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Police road block
Home guards check-point
While the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) was a period of fear and deprivation, the Emergency (1948-1960) was a period of restriction and restructuring. Our parents were not directly affected as they lived in the town area. But, in the countryside, squatter areas were relocated to new villages surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guarded by soldiers and special constables. Curfews and restrictions on personal movement were imposed. The government also imposed strict measures to control the purchase, sale, storage and transport of food to ensure that supplies did not fall into communist hands.
Aulong New Village
Our maternal grandparents, who were living in the Assam Kumbang area, were relocated to one of such new settlements called Aulong New Village. They were allotted a wooden house situated at the far end of Lorong 1.
They continued with their farming activities and cultivated vegetables and some fruit trees such as the guava, soursop etc. in the vacant land next to their house. They also kept chicken, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs etc. They would sell their farm produce in the Taiping market. Grandpa Lee would ride his big bicycle to town while grandma Chang Kiew would walk and carry two small baskets filled with farm produce. These baskets were tied to both ends of a long pole which was placed over her shoulders.
I remembered that they had a very huge stud boar which service the various pig farms in the village. Mother Lee Mooi's eldest brother, who was a lorry driver, would come over to our house every 2 or 3 days to collect leftover food to be fed to the pigs.
During the school holidays, some of us would stay over at our grandparents house to experience what life in the farm is all about. It was truly a great experience and a total change from our town lifestyle. Grandma's Hakka food was delicious especially her "pillow-shaped" dumplings.
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