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ABSTRACT

Kampung Koh is a new village located in Sitiawan, Perak. It was founded by two

Chinese pastors from the province of Fujian during the early 1900s. Until today the

villagers are predominantly Chinese, followed by Malays and Indians. The economic

activities of Kampung Koh would be the food, birds’ nest and fishing industries.

There are only two schools in the area, namely SMK ACS Sitiawan and SMK Nan

Hwa and one police station. Kampung Koh is known for its mouth watering local

delicacies like peanut bread, fresh seafood and traditional “Loo Mien” (noodles in

vinegar like sauce). The most famous export would be the renowned Kampung Koh

Chilli Sauce. This village has the potential to become a tourist attraction if adequate

publicity is given.

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HISTORY

In September 1903, the settlement got a boost with the arrival of more than 360

Christian Foochows desperate to escape the poverty in Fujian. They were led by two

Chinese pastors and settled down in what is today known as Kampung Koh. Most of

these immigrants worked in rubber plantations in Sitiawan. The Foochows also built

four wells, two in the 1930s and another two in the 1950s. These heritage wells still

exist but are no longer used.

On 21 October 1924, Ong Boon Hua @ Chin Peng was born in an upstair backroom

of a shop lot situated at No. 36, Jalan Kampong Koh in Sitiawan town in Perak. Chin

Peng was the former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya. Until now,

Chin Peng is unable to return to Malaysia.

Until now, there are 27,231 people living in Kampung Koh, comprising of 5446

Malay, 19062 Chinese, 1906 Indian orang 817 other races. Kampung Koh has 38

housing estates and has been divided into 3 sector areas.

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EDUCATION

Among the schools located in Kampung Koh are SMK ACS Sitiawan and SMK Nan

Hwa. These schools are located about a kilometer from each other; being well-known

among the locals in both Kampung Koh and Sitiawan.

SMJK Nan Hwa was previously a private Chinese school and today has been

converted into a government partially subsidized school. Its auspicious 70th

anniversary was celebrated on 1 September 2006 in the school hall. Moreover, SMK

Nan Hwa is famous for its marching band as they have represented the Perak state for

various competitions nationwide.

School badge of SMJK Nan Hwa

SMJK Nan Hwa school band

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The Anglo-Chinese School (A.C.S.) Sitiawan was founded in 1903 by Chinese

Christian missionaries. It started as an orphanage and was then called the Industrial

School, Sitiawan. The original location of ACS was the site where the present Chung

Hwa Association Building now stands. SMK ACS celebrated its 100th

anniversary in

2003 making it the oldest school located in Kampung Koh.

School badge of SMK Methodist (ACS)

SMK Methodist (ACS) Sitiawan

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The education system in Kampung Koh has increased tremendously as it is somehow

connected with both Sitiawan and Manjung; its neighboring districts in which these

three are interconnected by education, economic values and other important attributes

such as food and daily goods.

The education level of residents in Kampung Koh has improved as more people are

beginning to understand the importance of having their children schooled. This is

because the locals do not seem to want their next generation to follow in their

traditional footsteps. Hence, more children in this village are able to attend school and

learn from trained teachers instead of following their parents to factories, plantations

and agricultural lands.

Education has become an important integral in the lives of these local villagers as

they have realized it is a stepping stone for the next generation to move on to

something bigger other than sticking to the traditional norms of the village.

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

The economic activities of Kampung Koh were originally based on immigrants

working in rubber plantations in Sitiawan. Today, Kampung Koh’s economy is

supported by its famous and tasty delicacies such as the layering peanut bread, fresh

seafood, traditional “Loo Mien” (noodles in vinegar like sauce) and its ever popular

Kampung Koh Chilli Sauce. In addition, Kampung Koh’s economy is boosted by

fishing and related business as this village is close to Pulau Pangkor. The birds’ nest

business is also another major business that contributes income to local residents in

Kampung Koh.

Kampua mee, another local favourite, can be found easily in Chinese areas in

Manjung district especially in Kampung Koh where most residents are Foochows.

People in the area eat the noodles during the day or even at night.

Besides that, people in the village are famous for their skills in seafood cooking. Thus,

there are many seafood restaurants in the village. Since the village is located near the

seaside, the price for seafood is very cheap as compared to other places. Local people

prefer to have local seafood dishes for dinner compared to western food and fast food

such as Pizza Hut and KFC. Moreover, many tourists drop by the village to try the

delicious yet inexpensive seafood at night.

Another economic activity in this village will be the export of their Kampong Koh

Sauce. Kampong Koh Sauce (M) Sdn Bhd proudly continues a long legacy and

reputation for producing quality sauces. The wide range of unique tasting sauces,

together with its aim to maintain quality as well as competitive pricing produces a

strong combination for growth in the food industry.

With numerous certificates from Ministry of Health to meet health food act standard,

these different sauces are able to gain entry into the Malaysian market through the

HTO retail chains throughout Malaysia. Today, Kampong Koh chilli sauce can be

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found in most restaurants in Malaysia especially those focusing on dim sum and

seafood, as the Kampong Koh chilli sauce compliments local delicacies.

In maintaining the high quality of products, Kampong Koh Sauce (M) Sdn Bhd

continues with its Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and has been accredited by

the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) from Ministry of Health,

Malaysia (MOH).

In conclusion, although Kampung Koh’s economy is supported by Kampong Koh

sauce exports, as well as traditional economic activities such as sundry shops, fishing,

food businesses and agriculture.

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TOURISM VALUES

Kampung Koh may seem like an ordinary village where there are few tourist

attractions. But one would notice Kampung Koh offers traditional Foochow food

which is not widely available in other parts of Malaysia.

Foochow delicacies

In Kampung Koh, there are many restaurants offering traditional Foochow food, like

King Yew Restaurant. Its proprietor-cum-chef Diong Seng Cheong offers signature

dishes like loh mee, sweet-sour ribs, sweet-sour yu pin (fish slices), tofu soup and

fried glass noodles with cabbage and fried oyster.

L-R: famous “wet” loh mee ,and “dry” loh mee

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Loh mee, a noodle dish with thick gravy, is a favorite among the elderly people as

they believe that it is a dish that denotes “long life”. Meanwhile, most children enjoy

the refreshing tofu soup with prawns while oyster omelette is a nice light snack on its

own. Another specialty is sweet-sour ribs or fish slices which go very well with

Kampung Koh chilli sauce.

One of the famous food stall at Kampung Koh Wet Market

This is one of the famous stall at Kampung Koh wet market doing brisk business

from morning until noon, selling the famous Foo Chow (Hock Chew) specialty, Loh

Mee.

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The multi-layered Crushed Peanut Pau

The multi-layered Crushed Peanut and Sugar Pau also is one of the many favorites

that can be found in Kampung Koh.

Foo Chow (Hock Chew) Loh Mee with Kampung Koh Chilli sauce

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Besides all these famous foods and specialties, along with the chili sauce, tourists can

also find out about the local history, especially at Sitiawan Settlement Museum.

Sitiawan Settlement Museum

Attractions may be few and far in between, and some aspects of the old traditional

ways of village life, revolving around feasts and festivals, are disappearing. In

addition, wooden early 20th century colonial style buildings are also vanishing. One

of the few preserved buildings is the Sitiawan Settlement Museum. It was opened in

2003, and established to preserve the history and artifacts of the Fuzhou settlers. This

museum serves a very important record of the history of Hock Chew in developing

Sitiawan and the early history of development of Christianity in Malaysia. It is

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housed in a converted 70-year-old church parsonage. At the back of this building is

the well dug by the early pioneers for their water supply (now disused).

In conclusion, even though tourists may not have many places to visit, the Foochow

food is definitely an attraction in Kampung Koh, Sitiawan. This Foochow food

paradise will not only be able to satisfy the current Foo Chow food lover, but for

those who have not tried, you may even crave for more once you get a bite of it. It is

definitely a taste not to be forgotten.

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PROBLEMS

Kampung Koh also has a small police station which is located near Jalan Besar

Kampung Koh. The station is catered by 1 Sergeant, 1 Corporal, and 6 other police

personnel. But, with the large number of people in Kampung Koh, there may be a

need for more police personnel to cater, the safety needs of the people.

Beside this, the residents benefit from the education facilities: primary school and

secondary school.

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RECOMMENDATION

More advertisement on the village

Kampung Koh is just one of many small towns located in Perak. If people wish to

travel around Perak, they normally travel to Ipoh which is the state capital. This is

because Ipoh is the capital of Perak and has many tourist attractions close by, for

example Gua Tempurung, The Sam Po Tong, Kek Lok Tong and so forth. Moreover,

if people travel to the Manjung district, they usually drop by at Lumut and visit Pulau

Pangkor. They rarely travel around the Kampung Koh area.

This is because there is very limited promotion or advertisement made about

Kampung Koh compared to Ipoh town and Pulau Pangkor. The Government and

locals need to actively promote this village. In today’s society, teenagers and young

adults who hailed from this village rarely return to their hometown once they leave

for big cities like Kuala Lumpur. In order for this village to be known nationwide,

support is needed from all parties, especially locals who left this village.

Besides that, local people could link with media organizations to introduce the village.

This technique is very effective and can be quite successful as we can see from

WooHoo! movie where the entire movie is made in Beserah, Kuantan. Now, this

village has become famous and many travelers visit it.

Limit the number of large retailers and hypermarkets

There are many local businesses such as sundry, traditional medicine and hardware

shops which were formed by local families with limited capital. Local businessmen

depend a lot on their traditional businesses for their livelihood.

With recent developments in Manjung district, many large businesses especially

supermarkets and hypermarkets have entered the local market. Previously, there are

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Fajar (currently changed to The Store) and Billion. Today, there are more

hypermarkets and larger retailers which have entered the fray, for example Econsave,

Giant, Tesco (coming soon) and 7-Eleven. Local people have changed their buying

behaviour and fragment hypermarket and convenience stores.

These hypermarkets can no doubt create more job opportunities. However, it also

means that local businesses will be threatened. Local businesses are often unable to

compete with them in terms of pricing and ambiance of the hypermarkets which are

fully air conditioned. If local businessmen fail to find the solution, it would be just a

matter of time for them to close down their family businesses.

In short, the influx of big retailers has threatened the earnings of traditional retailers

and the livelihood of many families.

Limit the franchise business

Same reason as above, due to the development there are also many franchise food

businesses which have entered the district, for example McDonald’s which opened a

few years ago. These outlets have attracted many locals, especially teenagers.

The residents are willing to travel about half an hour to reach the fast food outlets for

their breakfast, lunch, dinner as well as supper even though there are nearby food

stalls. As a result, the traditional cafes and restaurants receive less support. This might

contribute to serious problem in future where the traditional foods and local food

outlets will diminish. Yet, these are the outlets that could attract outsiders to the

village.

Therefore, there ought to be a limit for franchise businesses to enter the Manjung

district. Besides that, advertisement is essential to promote traditional and local foods

to travelers. The media could be requested to produce more television programs such

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as Ah Xian which introduce local villages in Malaysia regarding their traditions, foods

and lifestyles.

Development in the village

Development efforts have altered the landscape of the village. Many trees have been

cut off and old and historical shops were destroyed to make way for shop lots, houses

and to expand the road lanes. New generations are unable to see and experience the

lifestyle of a traditional village. They miss out on the village’s favorite pastime

activities such as fishing, camping, and hunting. It is important that development

efforts take into consideration the need to maintain the natural beauty, the landscape,

the history and the traditions of this village.

DISCLAIMER:

Information contained in this report was compiled by the University’s students on

voluntary basis. Although every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the

report, the University accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any errors or

omissions, if any, the University reserves the right to make changes on the

information at any time without prior notice.

Should there be any queries regarding contents of the report, please contact:

Department of Soft Skills Competency

Tel: 03-79551511 ext 157 (Klang Valley Campus)

05-4662323 ext 2297 / 2299 (Perak Campus)