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22 | FireFlyz
EstherChew
makesaquickgetaway
to the royal townof KualaKangsar to
learnmoreaboutthetraditionalMalay
art of Labu Sayong.
get
away
A Royal
Exploration
I
’ve
made plenty of trips to Ipoh before, especially
to enjoy the wide variety of food offerings, but
I must admit that I’ve never taken the time to
explore other towns located in its outskirts. When
a long weekend came by, I finally decided to pay a
visit to Perak’s royal town, Kuala Kangsar, located
just 20 minutes away from the hustle and bustle
of Ipoh. The main intention of my trip was not just to
sightsee and enjoy the local food, but also to find out
more about the art of
Labu Sayong
(water calabash),
a Malay earthenware container that takes its shape
from the gourd or starfruit and is traditionally used as
a water container. When translated to English,
Labu
means vessel or pitcher, while
Sayong
is the name of
the village where it originates from.
I made my way to Sayong Village, where there were
many workshops that catered to the creation of L
abu
Sayong
as well as other forms of pottery. Traditional
Malay pottery sites are often found on or near ancient
routes that connect the tributaries of the Perak Rivers.
With the help of a local guide, I visited Win Kraf at
Kampung Sayong Tengah that is owned by Pak Ridzuan
who has been a pottery artist specialising in
Labu
Sayong
for over 24 years – a skill that has been passed
down for generations in his family. The friendly owner
told me that he even studied for some time in Japan in
order to gain more in-depth knowledge about the art
of ceramics.
He explained that the clay used for Malay pottery
is a terra-cotta clay found by streams, riverbanks, and
paddy fields, and the special clay that he used for the
Labu Sayong
can only be found in Kepala Bendang
Village in Kuala Kangsar. The amazing thing about
Firefly flies to Ipoh from
Singapore and Johor
Bahru. Information
on flight routes and
schedules can be found
at www.fireflyz.com.my
The terra-cotta clay before it is
pounded into fine powder