Wong shows the Feng Shui boat that costs RM488.80.
KOTA KINABALU: When it comes to honouring their ancestors, no amount is too much for some Chinese.
This includes buying a paper-made ‘Feng Shui boat’ priced at RM488.80 to burn for their loved ones in the Qing Ming Festival on April 5.
“Customers won’t be thrifty with purchasing offerings and burn prayer paraphernalia for their ancestors,” said Kenny Wong, manager of Rong Ji Tang at KK Taipan, Inanam.
Rong Ji Tang started its operation in November last year, selling an assortment of prayer paraphernalia for burning.
Wong said the reason the Feng Shui boat, manufactured in West Malaysia, was so expensive was due to its craftsmanship. Indeed, tiny papers were folded and stuck together to form the base of the boat.
So far, Rong Ji Tang has sold around six of the Feng Shui boats.
Then there is also the double-storey bungalow complete with furniture, cars, maid, security guard and lawn that is priced at RM148 each. Transparent plastic sheets are attached to the paper bungalow as windows that allow customers to look into the furniture placed in the rooms.
Traditional replicas of houses are cardboards with windows, doors, roof and bricks printed on them which cost around RM18.
“The bungalow is much more realistic in terms of its interior,” he explained.
Wong said Rong Ji Tang also sold pre-packaged bags of boxes containing the necessary items for the Qing Ming festival, such as paper clothes and hell notes.
“A lot of the people want convenience and they’ll just buy the pre-packaged bags or boxes.”
It is also worth noting that Rong Ji Tang also offers smoke-free or less-smoke joss sticks that are environmentally friendly.
Wong showed a pack of nine-millimeter joss sticks which he claimed to be very popular.
“We recommend burning smoke-free joss sticks in offices and homes because they are cleaner and environmentally friendly.”
He showed another pack of joss sticks with a bigger diameter, which are less-smoke incense sticks that could burn for 12 hours.
He said smoke-free or less-smoke joss sticks are more cost-effective as users need not repaint their interior walls every year due to the smoke emitted from the joss sticks.
“More people buy environmentally friendly joss sticks compared to the usual ones. And they are only two to three per cent more expensive.”
For the Chinese, showing filial piety towards their deceased loved ones mean making sure offerings and paper dollar notes are given to them. Some take a step further to ensure their ancestors live a luxurious lifestyle in the afterlife.
At Ching Ann (Sabah) Sdn Bhd on Gaya Street, there are the usual replicas like houses and cars, and there are also credit cards, passports, jewelery, massage chairs, branded clothing and shoes.
For the ladies, there are replicas of skin care products called SK-III. There are also luxury paper cars including Mercedez Benz, Rolls Royce, Toyota Hilux and so on.
“The items are imported from West Malaysia and China,” Mr Lim at Ching Ann said, adding that the offerings and paraphernalia are selling like hot cakes now that Qing Ming festival is just around the corner.