Cincau seller wall mural in Labuan
Image adapted from: @jyelim3668 , @ashimiskandar
A huge wall mural of a local cincau seller is the latest in a series of 13 paintings gracing the exterior of the older buildings along Lorong Tanjung Pasir, Jalan Utama Bandar Labuan and Terminal Labuan.
Painted by street artist Nazim Kula, the mural features Teo Soon Bin, or Uncle Ah Ming as he’s affectionately known – a well-loved cincau seller in Labuan.
Image credit: @jyelim3668
Labuan’s beloved cincau seller Uncle Ah Ming
The father-of-five has been selling cincau for 42 years now, since taking over the stall from his late father. The cincau stall itself has been a fixture along Jalan Tun Mustapha for over 50 years. But it was only when locals made the tagline “Ah Ming Cincau is the best’ viral on Facebook earlier this year that business became brisk.
What makes Uncle Ah Ming’s cincau so special is that he adds extra ingredients to his cincau. Besides the usual grass jelly, you will also find creamed corn and other ingredients like beans, cendol and crushed ice found in Air Batu Campur (ABC) or Bean Ice – to add dimension to the sweet-tasting dessert.
Uncle Ah Ming at the 50-year-old family cincau stall at Jalan Tun Mustapha
Image credit: @ashimiskandar
Tourism Malaysia, which initiated the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, hopes to give an artistic facelift to Labuan’s tourism scene with Ah Ming’s mural.
According to Bernama, Uncle Ah Ming was rendered speechless by the honour and so shocked that he couldn’t sleep when he received news that his face would occupy the entire side of the building instead of a small space, as he had expected.
Other murals inspired by a local footballer and blue marlin
Former footballer Hassan Sani who played for the Sabah Football Association in the semi-pro league and Malaysia Cup between the 70s and 80s is another inspiration for this series of mural. The painting, done by artist Andharas, features Hassan in his football uniform and is a tribute to the local sports scene.
The 61-year-old Hassan hopes that the mural will inspire young and passionate footballers to chase their dreams, like he did, as reported by MStar.
Image credit: Hassan Sani
There is also a blue marlin among the murals, which was inspired by Labuan’s popularity as a deep-sea fishing island destination.
The mural of the blue marlin and the others in the series brighten up an otherwise quiet street in Labuan.
Image adapted from: @LabuanFT
Another row of murals has a sea theme, with seahorses, stingray and other deep-sea creatures.
Image credit: @LabuanFT
Labuan murals to boost local tourism
The Labuan street murals portray important facets of the community, from the economy to sports to arts. And these all come together to make for a stunning display that not only honours the islanders, but helps bring in tourist dollars to support the locals too – and we’re all for it!
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