Anthony Loke remembers his grandfather who ‘invented’ Yee Sang

Anthony Loke remembers his grandfather who ‘invented’ Yee Sang





TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook went viral today on social media after sharing the story of how his grandfather, Loke Ching Fatt, popularised the famous Yee Sang dish.

It is a tradition during Chinese New Year in Malaysia for people to toss their food together in hopes of a more prosperous new year.

According to SCMP, Loke’s grandfather emigrated from China to Malaya in the 1920s and established a catering business in Seremban. He added Yee Sang to his menu in the 1940s, and it quickly became a hit among the Chinese community.

The Loke family home was often crowded with customers, with queues stretching out onto the street. Ching Fatt’s recipe was passed down to Loke’s father, Loke Chee Chow, who opened a restaurant in 1974.

On Twitter, a netizen disclosed the fact that this tradition is strictly a Malaysian and Singaporean one. This practise is not found in China.

The original poster @adrianlimcheeen replied when asked if it is true that it is a Malaysian tradition:

He stated that Chinese people in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia do not indulge in Yee Sang during Chinese New Year. He added that the Hatta group would not even know what Yee Sang is. It is a Malaysian thing, as Malays, Chinese, Indians, and other ethnic groups know what it is.

Twitter user @annethum__ stated:

When translated, she said that it is good to read positive information like this. It might make one ponder on whether their ancestors created a dish recipe before that became popularised. However, it is sad that Malaysians are not interested in the historical importance of our food, we only prioritise eating the dishes.

Another netizen @JoeReds23 said:

He meant that Anthony Loke in the picture posted by the original poster makes him look like a Hong Kong movie star. He went on to add that this would be more apparent if he were slightly leaner and had longer hair. — Jan 21, 2023

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kt comments:

Well, I won't argue with Loke as to the providence of yee sang but I had once read that the dish in its modern form was created and popularised in the 1960s amongst the Singapore Chinese by chefs Lau Yoke Pui, Tham Yui Kai, Sin Leong and Hooi Kok Wai, together known as the "Four Heavenly Kings" in the Singapore restaurant scene, as his granddad did it 20 years before them. It then 'migrated' to Malaysia where it became a popular Chinese New Year dish, but highly bastardised by politicians, wakakaka.

Before I come back to the political bastardisation of the once-revered dish, I recall as a kid and even subsequently as a young man I partook of yee sang once a year but ONLY on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year, the day known to Chinese as Renri or Human's Day.

The seventh day of the 1st moon of the Chinese lunar-solar year, Renri (人日), is everyone's birthday. Yes, your birthday, his birthday, her birthday, their birthday, our birthday, my birthday. Because that was when the human was created, mythologically by Nüwa.

Some incorrectly described Nüwa as the daughter of the Jade Emperor (numero uno in the Chinese heaven). But nay, Nüwa is the mother goddess of Chinese mythology. She is credited with creating humanity and repairing the Pillar of Heaven. As creator of mankind, she molded humans individually by hand with yellow clay.

Ancient Chinese literature describe a great battle between deities that broke the pillars supporting Heavens and caused great devastation. There was great flooding, and Heaven had collapsed. Nüwa was the one who patched the holes in Heaven with five colored stones, and she used the legs of a tortoise to mend the pillars. She was also known as a snake goddess.

There are many instances of Nüwa in literature across China which detail her in creation stories, and the 7th Day of the 1st lunar month in the Chinese calendar remains a figure important to Chinese culture.

Yes, since time immemorial, Chinese believe human beings were created by Nüwa on the 7th day of the 1st lunar month.

Historically, Nüwa was also credited with the destruction of the Shang Dynasty because its last king of that dynasty, Zhou, on visiting her temple was so taken by her beauty that he wrote a poem containing lustful obscene words on her exquisite pulchritude (beauty).



King Zhou 1075–1046 BC


She was furious with his lust and disrespect and decided Zhou would be the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty.

We are told that Nüwa summoned her three subordinates, a Thousand-Year Vixen (later becoming Daji), a Jade Pipa, and a Nine-Headed Pheasant, all supernatural beings, then instructed them to destroy Zhou and his Shang Dynasty, saying:

"The luck Cheng Tang (1st King of Shang Dynasty) won six hundred years ago is dimming. I speak to you of a new mandate of heaven which sets the destiny for all. You three are to enter King Zhou's palace, where you are to bewitch him. Whatever you do, do not harm anyone else. If you do my bidding, and do it well, you will be permitted to reincarnate as human beings."

King Tang 1675–1646 BC
(1st King of Shang Dynasty) 


And with these final instructions of wrath, Nüwa would never be heard of or (like YHWH) seen again. The Shang Dynasty's fell shortly after.

Thus to Chinese, it's not nice to kill someone on his or her birthday so Chinese avoid killing chooks on 1st day of the Chinese new year (which our Confucian teachings contradicted by suggesting we offer our ancestors a steamed chook, wakakaka), babi on the 3rd day, and unless you're a dog-eater, then you should avoid slaughtering Fido on the 2nd day, wakakaka), and so on and so forth.**

** Chinese mythology has it that in the 1st lunar month of Chinese new year Nüwa  created the following animals on the respective days:

1st day - ayam
2nd day - anjing
3rd day - babi
4th day - kambing
5th day - lembu
6th day - kuda

7th day - manusia (homo sapien), wakakaka

Since the 7th day of zhengyue (1st Moon) is the birthday of human beings, Chinese in ancient times avoided punishing or executing prisoners on this day.

Also, on the 7th day, the Chinese people prepare lucky food such as 'seven-vegetable soup', 'seven-vegetable congee', etc.




Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese were known to use 'seven-colour sliced fish' instead of 'seven-vegetable soup', in what we Malaysians know as 'yee-sang' (魚生), which I have to say, even Mahathir, Allahyarham Tok Guru, Anwar, Ah Jib Gor, Zahid and Moo-Moo, etc are/were familiar with, wakakaka.

But today, in modern times, Malaysians ignore traditions and move the yee sang celebration 7 days forward to the 1st Day of Chinese New Year. Blame the desecration (or bastardisation of ye-sang-ing) on Chinese political leaders as they turn the 7th Day festival into a 1st Day fun-frolicking Muhibbah jolly event of wildly tossing 7 types of vegetables with obscenely long chopsticks (which BTW, "someone" doesn't like, wakakaka).

Indeed, the ceremony has been politicised and regularised as a must-do for political leaders of our nation.



HRH Johor




DSAI




Ah Jib Gor, Moox2, BN leaders




Tun Dr Abdul Rahman Abbas Penang Governor & Lim Guan Eng




even Allahyarham Tok Guru didn't miss out on tossing yee-sang


What a lovely Muhibbah Malaysian custom. Trust the bloody Chinese to think of and bastardise it (including the obscenely long chopsticks), wakakaka.