taiwan singers in Sibu nightclubs

The timber boom brought in a lot of changes to Sibu and its hinterland.

The motor launches were always full of passengers coming to Sibu and on the return journey, all of them would be very low into the river as they would be full of goods, tinned stuff, animals, machinery, grains or animal feed, and occasionally even a refrigerator which would be the envy of every passenger!!

Giggling girls wearing western dresses, some already having very pretty ribbons and permed hair and wearing high heels, mingled with older ladies wearing samfoo and low heeled leather shoes. Times were really changing.

The young men would have their hair well combed with a bit of curl tipping down their foreheads in the style of Elvis Presley. Many of them wore white trousers and colourful printed shirts (called Hawaii Shirts). Every so often they would take the small comb from the back of their trousers and comb and pull their hair. A bit vain, I reckon. But they were actually the same the world over.

Yes, I remember their very pointed shoes, so well polished that they glistened in the sun.

In the midst of this social change, the town was invaded by Taiwanese singers and nightclubs mushroomed almost overnight. The nightclub singers wore beautiful gowns and they were extremely fair skinned. As they crooned away in songs made popular by Bai Kwang, Ger Lang, Teng Li Chun, the local Foochow men boozed in expensive XO and drank themselves silly.

Women's groups went to see some community leaders to get rid of the Vixens (as the night club singers were called). But little could be done.

Men were already buying big cars, and Mercedes Benz came a little later. Swanky older men, wore white trousers and Hawaii shirts, permed their hair, and bought huge jade rings to decorate their fingers. To top it all, they bought and wore thick gold chains and bracelets, and of course, very strong perfume.

They were betting against each other who could pay the highest fee for the best looking Taiwanese singer.

So many of the Foochow men actually lost their mind.