In Malaysia, Two Brothers Keep a Three-Generation Coffin Craft Alive
Goh Khuay Par and his brother Goh Khuay Hou carry on a family tradition of handmade Chinese coffins in Muar, Malaysia, as demand declines.
In Muar, Malaysia, two brothers are among the last practitioners of a family trade that has passed through three generations: the making of traditional Chinese coffins known as Mei Hua.
Goh Khuay Par, 69, has devoted more than five decades to the craft. He works alongside his elder brother, Goh Khuay Hou, 72, producing each coffin entirely by hand — a process that takes many days to complete.
The pace of their workshop has slowed considerably. In earlier years, when more craftsmen were employed and orders were plentiful, the operation could finish as many as five coffins a month. Today, the two brothers complete roughly two coffins every six to seven weeks.
The coffins carry deep cultural meaning in traditional Chinese beliefs about death, burial and the veneration of ancestors. Yet the market for these large wooden caskets has contracted as funeral customs evolve and cremation becomes more common.
That shift has left the future of the brothers' craft uncertain, even as they continue the meticulous handwork their family has sustained for generations.