By Karina Imran & Nur Athirah Mohd Shaharuddin
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Along a busy stretch of Petaling Street, where tourists bargain for souvenirs and traders call out their goods, stands an old shop Kedai Ubat Kien Fatt, in a heritage building that embodies elements of Malaysia’s unity.
A signboard with four languages — Bahasa Melayu, Jawi, Mandarin and English — is displayed prominently in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shop.
The 83-year-old business continues to attract loyal customers and curious tourists. There is a whiff of earthy aroma in the air with the different types of dried herbs and roots neatly stored in more than 300 wooden drawers.
Ng Chee Yat, 68, the third-generation custodian of the store, attends to a customer, carefully explaining the use of the medicine to a customer.
On the other side of the store, behind the counter, a staff member with 41 years of experience measures and packs herbs and roots for customers while exchanging good-natured banter with them.
Smiling warmly, Ng greeted the Bernama team and invited us to sit at a table tucked in a corner of the oldest and last remaining Chinese pharmacy in Chinatown, where customers consult him about remedies for whatever ails them.
Serving the Community
Ng, who took over the management of the shop in 2000 at the age of 43 after his father’s passing, said he is still passionate about serving the community as long as his strength allows.
“If I can serve, why not? If I can help, I will help. If I cannot help, I will point them in the right direction (that is, to go to the clinic),” he said.
Ng stressed that his priority is to help customers, particularly those who are underprivileged and lack a deep understanding of medicine.
The aim is to stop people from seeking help from uncertified practitioners or wasting money on unnecessary remedies.
“I try to solve the health problems of those who have little money. We are very community-based here and have a good mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay customers,” he added.
Chinese Medicine Brings Together Malaysians
Like many Malay women, one of the writers has been taught to follow traditional practices to regain strength and ease recovery after childbirth, complemented by Western medicine.
When her son developed prolonged jaundice, the writer did what any first-time mother would do: she tried every suggested traditional remedy. In short, traditional care.
A traditional Chinese herbal formula, Yin Zhi Huang, was prescribed by a trusted Chinese physician to help reduce bilirubin levels and shorten the duration of jaundice.
Those experiences have opened her eyes to the quiet but enduring role of traditional Chinese medicine in Malaysia, which has served not only the Chinese community well, but the myriad potpourri of races in Malaysia.
Passing the Torch, Uncertain Future
In an era of rapidly advancing medicine, Ng said Chinese medicine has its followers.
Ng, who holds a degree in pharmacy, has trained more than 1,000 practitioners at the KL Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
He is enthusiastic to share stories about Chinese and Western medicine, but paused when asked about expanding his services.
“This kind of business is unsustainable. There is a personal focus to it, and one cannot expand like the other modern pharmacies. So, for now, we will only do whatever we can to survive,” he said.
When asked if his daughter is expected to continue the legacy and if he was confident in her ability to run the shop, he paused.
He turned his gaze towards the shop entrance. “She can. She has to develop her personality and let the people around her get to know her.
“That is important because we are more of a community-based store. As I have said, this kind of business is not entirely sustainable (due to competition from modern pharmacies),” he added.
Fourth Generation
As the interview continued, Ng’s daughter, Vanessa Ng Min Yi, 37, was busy arranging items neatly on the shelves, greeting warmly anyone who walked in.
Like many Malaysians, she effortlessly switches from one language to another as she serves locals from different backgrounds and tourists dropping by in search of traditional remedies.
It is a small but vivid glimpse of the multicultural rhythm that keeps the shop alive.
Vanessa began working with her father in 2020, when the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The business, which has been operating since 1942, was also affected during that period, like any other business.
This was when Kedai Ubat Kien Fatt went online to ease the way for customers who preferred shopping from home or who lived far away.
“Apart from operating physically at the shop and virtually through the online platform, I also operated a night market stall in Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur,” Vanessa said.
Her aim was simple: to make it easier for people in the area, especially seniors who struggle with online platforms or those living far from Petaling Street, to get the herbs and roots they needed.
“Demand for Chinese traditional herbs in our shop is encouraging. Some chefs seek new ingredients to experiment with. So, they will come here and look for nice herbs,” she added.
-- BERNAMA
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