic when we asked him questions about the shop but in the end, he gave in. He also allowed us to take a few pictures of the shop and the finished products on display. Unfortunately, he was not willing to introduce his name or identity to us. The operation hour of the shop is from 9.00am to 5.00pm. They are usually open on weekdays and Saturdays only. From our research, we found out that the owner is known as Mr. Chen. He has been in the business for a very long time. The reason why his blind making is famous is because he and his artists’ hand paint the advertisement onto the blinds themselves instead of using spray paint. Besides, the shop that they are using to operate their business is also an old and heritage building of Penang. In addition, the shop is located at a strategic location as well whereby, many tourists passed by daily. The street itself, where the shop is located is also listed in the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE (Tye, 2003). The materials that they used are bamboos, wood, and rattan. These are their three main materials to make the blind. Other than that, would be the paint, rope, glue and so on. Besides the materials, we also did a research on the pricing of the blinds. The prices are according to the quality of the materials and also the size of the blinds. It ranges from RM10 per foot to RM40. As mentioned earlier, the blinds are all hand paint, not to mention the materials they used are quality original bamboo and rattan. Not something that we, as fellow consumers can find easily in the market nowadays. Even so, I believe that the prices they offer are still reasonable as their products are real authentic ones. Overall, the survey went according to plan and it was a success. Thanks to the cooperation of the shop owner and staff members, we were able to learn new things in the process of our interviews and research. The similarities between the three shops, Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and Ngai Sun are that they are all listed in the Traditional Trades and Occupations in Georgetown World Heritage Site list, the business was passed down by inheritance, the business had little competitors and they need not to worry about publicity and advertising.
  • 13. 12 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) First of all, the shops mentioned above were listed in the Traditional Trades and Occupations in Georgetown World Heritage Site list. Georgetown received the UNESCO World Heritage Site title on 7th July 2008. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be invaluable to humanity. (UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 1992) Thus, being enlisted is very prestigious for Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and Ngai Sun. Ever since then; these shops have been given attention and special grants to sustain their current business. For example, Seang Hin Leong was one of the recipients for HSBC Living Heritage awards. Next, Seang Hin Leong and Lee Soo Kee are family businesses that are passed down for generations. There was a huge wave of Chinese mainly coming from the Fujian and Canton province seek refuge and resettle at Taiwan, Nanyang and Malaya when The Ming Dynasty was overtaken by the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century. The reason they left China was due to the fact that they were not willing to be ruled by the Manchu people whom they disregard as pure Han Chinese. (Tye T., 2005) Seang Hin Leong was founded by the founder’s grandfather who came from Canton, China in search of a decent job in Malaya during mid-1920s. Hence, it was then passed down to its current 4th generation. Meanwhile, Lee Soo Kee is also a family business which has been passed down to sons. Its current owner is their 3rd generation. Other than that, Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and Ngai Sun had few competitors nowadays. Due to globalisation, the rattan trade business is dying. Rattan goods are now replaced by plastic goods that could be bought easily anywhere. Bamboo blinds are being replaced with aluminium blinds. Competitors also left because they could not generate enough profit to pay their rents. Nevertheless, after Penang was recognised as a World Heritage Site, these trades are in the limelight of the media again. Indirectly, they need not to worry about advertising and publicity because there are numerous interviews conducted online and in printed forms about their shop. There were also a few distinct traits between Seang Hin Leong, Lee Soo Kee and Ngai Sun. Various distinct trait includes specifically the type of rattan products & differences in materials they sell, the type of business tactics they rely on and the business’s condition. The most significant difference was perhaps the type of products they sell. Although all of the shops sell rattan products, the products sold by the 3 shops focus on various different aspects. While Seang Hin Leong and Lee Soo Kee focuses on
  • 14. 13 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) rattan furniture, various rattan woven home items and intricate souvenirs, Ngai Sun stood alone as the only rattan shop making only rattan blinds. Most of the products from Seang Hin Leong were mostly daily items (baskets, wooden fans, rattan trays, rattan stick, etc) and tourist’s souvenirs (wooden keychain, Batik clothed purses, etc) hence the material used majorly was rattan and Batik clothes, the products were in a significantly smaller size compared to Lee Soo Kee who focuses on large furniture (chairs, sofas, racks, etc) as displayed in the shop. The materials used by Lee Soo Kee are purely rattan. Ngai Sun, who focuses solely on rattan blinds as their only product, has a mix source of rattan and bamboo as their material. This was true at time of visit according to the observations made judging from the shop’s display and found out through interviews conducted. The shop’s displays can be found in Figure 1: Interior of Lee Soo Kee (refer to appendix) and Figure 2: Blinds in making (refer to appendix). Another distinct difference of these 3 shops is the service they provide. Although all 3 shops provides rattan furniture mending and allows special orders to be made, the focus of the services made by all 3 shops differs. Seang Hin Leong focuses on making new products for sale and exportations to Kuala Lumpur and Kedah making sales as their main income as mentioned earlier, while Lee Soo Kee focuses on mending as his main income as there is only one rattan weaver/maker which is the founder and boss of Lee Soo Kee, Mr Lee. “What you see around the shop is what you get; I don’t normally accept orders as I’m the only one making.” Mr. Lee says. Since the only item on sale was those that were displayed in the shop, it resembles a limited source of income to Mr. Lee. Ngai Sun is the only shop that relies on orders to generate income since their only product and service offered was making blinds, most customers would preferred it specially made, as the sizes may not be suitable. The last main distinct difference between the 3 rattan trade is the businesses’ conditions. Through observations, Ngai Sun and Seang Hin Leong’s business condition was better compared to Lee Soo Kee since both Ngai Sun and Seang Hin Leong have a better chance of survival. Ngai Sun is actually quite advanced as a rattan trade business through observations of the settings of the shop. Both Ngai Sun and Seang Hin Leong have their own workers and successors planned out while Lee Soo Kee seems to be lacking in that department as mentioned, Mr. Lee was the only one operating the shop and his commitment is limited as age approaches him. 3346 words
  • 15. 14 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Appendix
  • 16. 15 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Figure 3: Facade of Seang Hin Leong Figure 4: Rattan chairs at Seang Hin Leong
  • 17. 16 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Figure 5: Rattan baskets at Seang Hin Leong Figure 6: Ee Von interviewing Miss Sim & Mr Sim
  • 18. 17 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Figure 7: Our group & Mr Sim Figure 8: Facade of Lee Soo Kee
  • 19. 18 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Figure 9: Woan Chyin interviewing Mr. Lee Figure 10: Interior of Lee Soo Kee
  • 20. 19 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Figure 11: Ngai Sun Billboard Figure 12: Blinds in making
  • 21. 20 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Meeting Minutes
  • 22. 21 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) . 1st Team Meeting Date: 11th April 2013 Time: 2 p.m. Location: In front of the library in Taylors Lakeside campus Meeting called by: Cheah Ee Von Type of meeting: Face-to-face Facilitator: Cheah Ee Von and Lai Min Hui Note taker: Gennieve Lee Timekeeper: Chew Woan Chyin Attendees: Cheah Ee Von, Lai Min Hui, Gennieve Lee and Chew Woan Chyin Please read: Traditional trades and occupations in Georgetown World Heritage Site Please bring: Pencil, pen, notebook, laptop _____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________ Minutes Agenda item: Report essay, information about the rattan shops in Penang, Questionnaires Presenter: Cheah Ee Von Discussion: Distribution of tasks among members and what to write for the report essay. During the meeting, we were also discussing on the types of questions that we would be asking the owner of the rattan shops. Conclusions: Research about the details and information of the rattan shops online as well as preparing questionnaires. The tasks were successfully segregated among the team members.
  • 23. 22 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Action items Person Responsible Deadline  Locations of rattan shops in Penang from the map Cheah Ee Von 16th April 2013  Ways of transportation to reach the rattan shops Gennieve Lee 16th April 2013  Other extra information regarding the rattan shops Chew Woan Chyin 16th April 2013  Questionnaires Lai Min Hui, Cheah Ee Von 16th April 2013
  • 24. 23 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Questionnaires
  • 25. 24 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Seang Hin Leong 1. Origin or family history of the trade/business. Seang Hin Leong is a family business. It was founded by current owner’s great grandfather who came from Canton, China during mid-1920s. The rattan shop was then passed down for generations until its current owner which is 4th generation who named as Sim Chew Poh. 2. Where are the products marketed to? Local markets? International? Who are the main customers i.e. age, gender, income group? Why does the product attract this particular group? Seang Hin Leong is mainly focusing their market in local. They export their products to Kuala Lumpur and Kedah only. The main customers are in 20s up to 60s. Their customers generally are tourists outside of Penang. The younger generations opt for Batik and small rattan handicraft for packaging purposes. In the other hand, the older female customers are the main customers who shop for rattan furniture. Yet, male customers also shop form them. Other than that, there are several orders from small families, hotel and Japanese restaurant. The customers who are English-educated and interests in arts and craft would usually buy from them. 3. How does the business promote its products? How does it advertise? Does it advertise? Are the products distributed to various places (e.g. supermarkets, craft markets) or sold only at the business premise? Why are they distributed in this manner? Seang Hin Leong do not do any advertising as they often get interviews from newspapers, magazines and freelance journalists. Yet, Seang Hin Leong is discovered through the Internet also. Seang Hin Leong’s products are distributed in Kuala Lumpur and Kedah. 4. What/who are the main threats/competition to the trade? How are they threatening the trade? What strategies are employed to counter the threats or competition? Seang Hin Leong used to have lots of other shops selling rattan goods opposite their shop but eventually they shut down their businesses due to the reason that they could not afford the shop rental fees. So now, there are very few rattan shops around Penang.
  • 26. 25 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Lee Soo Kee Rattan 1. Origin or family history of the trade/business. Lee Soo Kee Rattan is a family business. The current owner is the 3rd generation. 2. Where are the products marketed to? Local markets? International? Who are the main customers i.e. age, gender, income group? Why does the product attract this particular group? Lee Soo Kee Rattan is a local business based in Penang without any exportation outside of Penang. The main customers are young and middle aged who shop for rattan chairs and sofas. Meanwhile, the older group also shops for their other products like racks. 3. How does the business promote its products? How does it advertise? Does it advertise? Are the products distributed to various places (e.g. supermarkets, craft markets) or sold only at the business premise? Why are they distributed in this manner? Lee Soo Kee had never done any form of advertisements. He deemed it was unnecessary as those who came by were normally the regular customers or people who knew him since young. Lee Soo Kee Rattan does not need to worry about publicity. 4. What/who are the main threats/competition to the trade? How are they threatening the trade? What strategies are employed to counter the threats or competition? Lee Soo Kee Rattan has no strong competitors as the rattan businesses are getting smaller and smaller. There is lack of manpower and skilled workers recently.
  • 27. 26 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) Bibliography
  • 28. 27 FNBE Jan 2013 - ENGL 0205 English 2 Names of group members: Cheah Ee Von (0308719), Lai Min Hui (0309646), Chew Woan Chyin (0310797), Gennieve Lee Phick Choo (0311622) BIBLIOGRAPHY Chin, C. (2010, November 11) Last One Standing. The Star, Metro p.10 Duckett-Wilkinson, R. (2012, May 17) Penang Street Shopping. Timeout-Penang, p.34 Grimsley, M. (2011, September) Penang Revealed, View from a Rickshaw. Expatriate Lifestyle, p. 44-45 Ngu, I.K. (2005, August 8) Baskets That Tell a Tale. The Star, Metro p.2 Shaw, Karen. (2004). Apes and Language A review of the Literature. Boston: Diana Hacker. Steiner, Helmut. (1940). Climbing Palm. [Online] July 11th 2000. Available from: <http://han-travel.com/park/taman-negara/interesting-articles/articles/9.html> [Accessed: 30th May 2013] Tye, Timothy. (2005). Identity of the Penang Chinese People. [Online] February 13th 2005. Available from: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/identity-of-the-penang- chinese-people.htm. [Accessed: 30th May 2013] UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 1992. About World Heritage [Online] Available at: < http://whc.unesco.org/en/about/> [Accessed 30 May 2013]. Wong. K.M. (1988). Current and Potential Uses of Bamboo in Peninsular Malaysia. [Online] August 15th 1989. Available from: <http://bamboo.org/publications/e107_files/downloads/ABSJournal-vol07.pdf> [Accessed: 30th May 2013]