MCG Events -
Nov 2002
MCG Events - Nov 2002
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RIMBUN DAHAN - 05 November
Twenty-six members enjoyed the hospitality of Angela Hijjas, as she showed us around her magnificent property, Rimbun Dahan.( meaning "dense branches"), home to a wonderful collection of herbs and spices, organically grown vegetables, tropical fruit and trees indigenous to the area, home to a fascinating group of visiting artists-in-residence living in separate studio quarters, home to a large underground art gallery, home to a restored kampong house from Perak, and home to the stunning residence designed by Hijjas Kasturi for his family.
Angela started by showing us the herb and spice garden, Taman Sari (fragrant garden), where we touched and crushed and smelt various types of basil, Vietnamese mint, cloves, cinnamon, citronella, lemon grass, tumeric, kesom leaves, curry leaves, root ginger, pepper, the blue pea flower(bunga telang) and lime leaves of different types, amongst others! All planting is done entirely without the use of pesticides, with cut up citronella leaves used as an insecticide and with great attention to mulching.
We then proceeded to the artists quarters via the classic car collection, and were shown his studio by Jean Weiner, the Australian artist in residence, who is also a lepidopterist and he showed us his current series of works based on the patterns which naturally occur on the wings of butterflies and moths and the bodies of other insects.
We then proceeded to Bulatan Plong, a cleared area surrounded by tall trees indigenous to the area which is used for outdoor performances. We then found ourselves at Rumah Uda Manap, a traditional village house from Parit in Perak, which was built in 1901 and moved to and restored at Rimbun Dahan in 1998 and incorporates a unique blend of Chinese decoration and Malay architecture.Dr Anita Lundberg, Jean's partner, who is an anthropologist doing some research on the meaning of wood in various cultures, told us what it was like to live in this kampong house and explained its various features, both decorative and utilitarian.
Angela then took us on a tour of the art gallery where we saw a range of works done by their artists- in-- residence from 1994 onwards. We then had delicious fried banana and sweet potato with a cold drink in a reception area of the wonderfully designed contemporary Malaysian house with its water features and tranquil views and spacious open design to bring the natural environment into the home - the end to a perfect morning!
- Suzanne Davey
MONTHLY LECTURE - ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - 6 November.
As we had expected, Ju Aljafri did not mince her words when she explained to us the importance of taking care of our bodies and maintaining a sense of well being! Ju, or Teo as her friends or clients otherwise know her, helps people with all kinds of health or medical problems. She does it through alternative treatments like reflexology, massage, acupuncture or acupressure, deep tissue manipulation and applying the Chinese traditional practices of yin and yang. There was so much to learn and understand and Ju was able to give us some idea of how the treatment works in relation to our body and its major organs.
Reflexology relies on the principle of "Stories the feet could tell"! As the reflexologist touches and massages the feet, he is in fact touching the autonomous nervous system, and is therefore able to stimulate various joints; spinal reflex/neck reflex and can also help in hormonal balancing. Our feet are like the roots of a tree, and must therefore be treated well and Ju suggests that we moisturise our feet daily with Vitamin E and green tea. As for acupuncture or acupressure, she says this treatment is used only in more chronic cases, as patients would try them out only after all other treatments have not worked. She has in fact used these treatments for diabetes, hypertension and addiction cases.
We also learnt about the organs in our body in relation to the principles of yin (female attributes) and yang (male attributes), and how there is a correlation between the heart-small intestines, lungs-large intestines, spleen-stomach, liver-gall bladder, kidney-urinary bladder and pericardium-triple warmer. According to Ju, when she treats her patients she has to analyse not only the immediate or obvious symptoms but also examine the relationship to other organs. She also mentioned that people with stomach problems tend to be those with a lot of anxiety and worry, whilst people with an obsessive tendency may have lung problems and this is seen from the poor condition of their skin.
Another very interesting subject which she discussed, is the 'body clock' in accordance with the principles of yin and yang. By understanding how our body functions we can avoid doing harmful things to ourselves. In particular she warned us about the dangers of drinking or eating after 11pm, as this was the time that the liver needed to detoxify and she does not recommend eating fruits early in the morning. She suggests that we all drink water (preferably distilled) at least 1 litre before 7 pm. At the end of the day we should all listen to our bodies, and find out if we are tired physically, mentally, or if we feel cold. All these could point out to problems that we may have.
Ju reiterated the recommendations that we have heard all our lives but find it difficult to do for various reasons. She suggests that we eat as much wholesome and organic foods as possible, and avoid refined sugars and sweeteners completely. Green tea, honey and juicing are highly recommended, and something that is free and easily available - LAUGHTER!!!
- Azizah Mohd Noor
EXPLORERS GROUP: A VISIT TO CAMELOT - hosted by Datin May Lee Leong - Nov 11th
This month instead of visiting a place, we visited socialite, Datin May Lee Leong. You may have seen the castle like home in Taman Duta known as Camelot and wondered who on earth lives there?! Well, it is Datin May and we were looking forward to exploring the house, but, alas, the was not to be. She is selling Camelot and had already started packing her belongings, so were entertained in the living room, flanked by a piano and a harp. We were treated to some stories of her past and present. In the past, she was married to Datuk Leong Siew Meng, the first Chinese Major General in Malaysia, who died 16 years ago. They built their unique home complete with marble staircases, cupids and nymphs everywhere and large wooden doors resembling a drawbridge. During their heyday, they were known to throw elaborate theme parties, the last was 'Camelot Night' where guests and servants alike dressed to theme. This party was such a success that it lasted three nights! After her husband's death, the parties stopped and Datin started a herbal skincare company which she currently operates from Camelot's garage. Her first love is music and she is an accomplished singer, pianist and harpist, often giving charity concerts for various groups. As Datin May prepares to leave Camelot for the last time, she is looking forward to a new beginning.
- Cindy Peters-Zeier
WOVEN DREAMS:GARMENTS FROM THE IMPERIAL COURT OF CHINA -18 November
In Tomlinson's Bangsar Gallery a large group was seated on beautiful chairs for a talk on antique silk garments from the Qing Dynasty. Nisha gave a scholarly introduction on silk and the history of court garments in China before handing us over to Felicia from Tomlinson's, who gave a slide presentation explaining the symbolism on the robes, highlighting how these related to status in the Imperial Court.
Felicia explained that these silk garments are highly regarded, rare and as expensive as they were in the past. There are now very few examples in China and most are traded in London. As textile conservation is very difficult, fewer quality pieces come on the market and some museums do not even display their collections due to their fragility.
Imperial Silk Workshop records show that one good robe took two years seven months to produce, including 16 days for drawing the design, 13 months for the gold work (silk thread twisted with 24K gold leaf) and a further 16 months for the silk embroidery. This didn't include production of the silk itself!
In the 17th century, nomads from the north, under the leadership of the Manchus, overran China and established the Qing dynasty in 1644. These were not very cultured hunters and herdsmen but were accomplished horsemen and although admiring the established examination system they asserted their own culture by reforming official court dress. The impractical robes of the Ming dynasty were replaced by garments in the shape of traditional Manchurian riding coats with sleeves shaped like hooves. The use of rich Chinese silks, expert craftsmanship and traditional Chinese decorative motifs made the Court robes the magnificent garments that we were able to admire on display.
Ban Gu had established dress regulations in 1636 but these were formalised in 1759 by Emperor Ch'ien Lung in The Illustrated Catalogue of Ritual Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty which showed what should be worn when and by whom! The use of badges to signify the rank of the wearer was common in the Ming dynasty and continued into the Qing with civilians wearing birds and lower stature military officials, animals.
There were three types of dragon robes- the most common being the semi-formal dragon robe.
Only the emperor, his sons and other highly regarded princes or officials were allowed to wear robes decorated with the five-clawed dragon called long. Other princes and third and fourth rank officials used the four-clawed dragon, mang and fifth rank officials the three-clawed dragon.
The emperor would be transformed into the 'Son of Heaven' ( the tenth dragon) by wearing a 9-dragon robe. Eight dragons would be on the outside of the robe and the ninth, also exqusitely stitched, would be hidden on an inner flap. Also on the Emperor's robe would be the Twelve Symbols of Sovereignty:
In China physical objects have traditionally been used to express ideas and feelings and many of these come from visual puns such as the bat motif being associated with happiness because that is pronounced in the same way as the word for bat. Other such rebuses are found on robes such as the endless knot or' intestines'one of the Eight Buddhist Emblems of Good Fortune which is pronounced chang which also means 'long and continuous' hence long life. Other symbols found on the garments are the Attributes of the Eight Immortals, Eight Precious Objects (or Treasures of Wealth and Fortune) and Flowers of The Four Seasons.
Different coloured robes were worn for different sacrificial ceremonies and different seasons.
Yellow for earth and only worn by the emperor, light blue for the moon , dark blue for sacrifice to heaven and red for the sun.
Wedding robes were decorated with cranes for longevity and phoenix for beauty. Only four emperors married whilst in power so only four Imperial wedding robes existed. One is in the Palace Museum in China and a recent loan of Imperial Robes for exhibition in Australia excluded this as it is so rare and valuable.
The Empress Dowager Cixi insisted on wearing the 12 symbols of sovereignty on her robes despite this being reserved for the emperor. Women's clothes were not subject to the same rules as the men but butterflies, birds and flowers were popular for good fortune and health.
In addition to dragon robes we were able to see examples of PoFu the outer coats and other ChaoFu (court robes). Felicia pointed out different stitches and showed us examples of kesi - a tapestry weaving technique. We were also given the chance to handle the garments( with disposable gloves), to find the 9th dragon and look for all the symbols and admire the silk embroidery at close quarters and see how the silk changes in the light.
These beautiful robes, among the last artistic legacies of dynastic China were all for sale but with prices from 10,000 to 45,000 RM they are serious collectors' items and although Tomlinson's offered a generous discount we all had to content ourselves with refreshments and a browse through some books of dress accessories surrounded by those exquisite treasures.
- Jill Thistlethwaite
GUARDIANS OF THE FOREST - 21 November
With the present government in place, their interests are represented through the Department of Orang Asli. They were evacuated from their forest homes to remote, near-city locations surrounded by marsh land with an unfulfilled promise of reclamation; with cut electric and telephone lines due to unpaid bills; and prison-like homes in exchange for their rich unlimited forest domain. There are no consistent jobs that can provide an income to put food on the table, assist in the schooling of children, or hospital facilities for the sick. They are simply not citizens of the state. A group of them were starting to benefit from tourists trying to explore the jungle as they were experts in forest terrain and rivers. This soon ended when a dam was built on that part of the river which flooded nearly 600 hectares of land, most of which was their homeland. This group was once again relocated to similar conditions of their brothers elsewhere with little or no compensation, resulting in the same humanitarian crisis. The film concluded with a Q&A session with Alan D' Cruz, the photographer and Mary McGuire, the producer of the film. Why were the Orang Asli still considered as non-citizens? How could they support their children without income? Why was the dam built when alternatives were possible? Why did the Orang Asli Department have no orang asli people who could present their concerns. There were other open questions on the film itself: What were the makers hoping would be the future of the Orang Asli: (to return back to the forest or to be integrated into the society and lose track of their old ways)? A DVD of the film and a CD of McMena's songs were on sale with part of the income going to support the Orang Asli community.
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4, 7-10 symbolise the five elements, earth, metal, water wood and fire.
Members from MCG gathered to watch a film about the Orang Asli - the original inhabitants of the Malaysian rain forest. The songs and music accompanying the film was for one of them called McMena, who died after her first public performance. The film was put together through the efforts of a group called SOS SELANGOR - a group of dedicated humanitarians trying to put an end to the suffering of these people. Their way of life has always been dependant on the forest: hunters and gatherers of bamboo and durian, selling and replanting forest plants. They comprise 18 tribes living in different domains of the forest, in their timber homes. Because they were really considered as guardians of the forest, the successive settlers made good use of their labours. The early Malay sultans enslaved them exchanging their efforts for political favours from the Portuguese, Dutch, and later the British. The British had further ambitions in the region and started importing Chinese workers for the tin mines and Indian workers for the rubber plantations; but it was they who ended their enslavement. After the communists replaced the Japanese, the first trial for their relocation ended up with the death of many of them.
- Iman Ghoneim
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