History of Yee Sang

MCM Red Box Prepacked Yee Sang (Bundle Box form)

Whenever the word 'history' is mentioned, people are going to expect a long and boring narration. Well, not all people, anyway. We'll keep this light, short and interesting.

Apparently, the tradition of Yee Sang during the Chinese New Year period is only celebrated in Malaysia and Singapore. Most probably in Indonesia as well, according to Wikipedia. Other Chinese-populated countries, including China itself, don't have Yee Sang as part of their CNY tradition. According to a report in thesundaily.my, citing Bernama as the source, the reporter asked a resident of Dalian, a city in northern China, whether she has heard of Yee Sang. 26-year-old Le Gao responded, "Tossing Yee Sang sounds interesting, but I have never heard about that."

So, how did this tradition come about? pamper.my states that in the early 20th century, immigrants from China brought their love of fish and raw fish salads to Malaysia and Singapore. If that's the case, then from which part of China did these immigrants emigrate from? It couldn't have been northern China, or else Le Gao would have known about it. Well, according to Wikipedia, during the colonial times when Malaysia was Malaya, a raw fish dish was sold at porridge stalls set up by Chinese migrants and it is said that the dish originated from Jiangmen, Guangdong province, which is in the southern part of China. The raw fish dish consisted of fish, turnip and carrot strips, and served with condiments of oil, vinegar and sugar. Customers would then mix the ingredients themselves. 

Anyway, the tossing of Yee Sang during Chinese New Year has become an integral part of the culture among the Chinese here. Thus, MCM would like to take this opportunity to promote its MCM Red Box Prepacked Yee Sang. A bundle box of 10 originally cost RM318. But now, it is at a promotional price of RM238, which is a discount of 25%. Check it out at MCM's e-store on Dinasou.com.