KINILENS | In the past, rattan furniture was the main choice for many. However, it now has to compete with contemporary designs that are becoming increasingly popular in the market.

Perniagaan Wai Kong, a rattan furniture store along Jalan Klang Lama in Kuala Lumpur, has been operating for almost half a century.

The products here were produced by Chong Yan Yam and his wife Wong Chin using traditional methods.

Now, 70-year-old Chin has to struggle to continue running the business after her husband passed away from Covid-19 in 2021.

Although she still has regular customers, most of them are elderly and their numbers are decreasing.

In solitude and without her husband by her side, Chin perseveres in running the business alone, as her son is not interested in the field of rattan furniture manufacturing.