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Established in 1935 as a restaurant serving Cantonese cuisine, Seong Ying Chai is still operating at its original premises off Jalan Sultan, though at the moment only the pastry department is kept alive. For the third-generation owner Leonard Lee and his wife Jacklyn Yap, handcrafting traditional Chinese pastries is not just about sustaining a family business, but preserving a rich cultural heritage.

Traditional Chinese pastries, also termed ‘Han Bing’, have been an intrinsic part of Chinese history and society, an absolute necessity when celebrating annual festivals such as Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, and special occasions such as births and weddings. Among the wide variety of traditional Chinese pastries available, Seong Ying Chai is renowned for their bridal pastries and mooncakes.

According to traditional etiquette in a Chinese wedding, bridal pastries made up two parts of the six or twelve gifts sent by the groom and his family to the bride’s family during the betrothal session, which takes place approximately two weeks before the wedding ceremony. Bridal pastries include a pair of ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ pastries which are exchanged by both families and dozens of smaller-sized pastries that will be distributed to relatives and friends together with the formal invitation card, informing them about the upcoming nuptials and inviting them to partake in the joy.

Many traditional practices and customs within societies have evolved or changed significantly over time, as younger generations shun old beliefs and have no wish to adhere to what they perceive as outdated rituals. However it is crucial to show proper respect in the most important event in one’s lifetime, therefore Seong Ying Chai undertakes a personal mission to instil general awareness on such matters when customers approach them to place orders for bridal pastries.

Mid-Autumn Festival is almost synonymous with mooncakes, symbolizing family reunion and harmony. Seong Ying Chai offers traditional Cantonese mooncakes featuring a golden shortcrust pastry encasing a velvety smooth filling and one or more whole salted egg yolks, as well as lighter and non-baked alternative – snow skin mooncakes with a translucent-white chewy crust. Having originated in Hong Kong, snow skin mooncakes made their debut in the 1960s. Seong Ying Chai is the first in Malaysia to introduce this delicacy, till this day it is the bestseller among their specialty products.

In olden days, less well-to-do families could not afford mooncakes. In order to cater to them, mooncake biscuits (Gong Zai Bing) are made using the Cantonese mooncake crust, with just a dollop of filling. Mooncake biscuits come in varying shapes and sizes, typically piglets, animals and deities. While most of them are shaped using wooden moulds, the piglets are still being handmade by the elderly Mr Lee Hup Ngoh.

Mooncakes are frequently gifted between friends, relatives, and business acquaintances to show appreciation and foster a good relationship. Nowadays people prefer attractive packaging over everything else, yet Seong Ying Chai tries their best to incorporate innovative cultural and creative elements by combining nostalgic and fresh flavours and rolling out mooncake biscuits with icing to suit the fancy of little children.

Traditional Chinese pastries are deeply rooted in symbolism and tradition. Every piece, every bite embodies respect, love, gratitude, and joy. As Leonard and Jacklyn owned it, Seong Ying Chai would not be able to keep going without the strong support from family and friends, as well as generations of loyal customers who unfailingly return year after year to indulge in their love affair with mooncakes. They are motivated to continue carrying on the cultural heritage, hopefully for many generations to come.