The history of Pasir Pinji in Perak is like a non-stop mournful song.

In the past, due to massacre perpetrated by Japanese troops during the Second World War, Pasir Pinji became a much dreaded unmarked burial mound, where Japanese soldiers dumped countless of dead bodies into the river.

Older villagers told Sin Chew Daily innocent spirits always created troubles during those days, and drowning incidents took place each year.

Later, the villagers were concerned that the state government's practice of ditching and widening the riverbed would displease the spirits or the River God, hence they held a ritual that lasted for 10 days and 10 nights.

They even invited a master to make a tribute--a rice dragon made of 100kg of white rice--to exchange for peace in the village.

Today, due to rapid decline in the number of youngsters who have been attracted to the exciting city life, Pasir Pinji is slowly turning into an isolated village for the aged.

Unmarked burial mound

Local flood control committee chairman Zheng Mu Lin said Pasir Pinji was once an unmarked burial mound during Japanese occupation.

This, coupled with the drowning accidents that took place every year after that, prompted the state government to ditch and widen the riverbed, and this raised the concerns among local residents.

On 23 June 1997, the villagers started their first ritual lasting 10 days and 10 nights since the establishment of the village. This included the construction of a pavilion and a stela beside the river to be dedicated to the River God. All the villagers attended the ritual punctually during those 10 days. The event soon became a much talked about topic across the country.

At the ritual, the flood control committee hired a master to make a tribute--a 6-foot long, 2-foot tall rice dragon made of 100kg of white rice. Some 10,000 of 50-cent coins were used to make the scales of the dragon to give it a three-dimensional look. A 10-foot tall paper figure was dedicated to the River God.

After the ritual, the committee distributed the rice and coins to villagers for good luck. They also erected a gravestone in the cemetery for the dead spirits.

Zheng told Sin Chew Daily that the committee was set up in 1993. During the earlier years of Pasir Pinji, the village faced the problem of flooding as there was only a 6-foot wide and 2-foot deep drain there and the drainage system could not cope especially druing the rainy season. As a result, serious floods occurred and the water level would go up to 3 to 4 feet high for 2 to 3 days before it began to recede gradually.

According to him, following the measures taken by the state government to widen the drain to 20 feet wide and 6 feet deep while covering the upper part of the drain with cement slabs and tarred roads, flooding rarely happens in Pasir Pinji nowadays.

Pasir Pinji villagers no longer have to face the problem of flooding, and like other villagers, Zheng believes this has something to do with the rituals carried out in the past.

Private taxis

In the 1950's, there was a taxi service called "kereta sapu" which means "private taxis" in the village. Some of the villagers used their private cars to provide transport services to the city centre of Ipoh for local residents. This kind of services were needed by the villagers when they were in a hurry, as it cost 20 cents per trip or double the bus fare.

Local resident Hu Sen Yuan said, prior to the 80's, cow carts could be seen everywhere as they were rented by the villagers from the Old Town of Ipoh to transport construction materials. Such cow carts were later replaced by small lorries in the 1980's.

Electricity and water supplies were inexistent in Pasir Pinji before 1970s. Therefore every household had to dig their own wells to get the water and use kerosene lamps for lighting. Later the municipal council constructed a septic tank in the village, and concerned about water contamination, they started piped water supply to the village.

Fire brigade serving the community

Although Pasir Pinji is only a small town, it has had a voluntary firefighting brigade since 20 years ago.

Local residents, young or old, still practise a cooperative spirit, doing their best to serve the other residents. There are nearly 30 local volunteers in the brigade ranging from of 20 to 60 years in age.

Limited edition hand-made bread and mochi

There were some 1,600 houses and nearly 30,000 residents during the earlier years of Pasir Pinji, making it the second largest new village in the country. However, due to the exodus of young people to the city, the number of residents has dropped to only about 10,000 today, mainly elders and children.

However, some young people are still willing to return to the village to preserve the "cultural heritage" handed down by their ancestors, such as the only family-run bakery factory in Ipoh--Ban Guan Foong Bakery, and a family-run mochi stall at Pasir Pinji--Fang Ji Mochi Stall.

Both businesses have been handed down by parents to their children, and they are both well-known with their hand-made buns and mochi.

Among the famous products of Ban Guan Foong Bakery are shredded coconut buns, kaya buns and white bread baked with wood fire in an ancestral brick oven. As a result, the bread is crispier and tastier compared to other products in town. They also limit their production to about 300 loaves a day.

Meanwhile, Fang Ji Mochi Stall is famous for the Li family's home made mochi as well as peanut paste. (Translated by LIM LIY EE/Guang Ming Daily)