Red and auspicious: Of Chinese red wine, Foochow delicacies and fine tradition.
Feb 2, 2023
By Foong Pek Yee
It is a sunny morning and people are queueing at the entrance of a corner shop in Sitiawan, Perak.
This is nothing out of the ordinary though.
The people – locals and tourists- are waiting to buy gong pian (a traditional Foochow biscuit).

All time favourite: Gong pian became an iconic item for tourism in Sitiawan today . The Foochows brought them along when they first arrived in Sitiawan in 1903.
And after tasting the hot, crispy and savoury gong pian, I know why people are queueing for it rain or shine.
“It tastes best when eaten hot,” says Ling Leong Choong, a Foochow from Sitiawan, during my visit to Sitiawan recently.
Foochows take pride in their culture and traditional delicacies, and often go the extra mile to introduce them to their friends and guests.
Topping the list is gong pian and ang jiu mee (Chinese red wine rice noodles).

Delicious : Chinese red wine soup can go with rice noodles or rice.
And the delicacies certainly made good conversation starters and introduction to Foochow culture.
It is about perseverance and pride in their work, including slogging away in the wee hours of the morning to deliver fresh and good quality food by sunrise.
In Sitiawan- a Foochow stronghold- gong pian shops and eateries specialising in Foochow food especially Chinese red wine noodles are tourist attractions.
Over in Kampung Sitiawan, a little cafe – Seng Jee Chan – has already made inroads into Kuala Lumpur with its Chinese red wine which are used in many Foochow dishes
The owner, Ling Cheng Chooi, 57, says the cafe which specialises in Foochow dishes opens on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The other days in the week are spent preparing the Chinese red wine which they also supply to shops in Kuala Lumpur.
He says Chinese red wine has been his family business since his grandfather’s generation in the 1940s.

Proud of his roots: Ling Cheng Chooi with photos of his four generations on display in Seng Jee Chan Cafe in Kampung Sitiawan in Sitiawan, Perak.
His grandfather had migrated from China to Sitiawan in then Malaya.
While the first and second generation sold jiu bing (fermented yeast rice, an ingredient for Chinese red wine) for a living, Cheng Chooi and his wife Teng Siew Leng, 51, went on to open a cafe.
Their three children who are in their twenties are in the family business.
This year is set to be another milestone for them when their franchise business kicks off in major cities.
He says they started preparing for the expansion six years ago, in tandem with rising interest and demand for Foochow food outside predominantly Foochow areas.
He says they have been researching and experimenting on Foochow specialties to make it palatable to the masses while retaining its good taste.