A Documentary – Wangkang

Specially written by 

王现河

Ong Hian Hoe

A Documentary – Wangkang

noun – a film or television or radio programme that provides a factual report on a particular subject.

Documentary is Jilu in Chinese.

A documentary film is a non-fictional, motion picture intended to “document reality, primary for the purposes of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record. Documentary has been described as “a filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries”.

Over time, documentaries have evolved to be longer in length, and to include more categories; some examples being: educational, observational, and docufiction.

Documentaries are meant to be informative works, and are often used within schools, as a resource to teach various principles.

Social media platforms, such as YouTube, have provided an avenue for the growth of the documentary film genre.

A documentary film differs from an Intro Video. An Intro Video is the opening of a video and an Outro Video is the closing part.

Wangkang is a Chinese heritage brought along with them when the Chinese migrated from China to Melaka. 

The full story of the Chinese settlement in Malaysia has yet to be told. One of the most important settlement in Malaysia is Melaka.

The Hokkiens, and Hakkas forms about 60 percent of the total immigrants and the other 40 percent comprised Cantonese, Teochius and Hailams.

Thus, early Chinese contacts with the Malay Peninsula may go back to the beginning of the first century B.C.

Chinese established trade relations since the Ming Dynasty (1369-1644) and in 1403, the Yung Lo Emperor (1403-24) sent to Melaka the eunuch Yin Ch’ing for this purpose. The Melaka Ruler thereafter, sent envoys to China in 1405 and 1407.

Some of the oldest Chinese relics extant in Melaka are to be found on Bukit Cina, a site which attracts buses and buses load of Chinese tourists. Sam Poh Kong Temple and the Hang Li Poh Well are the two remnants which they may want to correlate.

In Buddhism, the Three Jewels is called the “San Pao” in Chinese which is a title conferred on Zheng He in 1431.

Bukit Cina is a famous historical site today where the Chinese settled on the foothill and they are principally carpenters, artisans, craftsmen, manufacturer and merchants.

Then Chinese male immigrants married Batak and Balinese women giving rise to the prestigious Babas or Peranakans community. The Straits-born Chinese are those born in the Malay Peninsula, particularly in Penang, Melaka and Singapore. Sinkheh was labelled to Chinese arrivals at a later stage to Nanyang.

Being industrious and enterprising, the Chinese processed tin and gold which was measured in unit, pikul, all of which was exported. (One pikul is equivalent to 100 kati)

Next, cash-crops led a large influx of Chinese cultivators into Melaka working on tapioca, rubber, gambier, pepper, cotton and cinnamon. To name two of some 30 businessmen, Chan Koon Cheng and Ong Keng Hoon created economic value for Melaka by planting tapioca and setting up tapioca factories.

Another tapioca planter, Tan Chay Yan, began the first rubber planting in 1895. Booming prices which rose from 2 shillings per pound in 1900 to more than 12 shilling by 1910 made the Babas or Peranakans super rich.

But soon, 8 years later, The Spanish flu also known as the 1918 flu pandemic strike the world causing a severe depression of the 1920-2. 

I was told during the first half of 2019 by Dato’ Ronald Gan, Ken Lai and Jack Sor that Ong Yah ordered a Wangkang in 1919, 1933, 2001, 2012 and in November 2020.

For November 2020 Wangkang, Ong Yah spelled out the order on 31 December 2017, a decision made 3 years ago.

The Chinese seek the blessings from specific deities in their undertakings and endeavor.

Before Zheng He sailed to Nanyang on his Bao Chuan, he seek blessing from Mazu, a deity dressed in red with divine power to calm wind and waves in the midst of the seething sea. Zheng He set the example for all Chinese sea travelers. Basically, the Chinese regularly only seek 2 simple blessings, harmony and peace.

Like all other races, the Chinese understand that all wondering souls and spirits are in the streets and the number of them accumulate over time. If they are not taken care of, problem comes.

You name it … harmony, health, peace, economic stability, political stability and many other unknown coming disruptions could be lurking in the corners.

In harmony and health, the specific deity is Shouxing. Caishen is the Wealthy God to everyone, the businessmen and the wage earner.

The Baxian, are the 8 Immortals divinely combined to bestow life or to tame evils on the streets.

Once tamed, the convinced wondering souls and spirits are handed to the Heibai Wuchang, both assisting the Yanwang to escort spirits to his realm.

As the Wangkang Barge set to sail, Mazu take care the safety of their voyage to make sure wind and waves is calm with her divine power.

I understand that the Ikan Belut Laut, the Babah call; is an eel living in waters of the ocean, burrow into sand, mud or amongst rock and they are also seen living together in holes.

The two eels you will see for your own eyes, remind you, is not drawn onto the side of the barge but are crafted painstakingly by Jensen Teo. 

The eels shall standby to plug holes of the barge as a safety precaution standard during sail to uphold the promise of protection to the wondering souls and spirits while Mazu’s watchful eyes on the path of the sea waters taken let her command the ocean affairs.

Ong Yah, Baxian, Heibai Wuchang and Mazu works as a team for this majestic Wangkang Ceremony.

By now, do you see that the Wangkang Ceremony is ordered not only just to protect the livings but also to protect the wondering souls and spirits?

The wondering souls and spirits are lifted in the hierarchy of needs by the Wangkang Ceremony and in doing so, they return harmony, peace and prosperity to where your town is.

Wonderings souls and spirits are collected onto the barge. Rice, cooking oil, cooking stoves, cooking utensils and other groceries are provided on the barge to be kept in the kitchen section of the barge to feed them.

Gold and silver monies are also to be loaded onto the barge for the wondering souls and spirits to use.

Folks in town would contribute in kind, cash and goods to support a smooth sail.

I have heard many times, when the Wangkang Barge has been set to sail, the moment you turn away from the burning ship, you must NOT TURN BACK to look at it. The barge will be burned at night, so it is not the time you turn away, for example, 9 o’clock or nine fifteen. It is the Moment.

This road arch, PERAYAAN WANGKANG will stand from July 2020 onwards to warm up Melaka City of the approaching ancient sacred ceremony performed by Yong Chuan Tian Temple 勇全殿

Image Source: Joy Group - Ideal for Signs