MyStory

"Arte (factually) Speaking" Story-Writing Competition

1st Prize Winner (Upper Primary Category)

Contest ID: 203

Name: Goh Shu Qi Jamie
Gender: Female
Age: 11-year-old
NRIC: SXXXX976B
Nationality: Singaporean
School: Fairfield Methodist School (Primary)

Artefact: Kamcheng

Museum: Asian Civilisations Museum

Image from Collections of Asian Civilisations Museum

The Three Kamchengs

"My dear, you are now of marriageable age and I have decided to hold a ball to help you choose a Baba (a Peranakan man) husband," my father said.

"But…but…" I protested.

"No buts. I have decided and nothing you say will change my mind. Just concentrate on marrying a good Baba," my father quickly retorted.

The day of the ball finally came. Many men of fine calibre came at the request of my father, who was a very influential man and had many reputable contacts. They were indeed very good, most were polite, handsome and well educated. However, you really could not tell much about a person’s character by just interacting with him, much less for a short period of time. After much consideration, my father and I chose three intelligent and highly successful Babas. However, the problem of character was still unsolved. Thus, I decided to set a test for each of the three fine men. The man who impressed me the most with his reply would get to marry me.

I gave each of the three men an empty Kamcheng and told them, "Go back and fill this Kamcheng with anything you like, and then come back in two days’ time to show me what you have put in your Kamcheng."

The two days passed in a flash and the three men were back with their Kamchengs. One filled his with dumplings, one filled his with Chendol and the last returned with an empty Kamcheng.
When asked why they filled their Kamchengs with whatever they filled it with, the first replied, "Dumplings represent my wishes for you to have good health and longevity."
The second replied, "My Chendol represents the sweet marriage we will have in the future."
The last replied, "This Kamcheng may look empty to you but in fact, it is filled. Filled to the brim with my love for you."

Upon hearing this, I immediately knew I had found the right man.

(328 words)