The Last Lantern Maker

The Last Lantern Maker

Sometimes there are days that nothing seems to get done. This time that day lasted a whole week. I’ve started 100 projects and finished none. By Wednesday, I’d had enough and decided to grab my cameras and just go out and chase an idea I have had for about six months.

There’s an old man that lives in downtown Georgetown here in Penang. He is the last of a dying breed, a paper lantern maker. They say there are only two of them left in all of Malaysia: one in the state of Malacca and the other here in Penang. Back in November, I went with my wife to shoot an essay about the man here in Penang. He was sick and so nothing was happening in his shop. All his supplies were all packed away. His old shop looked as if a slight breeze would turn it all to dust at any given moment as if some Hollywood set designer had come in and strategically placed cobwebs all over to give an old, forgotten feel. Only, this was real: The layers of dust that blanketed the shelves of forgotten cloth were real; the old tattered lanterns that hung from the ceiling and lay decaying on the shelves were real. The only thing missing were the ghosts.

This past Wednesday, I went back to try again to do the essay. When I arrived, the door was bolted shut and there was a sign posted on it saying he had moved. The building was condemned and would soon be torn down. My heart sunk.

As I was leaving, thinking that I might never find him again, he suddenly pulled up in his old car, full of supplies. He smiled at me, walked up to the door, unlocked it and walked in. He told me he was still sick. Apparently, it is his heart. I shook my head and then as cautiously as I could, asked him when he thought he might be making lanterns again. He said he didn’t know, but that I was welcome to come back anytime. Apparently, he is not moving quite yet.

I told him I felt it was important that I take pictures of his work and of him creating these lanterns because he was a national treasure. He smiled a toothless smile and said, no he was too old to be a national treasure. I chuckled and told him that national treasures were usually old. I walked back into his shop and snapped a few pictures. Nothing had changed in 50 years. Why would it?

There were a few ancient bundles of some objects wrapped in some old tattered Chinese newspaper. When I asked what they were, he shrugged his shoulders. They had been there for years and he had no idea what was inside. He had not touched them in 5, 10, maybe even 20 years. For me that seemed inconceivable; for him, they were a shrine or a monument to something long gone.

I have to keep returning to his old shop, I have to finish this quest.

I want to make my own monument to The Last Lantern Maker.

About The Author

Matt Brandon

Matt is a Malaysia based assignment photographer. Well known as a photographer and international workshop instructor, Matt’s images have been used by business and organizations around the globe. Matt is also a Fujifilm Malaysia brand ambassador. Matt is a contributor to National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller and other major publications.

30 Comments

  1. Ray K

    Your stories and image like these may make a better person out of me yet Matt. Wonderful and I hope you can get more, this really touched me for some reason.

    Reply
  2. Matt Brandon

    Thanks Ray. This was a real a special man. I am compelled to finish this project. There is something very haunting about it.

    Reply
  3. Andy Wilson

    Nice story and nice multimedia. The images and music worked well together evoking a a sense of lament at a fading way of life and a passing generation. Though one hopes the gentleman's health will hold for years to come.

    Reply
  4. Jen

    You lucky bugger! There is someone in town who wants him to mentor a young artist to keep this art alive, but he has refused time and again. Maybe it's his heart that keeps him from doing the mentorship. Fantastic ode to the lantern maker.

    Jen
    (from Penang)

    Reply
  5. João Pedro Santos Silva

    Beautiful project! You really have to finish it and publish those images. It reminds my wish to finish, as well, a project about shepherds in Serra da Estrela, Portugal; like the “last lantern maker”, the people whose ability was to take care with sheeps and make a survival, is almost gone.

    Reply
  6. Jeffrey Chapman

    Yes, you MUST keep going back. I love this kind of stuff, and you do it as well as anybody out there. No, you do it better.

    Reply
  7. brianhirschy

    Nice video man –

    It's really funny because this year our city opted to not put up the traditional paper lanterns for the … well, Lantern Festival. We were all really bummed out but none of them would have compared to what this guy is doing or ever had done.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Did you ever mention how old he was?
    Brian

    Reply
  8. johnbatdorffii

    Wonderful video…..it's a great tribute. Matt, you did a great job!

    Reply
  9. Matt Brandon

    Thanks Jeffrey. Honestly, I didn't think there was enough material here for a full post. But as I wrote it it seemed to come together and then the video happened the same way. Once I put the images in Sound Slides they needed a title, then music and so on. It kind of evolved into a short “Preview of Coming attractions” so to speak.

    Reply
  10. Matt Brandon

    Do it! I have been dreaming of doing the Gujjars of Kashmir, India for years.

    Reply
  11. Stuart Taylor

    Matt – What a great story and wonderful poignant images. Makes me think of many of those little projects I have in my head and inspires me to get out and capture them. I look forward to seeing more of this project. Would make a great book don't you think?

    Reply
  12. Tho

    Too bad if he is The Last Lantern Maker….. we should to keep this art alive!!!!

    Reply
  13. heber vega

    Great Matt,

    I really love the story.
    You have to keep shooting this… you've already seen how attractive this is to the rest of us.

    Reply
  14. Toni

    Your work touches the soul, Matt. I hope you are able to finish your quest.

    Reply
  15. antwerpenR

    Great stuff – indeed, you need to catch these things when you still can!

    Reply
  16. Roger Madsen

    Very nice! Many of these multimedia things are usually to long and no matter how good it is I get bored in the end but this was short and sweet 🙂 Nice work!

    Reply
  17. Roger Madsen

    I of course mean multimedia things in general. Just to be clear 🙂

    Reply
  18. Benjamin

    Nice story and pictures!

    Reply
  19. jeffersonbernardes

    Great work! Fabulous….

    Reply
  20. Mitch

    Ironically I was recently in Penang for work and took some pictures of the same lanterns at the Khoo Kongsi clan house where some of these are from. Here's a link to a Picasa album with 5 more pics if you guys are interested.

    http://bit.ly/c6KSmL

    Reply
  21. Dave Ray

    After seeing this place with you I went to Malacca & asked around about the other lantern maker in Malaysia. My best source (the Nyonya beaded shoe lady of Malacca–written up in many newspaper articles) said they didn't know anything about him. They don't think there is one in Malacca. So, our friend in Penang seems to be the last of the breed in the whole country.

    Reply
  22. Chinese Lanterns

    Nice story and High quality pictures, bit of a heart warming story.

    Reply
  23. JP

    I went there two days ago and the shophouse has been completely emptied. No lanterns, no lantern maker. I was obviously saddened and dismayed that this may be the end of an era. Any idea where he could have gone? Is there not a single traditional lantern maker left?

    Reply
  24. Matt Brandon

    JP, Nope. He just vanished. The place is gutted. A real shame.The

    Reply
  25. JP

    Hi everyone, guess what, I found the last lantern maker in Melaka. His name is Ang Teng Ta, another old gentleman who works from his home in a surburb called Klebang…

    Reply
  26. Seetoh

    Do you know where this lattern maker has moved?

    Reply
  27. Faizabrunner

     Hello, I loved your pictural tribute to the lantern maker. We got some lantern from him and they are with us in Zürich! We are still waiting for a wonderful spot to hang them (maybe after we move to another new place). We got ours after almost a year of ordering them and we were persistant. He has now moved from his old pre-war shophouse to another place near the old ferry jetty. He doesn’t make lanterns anymore.

    Reply
    • admin

      If you ever get an address for him, I would love to know it. I would love to drop by and do a follow up with him.

      Reply

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