NG Chow Meng 黄昭明
Vanishing Trades,
Accession Number 003158
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 6
Total Reels
- Lim Lai Hwa
Interviewer
- 04:10:20
Total Running Time
- Mandarin
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 6
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:41:14
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
A motorboat cruised in from the distance to a stop by interviewee’s kelong. Interviewee passed a pail of fish to a person on the boat, and the boat left. How he greeted and thanked the fish-collector. Talked about the two kelongs. How the fishermen usually got up before sunrise to put out nets for catching fish. The bigger kelong was the main source of fishing whenever the southern wind blew, whereas the smaller kelong would teem with marine life when the northern wind blew. The fishermen usually sorted out the good and bad fish, the former for selling as food, the latter for selling as feed to be given to fish farms. How the wooden poles helped the fishermen haul in fish.
Interviewee had run the kelongs for almost 20 years mainly with his expertise. Details on the maintenance of the kelong structure, including the changing of the wooden poles, the costs of maintenance, the availability of maintenance personnel, and the equipment that the kelongs provided them with. Interviewee continued on the maintenance of the kelongs, and talked about how fishing could still go on as usual even when repairworks were going on, the differences in price for lemung wood then and now and the qualities of lemung wood. Spoke how only cengal wood ought to be used for the kelong floorboards.
Different types of fish the interviewee had caught before during different seasons, like anchovies, Soon Soon, prawns, sotongs, barracuda, and kuning, and how each species could affect the other. Of all these sea creatures, prawns were the most valuable as they naturally tasted better than the prawns imported from other countries. More on prawns. Interviewee did not prefer any one kelong that he owned to the other. The waters surrounding at the big kelong were deeper than the surrounding of the smaller kelong, and provided him with catches in all seasons in the year. Interviewee consulted geomancers from time to time. The geomancy of his kelongs was rather good.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 6
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:41:24
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaborated on his kelong. The three motorboats he had and details about them. He had never used wooden boats before, as they were too hard to maintain. Camera zoomed in on the different parts of the motorboats. The rearing of crabs, in terms of market price, factors which brought about loss and profit, factors affecting freshness and survival of crabs, and the behaviour of crabs. His dealings with the crab suppliers. Stressed that honesty was very important to anyone who was in this business. The haul of crabs during different seasons, and how crabs which had been reared in kelongs tasted better than those which had not.
Interviewee elaborated on the incidents when he had incurred heavy losses during the course of business, and the effects water pollution had on him as well as on the crabs. How it was impossible to stop importing crabs from the suppliers even during bad times. How a Taiwanese merchant had encouraged and helped interviewee to set up a crab-rearing business. His experimentation with crab-rearing and gradual mastery of the necessary skills. He always chose the freshest crabs to export to his partner, the Taiwanese merchant.
Interviewee had incurred a heavy loss of more than $300,000 in his sixth year of crab-rearing, and he had kept only to the local market from then on. It was unfeasible to transfer his excess of crabs to other kelongs. His observation on the characteristic of the crab if they are unfed for a day. Interviewee sometimes fed mussels to the female crabs to produce brighter-coloured crab roe.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 6
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:41:53
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee was doing the dishes while talking. He had two helpers who had just gone off to repair a kelong at Pulau Ubin. Different roles different people played at his kelong. Interviewee’s daily chores which included delivering crabs and supplying fish to a nearby stall which sold mixed vegetable rice (杂菜饭). Interviewee had a friend who was adept at degutting fish. Interviewee had a lot of liaising to do and kept in mind a lot of contact numbers. Interviewee used water from 20 metres deep to wash and clean his fish to preserve their taste and smell. The boss of the stall selling mixed vegetable rice and the location and specialty of the stall.
Interviewee washed his dishes with rainwater. The scarcity of freshwater, and how drinking rainwater at sea might bring about all sorts of ailments. Interviewee did not like the smell of rainwater. Close-up on the interviewee’s kitchen. Freshly caught fish that were immediately entrailed could last for one week. Interviewee used his own electricity generator. Interviewee proposed cooking porridge, adding that he seldom ate rice. Interviewee was a Teochew. Interviewee took out a basket of fish from an icebox and started entrailing them. He threw away bad fish and was not afraid of wasting them. How fishermen usually kept smaller fish for their own consumption. Interviewee named the other fish in his basket. Interviewee did not sell the puny fish but sometimes used them to feed other fish.
Why interviewee set the rare fish of the rare breed free during the process of catching. He sometimes reared fish in his own aquarium as well. Interviewee usually deep-fried the fish for himself. Interviewee elaborated on the preservation of sotong. The average quantity of fish he supplied to the buyer who purchased fish from him everyday. Interviewee lightly marinated the fish in salt. Interviewee bought top-grade rice that did not require washing or rinsing. Interviewee briefly spoke about his family members，retrieving a roll of tobacco from an air-tight container. Interviewee spent his nights at the kelong whenever his two workers were not around.
How it was important to leave gaps in between the wooden planks and how some kelongs near spots where ships passed by swayed violently due to their structure. The haul of fish before, during and after the 2004 tsunami. In the pre-tsunami days, interviewee had caught such a huge quantity of prawns that he was afraid to sell his prawns in the wholesale market. He had never thought about the possibility that something was going wrong.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 6
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:41:55
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
A whole wall of names and contact numbers. Interviewee manually making rolls of tobacco for himself. Details about the cermin fish (Mirror Fish). Prepared to lay the table for lunch. He usually cooked for his visitors. Interviewee ate his deep-fried fish and porridge in his living room. Scenes of the kelong from different angles. Interviewee is seen traveling to and fro his kelongs, with close-ups on the surroundings.
Molluscs and moss grew on the stilts of one of his kelongs. Technical details of the structure of the kelong with specific mention of the tying of the cengal planks. More on the molluscs. How using cengal was much better than using normal tree barks. How kelongs were constructed and the value of cengal wood. The price of metal was even cheaper than that of wood nowadays. The requirements and set of values needed to work in his profession.
Hauling in a good catch was the most beautiful part of his time in the kelong. How he hauled the fishnets maunally and also doing it using machines. Camera zoomed in on the different tools and machinery at the area where the nets were. Took quite a while to have the net fully submerged or fully raised above sea level as a depth of 40 feet had to be covered in the process of doing so. Sound of a passing aeroplane in the background. Praying to traditional Chinese gods on two separate altars. Interviewee said that the gods could only help people in a limited way, and that man should mainly depend on himself to achieve anything. Interviewee saw the praying ritual as an expression of thanksgiving to the gods.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 6
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:41:51
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Took the boat out to different spots in the area around the kelongs. He used different methods and facilities for the rearing of crabs and fish. Talked about herons and how the kelong played an integral role in their daily routines. Introduced the different parts of the kelong and details on crab and fish rearing. The boat passed by an area with dead, floating fish as a result of water pollution.
Back at his kelong, interviewee took a coffee break and started smoking. Details on the tobacco market. Interviewee usually made use of his coffee breaks to answer calls from customers who were going to buy his fish in the evenings. He also used his coffee breaks to do simple repairs and maintenance works for his kelong. Answered a call. Customer who had just called interviewee wanted to buy certain quantities of prawns and fish from him. The selling price of the interviewee’s fish never varied even during festive seasons, as he only wished for his customers to get what they desired.
Elaborated on how the haul of fish varied according to different days of the month, and how much he earned accordingly. Interviewee considerately gave his customers goodwill discounts in view of their transport costs. Shared his vision for a gracious community among those who worked at sea. His relationship with the person who had collected fish from him that morning.
Spoke of an incident when he had been cheated by one of the partners he had worked with before he had gotten acquainted with the Taiwanese merchant. Expressed gratitude to his wife and children for their support to him all these years. The role his mother had played in helping interviewee bring up his children.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 6
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:42:03
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee talked about his mother and how he and his brothers had grown to be closely bonded with one another. More on his family background. Interviewee had lived by the sea as a child. Factors that inspired him to want to own a kelong. The struggles of fish-rearing business in Singapore.
Interviewee had left school when he was in Secondary One, and had started a prawn-rearing venture with a few of his friends. Interviewee told of his experience and how his career path developed. Interviewee mentioned the money-lending system at clan associations and how his mother had made use of it. Details on his siblings. How hard it was to pursue education in the past, due to financial problems. Examples of familial love he had experienced as a child, and problems he had faced.
Interviewee went about doing his daily chores, like feeding fish and switching on the electricity generator. The uses of the generator and how he saved on electricity. Interviewee’s customers sometimes helped him out with the catching of fish and the interviewee usually refused to accept payment for their fish when this happened. Interviewee took out prawns and fish from the icebox and wrapped them in newspapers, while still talking about his customers. Interviewee delivered the wrapped item to the customer, and they chatted. When the customer had left, interviewee also made his way back on his motorboat.
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