Long Love Years

I have always known that Li Xide is an encyclopedia of humor, but I didn’t expect that the other side of this deadpan comedian is a “historical storyteller” full of memories.

This book is like Madame Jin Zhaoli in Pai Hsien-yung's "The Last Night of Madame Jin". She shuttles among the colorful fireworks and has exchanges of glances with every elegant lady. She intends to wash away the worldly affairs but is actually a reserved person in her bones - with the mottled marks of time and personality intertwined.

Reading the stories of Li Xide's time in Kuala Lumpur, he recorded not only the former glory of each scene, but also the characters and situations in the scenes that come alive on paper, just like a series of reverse black and white films.
──Sin Chew Daily Deputy Executive Editor Zeng Yulin

In the early days, there were only twelve shops on the road from Pudu Prison to the front of the Majestic Cinema, so it was called "Twelve Shops".

More than half a century ago, Imbi Road was known as "160 Rooms." It was once home to many independent dormitories for senior government officials, totaling exactly 160 rooms.

The area from Petaling Street to its intersection with Jalan Harmonia, in front of Bangkok Bank, is called "Five Lamps" because there were five street lamps there in the past. The street is also known as "Gold Shop Street" because of the numerous gold shops.

Li Xide

Born Li Yinghua in Kuala Lumpur in 1951, his ancestral home is Dongguan, Guangdong. He graduated from Kuala Lumpur Chung Hwa Pi Chi Chinese Primary School and the pre-university program at Cochrane Road School.

He has worked for Shin Min Daily News, Tong Bao, Nanyang Siang Pau, and Guang Ming Daily, holding positions such as data room manager, advertising proofreader, telecommunications translator, editor, supplement editor-in-chief, editorial advisor, and executive editor. For decades, he has written humorous essays and nostalgic columns for various newspapers, magazines, and websites under the pen names Lee Hsi-te, Lee Kung, and Wu Shun-chao, and continues to do so.

He has written many collections of humorous essays: Are You Kidding Me? (1977), A Collection of Weird Things (1978), the collection Broken Bar (1994), Happy Lungs (1996), Kiss at the Stop (1999), and Congratulations on Having This Li (2023).

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A Vivid Record of Literature and History / Zeng Yulin

Volume 1 | City Center

Huozhi Street became Zhitian Street and Tuk Di Lane. Have you heard of Petaling Street?
A girl is in love, having a cup of tea and two snacks at a teahouse on Shishi Street. Petaling Street's salted duck is a standout. A fierce ghost is found at the Chinese Theatre, producing crooked necks. National Sultan Street train station, Chang Kee ice cream. The Pak Ping Theatre burned down a wood louse. The two Shanghai Commercial Presses merged, and the ghost cigarette shovels became the lane name of 31 Sultan Street. Ghosts knock on doors at midnight. The residences on Jiling Street and the Glass Hall. The courts of Twelve, One Hundred and Sixty, and Three Villages have moved to Ma Da Liao on Harmony Street!
Recording a collection of favorite songs at En Kee Records, the Guandi Temple at the "Jiaoxiao Club," the Shiye Temple, the Jingzhe fight against villains at Luoye Street, the Shin Min Daily News at Changli Tea House, and the stripping reporter karate-splitting a chopping board with a bare palm. The Shin Min Daily News even has "Aji-no-moto" on it.
The Sun Times closed down due to the Red Sun. Today's Express came and went quickly. The Good Neighbourhood Plan is now related to the People's Evening News. The bookstore next to the coffin shop and the General Bookstore on Cultural Street held a lecture by three people to promote new products at the wet market. Witness the bloody process of chicken shredding. The rubber shoe advertisement on the side wall. The big tiger is so impressive. The four-faced clock and the escalator of the Luckin Bank. The Lincoln Center Library at Loke Yew Building. Boiled beef slices, chicken congee, and pork offal soup. The abandoned Grand Mother's Clock Tower. The Selangor Club and Merdeka Square. Good memories of the Merdeka Stadium. The National Indoor Stadium. Barefoot table tennis competition. Is the Holler at the library good at playing Holler?
Lonely Children's Park

Volume 2 | Pudu/Bukit Bintang

Pudu's horn-blowing service, 12 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon wonton noodle shops, bamboo clappers, and recruitment, the "Moonlight on the Rooftop" at the Yijia Building.
The world record for the longest self-destructed mural. Demonstrations in the shackle building. Children defecating on the spot at the Dahua Cinema. A Dahua opera film became popular. Mouth-harp recitation of classical Chinese school songs. An alumnus' song at the anniversary banquet wowed the crowd. Divine eyes identified Oriental Bus license plates. A terrifying night at the theater in Jinhua on May 13th!
Yu Lai-chun scared her to death at the Starlight Cinema. The aroma of stewed eggs in Food Street is no longer there. The pork offal porridge in Food Street is more romantic. Mei Qi's preaching in Food Street sparked protests. Hop Fat, one of Pudu's three major restaurants, has a unique charm. Hop Fat has closed, but there's still the Shi Yuan Pudu Market. Pudu's food scene has become a haven for scholars. The water fetching spots for cabin dwellers are brightly lit, and "Wedding Invitation Street" is lined with printing factories.
From Tai Hang Quetzal to Hong Kong shops, Shaw Plaza and Fudu Cinema "release the momentum"
The wooden cesspool "shit eggplant" night terror white zinc house old people and memories am I the prince of the Indian barber shop?
A "martial arts secret manual" was found in a garbage dump near a bungalow in Jalan Sarawak on May 13th.
Jaywalking to make a pilgrimage to Matu
The former Pavilion—Guang Yi Cinema, Guang Yi's resurrection as Pavilion, Cathay Cinema, the cold chill that shook me, Student Weekly, the days of the Alumni Association, Nanyuan's big show, the banter, the striptease, Nanyuan's second-run theater, Zhongshan Kyoto, Guangdong
My first experience with a wedding banquet at BB Park Restaurant, Sungai Heung Plaza's Bookish Culture vs. Lala Culture, Sungai Heung President, the Wrong Cinema, the Wrong Play at Sungai Heung Rainbow Opera House, the Moment of Brilliance, Low Yat IT Mall, Lot 10 Hutong, Guangqian Cinema and Times Square, Ho Ching Yuen's Wooden Houses and Open-Air Market, Ho Ching Yuen's Commercial District Also Has Literati, Mei Zhi Lu Bu Mei, Zhu Qingxi Wuxishui, Feng Shui Check at the 16th Floor HDB Flat on Loke Yew Road
Fajar land disappears without leaving any trace of history

Volume 3 | Cheras/Sungai Besi

The days of transferring from a Chinese primary school to an English school, taking the Chinese language exams and running a Chinese language society in the English school, and spending two years in a panic, having fun, is there a "peeling road" in Kuala Lumpur?
Specialty cuisine originating from beer