Underrated tourist gem with rich history
Taiping, a charming old tin-mining town in Perak, is an idyllic plactoe for a leisurely stopover vacation for travellers to northern Malaysia. While not known as a popular tourist spot, historic gems are aplenty in Taiping, including a lesser-known coffee factory that links to an unusual piece of Chinese history.
Taiping, a town in northwest Malaya, is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh. It is about 48 kilometres from Ipoh. It was once the capital of Perak until it was replaced by Ipoh in 1937.
This former tin mining town is well-known for its Taiping Lake Gardens, which were established on the site of an old tin mine during British colonial times back in 1880.
It is a beautiful park with old trees and tropical plants. Local residents like to spend their leisure times relaxing, strolling, or jogging along the paths and hiking trails around the lake.
My driver and tour guide suggested we go to a coffee factory during my recent trip to town.
Antong Coffee Mill
The historical Antong Coffee Mill, located at Jalan No. 8A, Jalan Assam Kumbang, is perhaps the oldest in Malaysia; it is almost 90 years old and was established in 1933.
A staff member told me that the mill receives education visits from schoolchildren, various associations, and local and foreign tourists every now and then. After touring the mill, they are shown around the showroom to be briefed on the different types of coffee products and have a chance to taste some of the coffee.
Aun Tung (now spelled as Antong) was the original name for a coffee shop at Sungai Siput, Perak, operated by Tiah Ee Mooi, who was the grandfather of the present owner of the coffee mill, Dato Dr Thian Boon Chung.
Tiah’s skill in roasting coffee beans and processing them into coffee powder enabled him to make the coffee with a distinctive taste and fragrance that was much sought after by his customers who patronised his coffee shop.
He later supplied the coffee powder to other coffee shops and to other towns in Malaya, giving his product the brand name “Antong Cafe.”
Tiah later set up his coffee mill at the present site at Assam Kumbang in 1940 for the production of his coffee powder and related products.
Up to the present day, the mill still uses the traditional method of processing, such as roasting the coffee beans using firewood to enhance their flavour. The roasted beans are then cooked in melted sugar, salt and margarine to produce authentic Nanyang-style coffee. The processed beans are ground into powder with the help of modern machinery.
Among the popular products are the Antong Kopi-O, the Antong White Coffee 3 in 1, the Antong Kopi-O Kao Northern Malaysia, the Antong Pure Ground Coffee Powder, and Durian White Coffee (with Musang King durian flavour), just to name a few. Antong Mint White Coffee is a personal favourite of mine.
Like other tourists, we ended up buying some of the products before we left.
An unexpected encounter
While at the showroom, my group was led by a staff member to visit a special room next to the showroom known as Changchun Pu (Changchun Garden or Villa). It was a vintage colonial-style, single-story concrete house. I was told that it was the villa where Dr Sun Yat-sen and her revolutionary partner Chen Cuifen stayed when they were in Taiping.
According to Chinese history, Dr Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) was the former president of the Republic of China and is also known as the “Father of Modern China” for his contribution in overthrowing the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty of China and ending the conservative monarchy of over 2000 years.
Chen was regarded as the second wife of Dr Sun, even though they were not officially married. Chen had assisted Dr Sun in his revolutionary work as well as looked after his daily needs such as meals and laundry, allowing Sun to focus on his work.
Chen stayed at the villa for about two decades until she returned to her birthplace in Hong Kong, many years after the success of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911.
It was a long road to success for Sun in the Xinhai Revolution, after many failed attempts starting in 1895.
Dr Sun made use of his organisation, known as Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance), as a platform to spread the ideology of the revolution and to gain support and raise funds from foreign countries, including Japan, the United States, Britain and the Chinese in South East Asian countries, including Malaya, to support his revolutionary works.
Dr Sun had visited Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh and several other towns in Malaya when carrying out his revolutionary works, including meetings and fund-raising. The house where Dr Sun Yat-sen once stayed on Armenian Street in George Town is now the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum.
The owner of Antong Coffee Mill rented the house (Changchun Pu) from its owner, Chan Kye Choo, in 1940 to set up his coffee mill and then bought the property in 1942.
The coffee factory is located next to the house, and the rear of the house has been extended to become the showroom and coffee sale gallery.
There is a room in the house that is left untouched, with all the vintage furniture and household items intact. Some old photographs, paintings, Chinese calligraphy scrolls, and newspaper cuttings related to the histories of Dr Sun Yet-sen, Chen Cuifen and the Antong Coffee Mill are hanging on the walls, forming a history gallery and unveiling a part of the hidden history of Taiping, waiting to be uncovered by the visitors.
