Bagan Sekinchan, Sabak Bernam

When you are in Bagan Sekinchan in Sabak Bernam, there is a high chance you will come across someone with the surname Chia.

The first Chia I met was village head Chia Yeow Long, 59, who was a fisherman for more than 20 years but has since traded in his sea legs; he currently owns a business processing fish paste and fish balls.

According to Chia, aside from the surname, another similarity that villagers share is that 99% of them are Teochew.

Of course with this being a fishing village, most villagers are in the fishing industry, be it harvesting, processing or distributing.

One such example is Mimi Fishball owner Hing Siew Long, 50, who makes processed food such as yong tau foo.

One of Quay’s workers chopping up fishes into smaller pieces.  

Hing may be the boss but she also works alongside her employees.

“I have to wake up at 5am to get things ready such as getting the fish out to thaw,” she said.

Chia Kiang Yak, 75, is the only boat manufacturer in town and has been in the business for more than 50 years.

He is now retired and has left the business to his sons, who have learned the craft of making boats from him.

“No one is keen on learning the craft nowadays as it is a tough job,” he said.

He reminisced about yesteryear and the tough life during the Japanese Occupation.

“At the beginning, there were only 10 houses in the village.

“There was no running water and no electricity. At night, we had to study using oil lamps,” he said.

A devotee praying at the Na Tok Gong temple by the Redang Beach. The deity statue is more than 100 years old.  

Next, we met another Chia – Chia Sik Seh, 37, who makes and repairs fishing nets for a living.

He deftly knits the nets together in a rhythmic motion without skipping a beat.

It takes two to three people about a week to complete a net, where the longest could measure over 100 metres.

We also visited the Na Tok Gong temple by Redang Beach.

Many tourists were seen taking photos and making wishes at the wishing tree next to the temple.

There are about 10 temples in the village.

The village head wore a cowboy hat as protection from the scorching sun as we drove around.

Without a hat, I would have gone at least a shade darker from being in the sun for hours.

While the unbearable weather is a pain for rice farmers who are in need of rain as it is the season to plant crops, those in the fish-curing industry embrace the heatwave.

One of them is Chia Chen Teck, 71, a dried shrimp manufacturer for over 30 years who said, “The hotter the better!

“I used to have 80 workers at a time but now I am old so I will just do as much as I can.

“It is not an easy job. I wake up at 4am and work until night,” he said.

A newly built boat at Kiang Yak’s dock. He is the only boat manufacturer in the village and has now passed the business to his sons. 

Kelvin Quay, 30, who runs a business processing and distributing salted fish, is also loving the scorching heat.

“The hot weather is perfect for drying salted fish which also results in better tasting fish too,” he said.

About 1,000kg of fish are set out to dry daily.

He offers customers 20 to 30 types of fishes like mackerel, Spanish mackerel, stingray and eel.

He said his company, which was passed down from his father, was the longest running one in the village at 20 years and counting.