Lawrence Liang
These short pieces are speculative /fictional reconstructions of newspaper and archival stories about the Indian-Chinese community
Missing Person’s Notice
Dolly Kamini Chung:
Age 29:
Occupation: Sex worker; resident of Phears lane.
Identification Signs: Mole on left cheek, and burn marks on right hand sustained from an accident caused while frying her Phears lane famous fried prawns (best had with green chutney)
Chee Ling Qua:
Aged 54
Occupation: Magician, resident of Blackburn Lane
Identification : Deep set black eyes, usually seen with an old brown bag saw to contain secret equipment for Sam’s sensational magic tricks including producing a 15-foot-long pole from his mouth. Qua traces his ancestry to Ma Huan, a magician who travelled to Bengal in the 15th century to study Indian jadoo.
Tham Hing Tat:
Aged: 42
Occupation: Smuggler
Identification : Walks with a limp caused by a twisted left foot: Well known in the neighbourhood as a film connoisseur who reserves every Saturday for watching films non stop starting in the morning - with breaks for food at Hotel Bihar- through the late night show. Said to have traded a gold biscuit for an autographed photograph of Dilip Kumar.